most economical (gasoline)

Alcohol free gas is usually marketed as REC 90 and it can cost up to a buck a gallon more than E-10 87

I will keep running the cheap stuff thank you.

I was still buying leaded 89 octane, at the pump, in the early to mid 80's. It was replaced by 89 octane no-lead. You can still find Sunoco Race Fuels (Cam2), which are leaded.

Hmmm... I have no idea how effective PEA is vs the other detergents ... but ... from what I had read when I looked up the succinimides, not all Tier 1 gasolines have PEA, yet all Tier 1 gasolines meet the desired high-end automotive manufacturer standards for removing deposits.

If that statement is true, then that would indicate that there are other ways to get good detergent action than PEA.

Is that a correct assumption?

Marvel Mystery Oil is about 80% napthenic hydrocarbons (CAS Number 64742525), aka, hydrogenated aromatics, with the rest being your basic mineral spirits (CAS Number 8052413) and a chlorinated benzene, namely 1,2-dichloro-benzene (CAS Number 95501).

Their advertising says it has the "mysterious ability to cure and prevent almost any engine ailment.".

Wow. That's better than aspirin & penicillin combined! If only it were true.

Sea Foam is half something called Pale oil, a third your basic Naptha, and a sixth your standard iso-propyl alcohol. Pale oil is basically a light machine oil (like what you put in your trumpet or sewing machine or hair clippers).

Why anyone would want to add oil, more alcohol, and more benzene to gasoline (which, by the way, is called "benzene" and not gasoline in other countries for obvious reasons), is well beyond my comprehension level.

Where can I find some of that cheap stuff in California? :)

I have added lacquer thinner to gas.

Greg

I guess the theory is that the solvent cleans fuel injector openings; and, maybe it works - but - with all that smoke - I'd worry about the catalytic converters and wonder how smoke is supposed to be cleaning my injectors (that's an indirect inference, of course).

Read my previous statement. There ARE other detergents that allow a fuel to meet Tier 1 specs. However, NONE of them have proven to be terribly effective at REMOVING accumulated deposits - which is not the job of a tier 1 gasoline. Tier

PEA, as a consumer level additive, is the most effective way to REMOVE engine deposits.

I don't think the things we did in the 70's would work now. From what I remember, the fuel cleaner smelled nothing like today's stuff.

Greg

Well, with over 40 years experience with the stuff, MMO is very effective at feeing up moderately stuck rings, quieting down noisy and sticky hydraulic lifters or timing chain tensioners and conditioning leather accelerator pump cups - among other maladies experienced by MANY engines.

In today's engines, it does appear to also solve sticking and dripping fuel injectors a good percentage of the time. Not foolproof - but always worth trying when the option is dissassembly of half the intake system to remove injectors for proper cleaning. $9 to have a better than 50/50 chance of avoiding $400 worth of repair is well worth it in my experience and opinion.

It was the first thing to try on the old 230 cu inch Chevy six when lifters got noisy (a common occurence) and quite often the last step required. Rislone worked too, sometimes - but usually took a bit longer - and was more likely to cause goey crud to turn to cinders in a poorly maintained engine. (more solvent - less lubricant)

Engine (4 cyl aircraft) sitting for a year or more has a "limp" when started - one cyl down on compression. Cyl leakdown shows 40/80 on 1,

The stuff has a pretty good record for removing "greenies" from carburetors left overwinter with ethanol gasoline, as well as disolving varnish from carbs when used as a fuel additive - and when added to the crankcase has a similar effect on sticking valve lifters and timing chain tensioners

Ah, I see the distinction. Thanks.