I know the answer is yes, but I don't know the particulars. So far I know there are solvents, and detergents, the latter apparently being better, particularly those that don't damage seals.

I have an 12 year old F150 that I've maintained very well, so I'm not afraid of doing a little flush myself (minimal risk of clogging internal ports from dirty engines pieces breaking off etc).

So what's a good flush product, a better one, and the best one ? If I'm going to take the chance, I'm going to use the best product I can buy.

I know we have good current and retired mechanics, motor heads, and racers on this forum, and I want to use the right stuff, the right way, the first time. I work on my own cars and enjoy maintaining them, if that makes any difference.

Yes.

I'm partial to BG Products. They have a lot of products I like besides flushes. They don't sell retail, it's to shops only.

I've been using BG since the early 1990's. It's just my opinion, but I won't use anything else.

You'll have to talk to your local mechanic shop that uses BG Products. I'm lucky I have friends who wrench or run shops and I can get it that way.

Best wishes to you.
.

If you have maintained the engine and kept up with oil changes, you don’t need an engine flush. It’s snake oil in a can in your situation.

+1 for BG.
If you're going to do it, that's my recommendation.

My dad did 30 years in the car business, on the service side & he put some stock in the BG products.

There is no factory service manual that recommends any kind of "flush" on an engine. Drain fluids with gravity and refill.

The only possibly exception is something like in-tank fuel system cleaners like Techron, but that's just an additive.

If you have the 5.4 motor, I’d think that would be a great way to plug up the cam timing mechanism.

I’d agree with PowerSurge.

I agree if you’ve regularly changed the oil, you likely don’t need it, but I’ve heard of a product in particular, and a line of products that seem to have regard on bobistheoilguy. Kreen and Liquimoly additives, but not their flush in particular.

I have an 2000 F150 that I've maintained very well. Those engine flush products are for last ditch effort to salavge poorly maintained engines. Most of them do little to no good from what I've seen. This is coming from experience in working at a few automotive machine shops in between jobs in the aerospace industry.

Don't "flush" the engine. Change the oil, replace the filter.

If you have anything going on in that engine that requires a "flush," you're almost certain to do more damage "flushing" it, and you have larger problems that will require a tear down.

The exception might be sludge, but that's typically a result of the wrong products used in the engine, improper operation and maintenance intervals, etc. "Flushing" will generallky do nothing, but best case scenario, will circulate that which shoiuld not be in circulation.

Stick with oil changes.

If you've been maintaining the engine as you should, you don't need to "flush" it. If you must, BG Products EPR at least won't hurt anything, and if the engine is consuming oil and not leaking, it may even help. It is a mild cleaner intended to clean out deposits from between the piston ring grooves and rings, which helps them to seal tighter against the cylinder walls.

wrightd, what problem are you trying to solve with an engine flush?

Not quite the answer for the question you are asking, but I use “Sea Foam” in all of our motorized equipment and vehicles at least once a year. Yes, it does make a HUGE difference in performance.

My proof of this was the first and second time I ever used it.

1) JD Lawn Tractor, over 30yrs old I had bought used. It sat unused for 2yrs, when I ran it it was very difficult to start, blew out a lot of black smoke and generally ran like crap. JD wanted $4500 to fix it! I dumped in a $7 can of Sea Foam, ran the engine at full throttle for 15-20 minutes, it nearly died at the 10 min mark as this massive cloud of black soot came roaring out of the exhaust, then it slowly began to clear and then was completely gone. Exhaust was clear, it never had been prior, I had more power, engine ran smoother, win/win for me.

2) Wife’s 2007 Honda Odyssey began knocking really bad, high mileage vehicle 200K, put in a can of Sea Foam and a full tank of gas, went away after a few days.

This is why I run Sea Foam in my vehicles every Fall and when I winterize my equipment, lawnmower, trimmer, chainsaw, etc. It keeps them running smooth. My last vehicle went 253K miles, began to nickel and dime me on electrical components and the body was rusting out badly so I sold it to a neighbor’s daughter for $1,200. She wrecked it is less than six months, it lasted me nearly a decade.

BTW...I only used Mobil One Synthetic oil for gasoline engines and Shell Rotella T6 for my 6.6L Duramax.

BG.
They make a lot of great products and there are some available online.

quote:

Originally posted by jcsabolt2:
Wife’s 2007 Honda Odyssey began knocking really bad, high mileage vehicle 200K, put in a can of Sea Foam and a full tank of gas, went away after a few days.

Did she ever come back? This information might be useful to many many husbands.

About ten years ago, I purchased a 1998 S-10 Z1 with a 4.3L for my son. It ran a few months and then lost a rod bearing. The rod was knocking badly. I purchased a replacement 4.3 from a junk yard that came from an Astro van. It had been poorly maintained. I decided to remove the intake and oil pan to replace the bearings, and it had black sludge around the push rods and in the oil galleries. I cleaned it best I could without further disassembly and installed it anyway.

After the initial startup, it was tapping like Shirley Temple. Horrible noises coming from the valve train. Figuring I had nothing to loose, I poured in 16oz of SeaFoam and let it idle for an hour. The new oil turned to a gravy color, but the valve train noises went away completely. I changed the oil again and gave my boy the keys. He drove that truck for about four years and then sold it to a high schooler who ran it for a few months before T-boning it on a utility pole.

SeaFoam is the bee's knees for a poorly maintained engine. It probably doesn't do much for a properly maintained one.

They make a motor flush that you run for 10 minutes or so before you drain the oil.
It can clean gunk out of your oil if so infected.
It basically is part diesel and it a quite common method.
Sold in the oil section of auto parts stores everywhere.
I've used it on occasion with no ill issues.
YMMV

quote:

Originally posted by Broadside:
wrightd, what problem are you trying to solve with an engine flush?

None in particular, just not as peppy as it used to be. However, I've cleaned other motors and various types of machinery and equipment over the years, sometimes with dramatic improvements in performance. So to me, when it comes to machinery and tools, cleanliness is next to godliness.

If I can use a flush product that can "do no harm" (literally), then I believe my risk is minimal, since I've maintained a clean engine since I bought the truck used about 60K miles ago, and have used Mobil 1 full synthetic motor oil and Wix brand oil and air filters.

Still researching, but sounds like B&G is getting the nod, since they have a good reputation for most of their products across the line.

Engine flush was something I always did when I bought a used vehicle. Never an issue.

Until.. my Nissan. I did it on my second oil change. Rear main seal has leaked ever since.

flush what? oil? coolant? fuel? to solve what?
Not a chance its going to help 'peppy' at the core of the engine.
The only product that I think is worth a try is Techron which has some possibility to help things if you have been running crap gas forever.

There's nothing "dirty" about an engine that's operated regularly and that has regular oil changes, and filter changes. "Engine flushes" don't remove sludge or other settlement at the bottom of the engine, and anything that's not at the bottom of the engine, that can be removed, is removed and caught by the filter. That's why you do filter changes.

If you're using mineral oil, you'll typically have some degree of varnish; using any product that removes this will not help your engine, but may lead to damage. Best case, nothing happens.

Your engine is not more "peppy" after a flush. Confirmation bias (seeing what you hope to see) may lead to you to believe otherwise, but there is nothing about a "flush" that can mechanically improve the engine or make it more "peppy."

Given that a "flush" at its best will do nothing, the trajectory is downhill from there, and any benefits negative. Don't "flush" the engine.