re: OT mechanics - Best engine cleaning additive (oil)

Chevron with Techron is the best deal going.

I just learned the hard way about direct fuel injection on my wife’s (no pics) Audi. The fuel is injected directly into the cylinder instead of into the intake manifold. The fuel in a normal system flows around the valves and cleans them on the way in. Direct injection doesn’t and you get a ton of carbon buildup on the backside of the valves. A piece of this broke free on my wife’s car and got stuck in an exhaust valve and kept it from sealing. Lost compression in that cylinder and burned the valve. Two months and $3000 later, it’s fixed. BMWs also have this issue. My daughter (no pics) also has an Audi and I cleaned the intake out myself. Had to buy equipment for sandblasting and used about 30 lbs. of walnut shells. A major pain in the arse. All the shops around here that work in Audis have about a 2-month wait, so I did it myself. DON’T BUY AN AUDI!

The 'best' way is to tear the engine down and do a thorough cleaning.

That's my answer to all small engine problems...LS swap.

I wouldn't put anything other than oil in my engine. Snake oil might remove deposits but could also deteriorate seals that won't show up for 10k miles.

Change oil twice as often as manu suggests. Manu only cares about engine life for the life of the warranty.

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So my Honda is burning some oil but it has a quarter million miles on it.

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If you have the Honda VCM system you can get a plung in to bypass the eco mode to quit the cylinder shut off leading to the increased oil consumption.

Look up S-VCM plug-in. $100.

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What is causing the oil to deteriorate so quickly now

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Sounds to me like your engine is running rich. Is there any black smoke coming out of the tailpipe? Have you changed your air filter lately?

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I see all kinds of additives, but what is the best?

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I h briefly heard a lifter tapping on my truck yesterday. I am hoping it is caused by some gum built up in the oil system. I went and bought some sea foam this afternoon. I will dose up the crankcase oil thos weekend and change the oil next weekend. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Years ago we had an engine making a knocking noise. It had a regular carburetor, we sprayed Marvel Mystery Oil down the carburetor. It smoked like a train, it quieted the knock down, but you barely hear it. We pulled the head off, the inside looked polished. We found a piece of the piston ring imbedded in the top of the piston. BG products are also good.