Diesel additive - Puma 2.2

[travelrover]

Hi all

For quite a few years now i have been using Chemtech diesel fuel additive in my 300Tdi & Td5 with no ill effects and I am assuming that its doing what it says on the label, as I have no real way of measuring this.

But there is some discussion as to whether this (or similar products) are suitable for a 2.2 Puma. Does anyone have any real world experience with additives in a Puma 2.2 and have you had any measurable benefits or negative observations?

Cheers - Simon

[V8Ian]

Assuming you mean the carbon cleaner, fuel additive. It definitely works, used to use it in a Mack E7 454, it saved an expensive rebuild.
Just guessing, but it should be fine in any engine. It can be used in common rail engines.

[Discodicky]

Hi all

For quite a few years now i have been using Chemtech diesel fuel additive in my 300Tdi & Td5 with no ill effects and I am assuming that its doing what it says on the label, as I have no real way of measuring this.

But there is some discussion as to whether this (or similar products) are suitable for a 2.2 Puma. Does anyone have any real world experience with additives in a Puma 2.2 and have you had any measurable benefits or negative observations?

Cheers - Simon

Go for it!
I use Fuel Doctor and/or Flashlube in my D4 3.0 diesel.
Helps neutralise algae, breakdown moisture presence etc.
Cleans wax buildup on injector nozzles.

[travelrover]

Assuming you mean the carbon cleaner, fuel additive. It definitely works, used to use it in a Mack E7 454, it saved an expensive rebuild.
Just guessing, but it should be fine in any engine. It can be used in common rail engines.

Yup, this stuff

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20240813/32bc90156fddb6bc9df9e899cd212be0.jpg

[DazzaTD5]

For many years I have used products from Cost Effective Maintenance

[gavinwibrow]

For many years I have used products from Cost Effective Maintenance


Do you use it in customers cars as a matter of course?

[travelrover]

For many years I have used products from Cost Effective Maintenance

Thanks Dazza

Have you experienced any problems with the Puma engines with this stuff?

The image didn’t open but I found this?
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20240814/8490096d65793e2889b2f024bb9824ed.jpg

[Tote]

+1 for cost effective maintenance products, I dont use the fuel conditioner but have used the engine flush on a few vehicles and am happy to recommend their products

Regards,
Tote

[DazzaTD5]

i use...

FTC Decarbonizer - good for injector rattle (defender tdci, lc 200), sticky turbo actuators (d3 / d4), vehicles with dpf issues.

AW10 - engine oil additive (mostly as a preventative measure), use on customers vehicles (d3, d4, defenders), lt230 transfer cases (defenders).

like all additives, its not the bee all and end all to issues but it can help.

[BradC]

FTC Decarbonizer

Since the DPF on my D3 met an untimely 4" cut off disc, I've been known to "boot it" from the odd traffic light at night so I can assess the opacity of the cloud in the headlights of the vehicle behind. I can absolutely say that 5 or 6 tanks into a bottle of FTC Decarbonizer I see a significant reduction in "hoon" exhaust smoke when making it work hard.

I'm a sceptic at heart. I had a play with their "CRD Enhancer" a year or two ago and found that perhaps it marginally improved the injector balance figures on 2 of the 6, but made zero noticeable difference to noise or driveability on a day to day basis and the figures returned to where they were within a tank of ceasing use of the product.

The FTC though really has gone from "**** me there's a massive cloud back there and might be a car in there somewhere" to "I can still see the car and its individual headlights through the mild mist. A significant difference.

What that means on a long term basis, I have no idea. But on a $$ basis, I more than pay for the additive just by checking fuelwatch and picking cheaper diesel.

[AK83]

+1 for cost effective maintenance products, I dont use the fuel conditioner but have used the engine flush on a few vehicles and am happy to recommend their products

Regards,
Tote

+1.

I've used the oil cleaner and their coolant flush.
Both had an appreciable effect in the 300tdi.

Oil stayed cleaner for the next couple of oil changes, but I ran out of the stuff and then couldn't really afford to get more for a while(still can't)
I had an even better result cleaning out the rusted up coolant.

Once funds allow again, I'll get some more.

[Tikka7mm08]

i use...

FTC Decarbonizer - good for injector rattle (defender tdci, lc 200), sticky turbo actuators (d3 / d4), vehicles with dpf issues.

AW10 - engine oil additive (mostly as a preventative measure), use on customers vehicles (d3, d4, defenders), lt230 transfer cases (defenders).

like all additives, its not the bee all and end all to issues but it can help.

Is the decarboniser worth using on a non-dpf 2.4?

[V8Ian]

Is the decarboniser worth using on a non-dpf 2.4?
Most definitely.

[DazzaTD5]

Is the decarboniser worth using on a non-dpf 2.4?

in Australia upto 2016 Defenders had no dpf and I use it

[johnp38]

The FTC though really has gone from "**** me there's a massive cloud back there and might be a car in there somewhere" to "I can still see the car and its individual headlights through the mild mist. A significant difference.

What that means on a long term basis, I have no idea. But on a $$ basis, I more than pay for the additive just by checking fuelwatch and picking cheaper diesel.

In the first 2 initial tank fulls the FTC Decarbonizer has loosened the rings enough that I have gone from waiting 2 minutes for the white oil smoke to clear b4 I drive off to not embarrass myself, to being able to jump in, fire up and drive off after putting the seat belt on.

The RMI-25 cooling system treatment (which can be left in but I used as a descaler) left the water passages like new.

Was hesitant to pay 125 (ebay) for 1 litre of 'snake oil' to test it out but as I already know the block needs a rebuild (and their coolant product had worked as claimed) it was a tiny fraction of the rebuild cost to part with if it could kick the can down the road a bit longer, which it has quite cost effectively done (pun intended)

[travelrover]

In the first 2 initial tank fulls the FTC Decarbonizer has loosened the rings enough that I have gone from waiting 2 minutes for the white oil smoke to clear b4 I drive off to not embarrass myself, to being able to jump in, fire up and drive off after putting the seat belt on.

The RMI-25 cooling system treatment (which can be left in but I used as a descaler) left the water passages like new.

Was hesitant to pay 125 (ebay) for 1 litre of 'snake oil' to test it out but as I already know the block needs a rebuild (and their coolant product had worked as claimed) it was a tiny fraction of the rebuild cost to part with if it could kick the can down the road a bit longer, which it has quite cost effectively done (pun intended)

Was this in a Puma or something older? I have smoke coming from all my Defenders. The 300Tdi always smokes on startup and hard acceleration sort of blue/gray. The Td5 will smoke on hard acceleration or sometimes when you have been idling for a little while, such at the lights and then a large white cloud as you move off.
And the Puma has whitish smoke at idle, always has.
From what I’m reading I’m going to need different products to address each situation.

Cheers Simon

[DazzaTD5]

its normal for a 300tdi to blow a chuff of smoke on startup.
TDCi (puma) idle smoke can be cleared up by changing to a different oil, have a look at the other thread here re what oil.

You could throw some FTC decarbonizer in all 3 vehicles.
Additives overall arent actually needed, they can help in certain circumstances.

[johnp38]

Was this in a Puma or something older? I have smoke coming from all my Defenders. The 300Tdi always smokes on startup and hard acceleration sort of blue/gray. The Td5 will smoke on hard acceleration or sometimes when you have been idling for a little while, such at the lights and then a large white cloud as you move off.
And the Puma has whitish smoke at idle, always has.
From what I’m reading I’m going to need different products to address each situation.

Cheers Simon

My Td5 Disco, which is my first diesel and has taught me not much about diesels (I thought it would) as it turned out they're just another donk with injectors in the end like all the others.

I wouldn't use multiple products at once as you could be wasting money by not knowing which one worked (assuming you get a good result) and then keeping up an expensive regimen of using them all.

No magic in a bottle will cure a donk that really does need a rebuild, and the additives of decades ago (apart from the original slick 50) were borderline useless in my not so humble opinion, but times have changed and I have plenty of engine building experience and I would suggest just get one bottle of ftc decarbonizer, as that is plenty and then some, and follow the dosage recommendations and use in all your vehicles, don't expect instant miracles but at the end of the first 700 odd kays I couldn't wait to refill and see the difference after I went through another tank.

My problem with all my cars is short return runs to the local shops (about 5k total) and stop start driving if I go into the city (about 60k return, once a month) for an appointment so petrol or diesel is irrelevant they all gunge up from not getting a decent run under load.

I also used it on my 2018 picanto (petrol) which has 149000 on the clock already and it quietened it back down to just the normal injector noise at idle and smooth again.

Nothing in a bottle is magic when you need to give the engine a do over but this stuff is letting me delay things.

[johnp38]

Additives overall arent actually needed, they can help in certain circumstances.

Words of experience

[travelrover]

Words of experience

A quick update.

I have started using the FTC decarbonizer in my Td5. Still on the first tank but I must admit the results are pretty impressive already after only a couple of hundred kms.

Acceleration is much smoother, clearly more power and the clouds of smoke that would appear after idling at the traffic lights has all but completely disappeared. I'll put it in the 300tdi and Puma shortly and hopefully achieve similar results.

thanks for all the advice, seems to be an excellent product.

Cheers Simon