**** This was duplicated in Discussion. I have put them both together and in Technical Matters. Mark ****
Hi
what gains would i get from using redex in my Vauxhall corsa 1.2 16 engined car
would it damage it or make it better,
i just need to know before i do it incase i damage the engine in anyway
all help apreciated
Thanks
James Stephenson
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Personally I won't touch this stuff anymore. I've used it in several cars and never had any positive results. The last time I used it was to clean out the inlet tract on my Rover Turbo - I ended up with the MAP sensor bunged up by it!! Good job I was able to fix this DIY or I'd have been screwed for £200+ for a new ECU.
The only stuff I've found to really work in the tank is Slick 50 Petrol Treatment. It shifted most of the coke from my wifes car soon after we bought it at 6yrs old with just 5500 on the clock.
I've heard it said that 10k Boost is good - but I've never tried it because I'm not convinced you could get enough improvement to make £25 a can worth it.
If you use good quality petrol you really shouldn't have much problem with coking up these days. Personally I reckon you're better off spending your money on regular servicing to keep your car in peak condition. I just don't believe the marketing hype that just about every car is crying out for a decoke.
Unless you KNOW you've got a problem - if it ain't broke don't fix it.
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>> what gains would i get from using redex in my Vauxhallcorsa 1.2 16 engined car
Theoretically it does what it says on the tin (or bottle in this case)
would it damage it or make it better,
What's wrong with the Corsa. Please elaborate? Is it running like a sack of poo for instance?
i just need to know before i do it incase i damage the engine in anyway
I'm sure no harm will come from using it. The makers would have been sue'd by other motorists if it damage an engine.
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James, I have just replied to this under Discussions. Did you mean to post it it two places? What I said is repeated below:
I sometimes used Redex in my early cars, 40 years ago! Those early engines were prone to carbon build-up and it is JUST possible that Redex helped keep them clean. However I didn't notice any before-and-after differences.
I once poured Redex into the carburettor of a 1956 Vauxhall Wyvern to try and free a stuck valve but all it did was to emerge from the exhaust as a dense cloud of smoke which put an oily deposit over the freshly polished wedding taxi that stood behind me!
This little tale brings me to the point that burning Redex with the fuel might not be good for the exhaust catalyst, if one is fitted. I don't know if this is likely and it may be that Redex is perfectly compatible with the catalyst, but I wouldn't personally take the risk.
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Hi
what gains would i get from using redex in my Vauxhall corsa 1.2 16 engined car
would it damage it or make it better,
i just need to know before i do it incase i damage the engine in anyway
all help apreciated
Thanks
James Stephenson
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Dunno about your Corsa but I do have something positive to say about redex.
My aging Rover [1] had a slight hesitation on tickover.
I poured redex into the choke of the injector and in addition to the very satisfying cloud of white smoke it definately ran smoother.
Used it on an out board a few weeks ago with no noticeable difference.
[1] Which did Wales and back yesterday for those with cash on the 'how long will it last' sweepstake.
--
Parp, Parp!
Note: All Toad posts come with an implied smiley.
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Hi
the italian tune is definate
we live in worcestershire and are going down to devon on friday, anyhow and thats 150 miles one way and 150 on the way back
so 300 miles, will that clean out the engine or what,,,
Thanks for the advice
James
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Trust John S.advice.
Simon T.
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Simon,
Off topic, but on holiday in the IOW a few weeks ago, we had a quiz in the hotel we were staying in.
Q. "Who achieved fame as 'The Saint'?"
My wife's answer? Simon Templar.
V
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James,
I used Redex in a 90k mile 1.8 Pinto engined Sierra after lead replacement petrol was introduced and the valves appeared to intermittently stick (confirmed by compression test). I stuck srictly to the directions, 10ml to 10l of petrol. It cleared the valve sticking problem immediately and after 3 months (about 3k miles) I noticed around 10% improvement in fuel consumption. Compression checks before and after a years use showed no deteriation.
I read someware that using too much can damage the valves.
If you use it stick strickly to the instructions and measure, don't guess, 10% accuracey should be OK. Don't expect instant results in performance.
I used to put the Redex in using a measuring vessel on getting home after filling up.
Gus.
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Gus,
If the Sierra had gone 90k miles without any work on the head it should have had sufficient 'lead memory' for many more miles on unleaded petrol without fuel-related valve sticking problems. My unmodified Triumph 2500 has been run on totally lead-free (not LRP) for around 7000 miles over the past three years with no identifiable valve sticking or sinkage whatsoever.
I wouldn't be surprised if the valve sticking in the Sierra was unrelated to the change-over in fuel. Perhaps with the engine having covered 90k miles there was a build up of carbonised oil between the guide and the valve stem, and perhaps the Redex helped loosen this, but I don't think that is sufficient reason for regular use of an expensive additive.
With respect, I also cannot see how Redex can improve consumption by 10%, or even 1%. It just doesn't add up, unless you were running on only 3.1/2 cylinders before due to the valves sticking?! You said the improvement was noticed three months after you started using Redex - could that three months have been when the warmer weather arrived and the cold-start device was switching off earlier?
I'm sorry to be so negative but my 40+ years of messing with cars and my work as a patents engineer in an engine design company have taught me that 90% of the gismos and additives that are claimed to give improvements do nothing of the kind and sometimes do more harm than good.
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Dizzy
Only 90%?
Regards
John S
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www.ftc.gov/os/1999/9911/prolongcmp.htm www.ftc.gov/opa/1999/9909/prolong.htm
"Ad depicts sand being poured in the motor, then the water hose being cut and the engine being revved up. The engine keeps running"
And I think my car get's abuse!
--
Parp, Parp!
Note: All Toad posts come with an implied smiley.
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Yep - we have that advert here - It's a cracker!
I must tape it (It's on most nights at about 1am - lasts about 30 minutes!), and circulate to the backroomers!
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Ian,
Would this company be the same one involved in the (in)famous silicone wiper blade thread? Steady boys.
Plus I had to read the judgment twice, just could not believe there wasn't something along the lines of:-
"And my Rover just keeps on winning 12 cars, plus it fixed the splitting spark plug problem, all without me having to apply any concentration" said Toad of Toad Hall.
;-) (joke!)
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Yep - that's them!
They advertise and sell via TV and the net, and at a chain of stores in malls nationwide Durablades, Car Care kits (never wax your car again!) - lots of other great non-automotive products as well - the George Forman fat-free cooking system, the AbFlex stomach muscle toner, the Nippon never-need-sharpening knife set etc.
It's cheap TV, and their adverts are on all day, in between the soaps, to entice gormless housewives to spend all their hubbie's cash.
Having ventured into the shop one day, whilst SWMBO was shopping elsewhere, I was amazed at the quality of the stuff. To say it was cr@p would make gerald ratner look professional ...
To return to the motoring links, here's a brilliant one on the oil additive subject -
www.1st-in-synthetics.com/oil_additives.htm
Well worth a cut and paste, and then print for bedtime reading, methinks.
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