(Part 2) Best engine & parts fluid cleaners according to redditors
We found 484 Reddit comments discussing the best engine & parts fluid cleaners. We ranked the 78 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
So lets talk seafoam
Composition
> - 40-60% Pale Oil
> - 25-35% Naphtha
> - 10-20% IPA
Oil/Engine cleaning: Do not bother if you use a quality oil it already contains plenty of detergents/cleaning additives.
Gas Tank: Dont Bother as there are better additives out there containing PEA(poly ether amine) which has been proven to clean deposits. This will not be an instant thing but something that needs to be ran for a little while to get it to clean. You can read a Q&A from Gummout here
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/gumout-q-a-april-2015/
Top End Cleaner: Now this is probably the most popular use for seafoam but I still would not use it. Mopar makes one that is fantastic http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Chrysler-Accessories-4318001AD-Combustion/dp/B00BV4D97K I would use that anyday over Seafoam.
In closing Seafoam is popular on the web and in stores hense its widespread use but its a very mediocre product.
If anything, remove the CMOS Battery and the housing for the GPU and you can wash the boards with water. Immediately pat it dry and place in a 200*F 90*C degree oven or an oven set on Warm (WM) to help it dry quickly. (the GPU PCB and the Motherboard can be there and be safe.) Any higher and you're going to risk melting connectors. To be extra safe, wrap in some paper towels and set on the racks after the oven gets to temp. Turn off the oven and then let them sit there for about an hour or two.
From there you can use a corrosion removal spray or solution to try and undo any damage.
CRC contact cleaner - Plastic Safe.
Deoxit contact cleaner and corrosion removal.
Pen style Deoxit.
If not, you can no confidently say that you need to spend the money on the now more expensive GPU and Motherboard. Clean the contacts of the ram as well as the power supply connectors with rubbing alcohol just incase.
Edit: Reddit had a stroke when I used autocorrect and doubled a bunch of shit.
Ok cool. I ride a TaoTao which is a similar Chinese manufactured scooter.
Yours has a 139QMB GY6 engine. This is a VERY VERY common engine in Chinese scooters across brands. You can find TONS of videos on YouTube describing how to maintain and repair them. You can usually get better search results searching for "50cc GY6" or "139QMB"
They require semi-frequent maintenance if you want it to be reliable and last a long time. They are dead simple to work on, even if you have never touched a wrench in your life. All the tools you need come to about $100-150 total and I list most of them toward the bottom of this post. Some other things on that post may be useful for your scooter too like the no-install alarm and magnetic oil plugs.
Unless you are wealthy I highly recommend taking the time to watch YouTube videos about GY6 maintenance and doing it all yourself. You can easily buy all the tools you need for the cost of 1 mechanic visit and parts are easy to get on amazon and very cheap. For reference a brand new carburetor is about $20, fuel filters are $3, air filters $7, and the entire engine+transmission assembly is $300 should you need to replace the whole engine. And even a carburetor can be changed in under 30 minutes with less than 10 screws needing to be removed.
The most common maintenance is changing your oil. You should do this when you first get it, then again at 50 miles, 250 miles, 500 miles, and every 300-500 miles thereafter. I personally use Valvoline Motorcycle Full Synthetic 10W-40 in mine and after 300 miles it is black AF. Here is a good video how to do it
The second most common maintenance is adjusting your valve clearances. This one can be scary AF for a newbie because it involves taking body panels off and taking the cover off the top of the engine. Here are two VERY detailed step by step videos: one, two. After you do it the first time it becomes no big deal and unless you go crazy with the adjustment the worst case is your engine will make more noise or wont start until you re-adjust it.
In addition to YouTube videos there are links to 2 different GY6 services manuals on the /r/taotao sidebar that may be useful, one is a PDF the other is a link to order the Haynes service manual. They are both good in different ways.
I recommend using non-ethanol gas if you have it in your area. If not it probably doesn't hurt to put a capful of Lucas treatment in with each fillup. When ethanol-free isn't available I personally spring for premium and add Lucas to it. Many people use regular 87 ethanol gas in them all the time, though and as long as you are using it frequently and not letting it sit then this should be fine. If you do use ethanol gas and need to let your bike sit then be sure to add enough fuel stabilizer to it or drain all the fuel out first.
Thank you! I followed this guide as closely as possible: https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/50352-how-detail-your-engine-like-professional.html
Basically first used saran wrap around and electrical, lightly hosed off everything, sprayed with cleaner (i used Gunk Foamy Engine degreaser which was 5 bucks at auto zone), let sit for 10-15 minutes, used brush to scrub everything, sprayed off again with water, let it dry, then sprayed with Gunk Engine Shine
I have modded manual 2006 tC with 106,700 miles. It treats me good but I'll give you a full insight to these cars.
Annoyances/Problems
Most of that information above is the most common problems with TC's. The driveline, engine, transmissions, and factory clutches (mine is original at 106,700 and still smooth) are rock solid and has never broken down on me. I have a K&N short ram, straight pipe borla exhaust, RÄZO short shifter, and coil overs on mine for performance mods... No exterior mods because it's really easy to turn a TC into a rice rocket with a few stupid pointless exterior mods.
POWER
SAFETY
OVERALL
On the final note: This car can be an absolute gas hog as well. The gears on the manual are really awkward and 5th gear going 65 MPH on the freeway I am at 3000 RPM... (really needs a 6th gear). In city driving isn't much better but overall I average about 29 mpg cruising on the freeway and 23 in the city. Overall I highly recommend the car but I don't recommend it for a teen because of it's power (18 years old at minimum). Most TC accidents I've seen has been a naive teenager showing off which ends up in a chaotic mess in the end and that is the reason why the TC is a bit more expensive to insure.
EDIT
One way to minimize this is to use a different chain lube that is less "sticky" and flings off. I prefer Pro Honda Chain Lube, but any "dry" chain lube with Teflon (or PTFE) work.
Cleaning more also helps instead of just throwing on more lube. I always clean then reapply more lube. Some of the bikes I see at work are atrocious and have so much excess goop and lube stuck under their front sprocket covers.
Spray this stuff on it and enjoy. Its /r/oddlysatisfying for me.
99% chance your carb is gummed up. Happens to me on my snowblower. Locate the carb and remove the bowl. Clean that with some de-gumming spray and also shoot some up into the inside of the carb. If it is really gummed up bad you may need to take the float off and clean it out with a brush like this.
Watch some youtube videos on how to clean small engine carburetors. Last year i knew literally zero about it. After watching videos and learning how to clean my snowblowers I can do it in less than 30 minutes if i need to.
Either the 40 lb bags of oil dry or use pig mat. gotta be careful with kitty litter, use the wrong type and you'll have a gooey mess instead of dry oil filled litter
Spray tuner cleaner into the potentiometers
https://www.amazon.com/Max-Professional-2053-Contact-Cleaner/dp/B0030MKAV4/
edit: Extremely common and has been for many years. But cleaning the pots will have them good as new in almost all cases.
Start by cleaning the throttle body. This stuff is fine:
https://www.amazon.com/CRC-05078-Throttle-Air-Intake-Cleaner/dp/B000M8PYO2
(Also inspect the throttle cable, which can sometimes stick).
When I said lemon oil what I really meant was citrus. Derp. So yeah, really anything, but this is available for a pretty good price on Amazon.
I'd say baby oil is a no-go, based on the chemical composition. The reason why citrus cleaners work well is because they have the ability to remove corrosive materials from the bearing while being non-toxic and smelling like heaven :)
Foamy to degrease
https://www.amazon.com/Gunk-FEB1-Foamy-Engine-Cleaner/dp/B000ABGA6W/
Shine to finish
https://www.amazon.com/Gunk-CEB1-Ounce-Automotive-Accessories/dp/B0002KL6JM/
Look for throttle body or carburetor cleaner if you want an application-specific product. If you want a little more flexibility, try Gumout Parts Cleaner/Degreaser
https://www.amazon.com/Gumout-540001-Regane-Cleaner-Degreaser/dp/B06XF6NY3X
I use a bit of scotchbrite pad or a small abrasive wheel (just remove the rust).
One VERY handy thing is a hub-cleaner attachment that has a hole so you can scrub off the rust around the wheel studs. ALWAYS clean the rust off the hub face and the back of the wheel.
Also in terms of doing brakes the right way, get a runout gauge and caliper and learn how to index rotors. Failing to index rotors will result in pedal vibration over time,
http://www.hendonpub.com/resources/article_archive/results/details?id=1787
https://www.amazon.com/OEMTOOLS-24686-Brake-Hub-Resurfacing/dp/B06W55QQHG/
First of all, here's a link with some pictures: https://imgur.com/a/DdDMX8f
I just bought this car two weekends ago and I'm stoked. I have washed it once (normal two-bucket method, no polish/wax). I'm going to plan for a more in-depth detail this coming or the following weekend, so I'm planning on making some purchases and wanted to run them by you guys! My general plan is do a foam cannon spray, rest a little bit, rinse, decontaminate w/ Griot's Speed Shine and Griot's Synthetic Clay.
After decontamination, in the long run, I would like to put a coat of CQuartz. Beforehand, obviously, I need to remove as many of the swirls/scratches as possible. I don't have any experience yet with compounding/polishing so do you think I should try it first before buying the CQuartz, or should I just go for it?
Here's what I'd like to buy:
I already have some good stuff for cleaning wheels and I've been using Griot's Interior Detailer for the interior and it seems to be doing a good enough job. The interior isn't very dirty so just light cleaning suffices.
As for CQuartz prep, before I am more confident in the paint correction process, should I apply a wax after polishing, or will that just make it more of a pain in the ass to decontaminate the paint when I decide to apply CQuartz in the next month or so? FYI, I'm going to be reading the DA polishing guides on this sub before I buy anything related to that.
Any comments or suggestions on things I have selected?
Thanks!
Foaming carbon cleaner, https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Chrysler-Accessories-4318001AD-Combustion/dp/B00BV4D97K
Better than seafoam, doesn't require full disassembly.
The fact you had to jiggle it indicates a bad connection. The soldering looks fine from the photo but take a real good look with a magnifying glass and see if there are any hairline cracks. I'm picking it's oxidation of the contacts inside the switches. Get some CO Contact cleaner, get it inside the switches and give them a good workout while it dries. Make sure the power is off of course.
FYI the switches connect both left and right A speakers together and the left and rights B speakers together. I always thought they were parallel but a comment on your pics could be right. Anyway if you connect the left speakers in series and connect them to just the left A terminals you're doing exactly what the switch does. And same for the rights to the right B terminals.
>I trust these guys a lot
And here you are.
-Lower ball joints seeping grease: They can do that for a while. Your shop doesn't seem to want to replace them though, so.
-Leaking pan gasket: You can afford to have a lot of oil leaking for $350. Are you leaking enough to have to add oil because of the leak between oil changes? No? Then unless you are a Rockefeller (or are damaging the surfaces you park it on) I'd leave it alone.
-Struts and mounts--Because they are 'weak' and the boots are torn. Don't care about the 'torn', but weak? Maybe. Does it drive and handle ok? Are your tires wearing funny?
-Alignment: Yeah, if you do the struts, you might want to align it.
-Battery service: For $50, you can probably disconnect the battery, clean the terminals yourself. Oh, don't forget the corrosion protectors
A couple of things here.
#1, and a pet peeve of mine, SeaFoam™ isn't a cleaner at all, and really isn't a throttle body and intake cleaner. It's a mixture of snake oil (errrr, "proprietary hydrocarbon blend") and rubbing alcohol (isopropanol). It doesn't belong in your engine, in your intake manifold or in your crankcase.
#2, your high idle and IAC related codes sound like a bad vacuum leak. Do you have a scan tool that reads live data? Or a bluetooth OBD-II adapter and an app like Torque Pro for your phone or tablet? You need to find and fix the vacuum leaks first. It's easier with an OBD-II scan app or scan tool watching live data graphs for the O2 sensor.
If you have a scan tool or scan app, drive the thing to get it warmed up, and when you get back to the shop/garage, set up your scan app/tool to graph the upstream O2 sensor voltage (bank 1, sensor 1). It should fall into a nice oscillating rhythm. Then, spray throttle body/intake cleaner around (the kind that comes in a spray can that says "Throttle body cleaner" or "Throttle body/Intake cleaner.") your intake manifold gaskets, your fuel injector seals where they go into the intake, and other connections and sensors on the intake. Do not use "carburetor cleaner" or any cleaner where the SDS lists alcohol of any kind in the ingredients. I use this stuff amzn.com/B000M8PYO2 because it's acetone based and contains almost no alcohol of any kind. Watch the O2 sensor voltage graph as you are spraying the cleaner around places that might leak. When you hit a leak with the cleaner, the O2 sensor will swing way off in the rich direction. Note where all the leaks you can find are and repair the leaks then verify that you've fixed the leaks with the cleaner again. If you don't have a scan tool, you can still use the cleaner to check for leaks. You should hear the engine idle speed increase slightly when you hit a leak with the cleaner. A scan tool is much more sensitive than your ear, but you should hear the difference on any really bad leaks.
#3, you probably need to clean those IAC passages and the IAC valve plunger with the same throttle body and intake cleaner you used to check for leaks.
I recommend the paint route, it doesn't look cheesy, leaves all clearances as OE intended (no interference from covers causing certain wheels to have fitment issues), and is easy to maintain.
My general steps when doing it are:
kit
single can
single can again- This is what I always use
Also some people like to paint the rotor hats to match, I personally think they look weird except in black, but its your car so do what you want to do.
Be sure to post some pics for us as well!
https://smile.amazon.com/New-Pig-25201-Universal-Light-Weight/dp/B005CVXKK4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1522170299&sr=8-4&keywords=oil+absorbent+mat
This stuff works really good too.
NOTE: To all those that have bought gas at a bad station and are not experiencing problems so far. Do yourself and your car a favor anyways and first, go change the oil. Second, run a bottle of Techron through your fuel.
LINKY - Go pick it up at Autozone however, so you can get it done faster.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000WK111K/ref=sr_ph_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527315213&sr=sr-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=s100+engine+brightener
I’ve used that with great success
In that case, my back up is Griot's Garage products.
Griot's Garage 10975 Interior Detailer
Griot's Garage 10956 Interior Cleaner
Griot's Garage 10994 Leather Care Spray
Not a mechanic, but have you thought about possibly trying a GDI and turbo cleaner?
CRC 05319 GDI IVD Intake Valve & Turbo Cleaner 11 oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PHNQKR2
https://www.amazon.com/CRC-05319-Intake-Valve-Cleaner/dp/B00PHNQKR2/ref=asc_df_B00PHNQKR2/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312168100217&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7383792485142420091&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032190&hvtargid=aud-801381245258:pla-716705970672&psc=1
Question.
Why does the grease need removed? Greasing electrical contacts isn't necessarily uncommon to help prevent corrosion (and copper loves to corrode in ways that electricity doesn't like).
If you're sure you want to remove the grease, use America's favorite libation: CRC Brākleen in the non-California-approved red can. It's usually cheaper locally: I bought some today at Harbor Freight for $7.
You can also buy it by the gallon or larger, up to (at least) 55 gallon drums.
I found this but I don't know how well it will stick to or be nearly as durable as the original porcelain coating. Is it really bad?
Take out the joystick circuit board (just remove the restrictor plate, disconnect the 5-pin cable, and the board should slide right out), pry open the microswitches, and spray some contact cleaner on the metal parts inside. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0030MKAV4
Hopefully you change your oil earlier than normal, regardless of synthetic. I change my turbo oils at 40-50% life, these cars are abused.
Darker new oil is somehwat expected after the change, when you drain the oil there is still old oil in passages and crevices.
My anecdote on insta-black new oil is that it's more common on turbo cars; anyone else?
Royal Purple 11722 Max-Clean Fuel System Cleaner and Stabilizer - 20 oz. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B1VBQRS/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_OWCsybS22VA6T
I would recommend going by what the owner manuel says to do at 75k miles. As far as the Thermostat and Gasket, I would remove those from the list as those are typically on the maintenance list of things to do, however, it wouldn't hurt to have them inspected. As far as the air and cabin filter, those you can do on your own, just look up a couple of Youtube videos, it'll take you all but ten minutes, save you money. As far as the complete fuel, I presume you mean by a fuel line clean. I would start now, and every 10k miles, just add Royal Purple Fuel Cleaner, this will help clean out the fuel lines and I've always found it to work better than seafoam (I started this at 30k miles). When you add it, do it after an oil change and when your tank is near empty. Coolant, transmission flush, drive belt, I would get done. Clamps, have them inspected, and have the Upper and Lower Radiator Hose Inspected, they are designed to last at least 100k miles.
Finally, I wouldn't take it to the Kia dealership, I would have the mechanic to above said things, it'll be easier on the wallet :)
Yup, OP needs one of these and one of these.