Engine Oil Additives - Running Lean

Hi All.

I bought a 2007 RR Vogue, 4.2SC in March this year. It’s got just shy of 79,000 on the clock, so hasn’t been driven a great deal. It’s probably had around 10,000 miles out on the clock over the past 3/4 years, she hasn’t had her legs stretched for a while.

All was going well until I took her to the garage to replace the brake lines which were corroded (LR Specialist). He mentioned that when test driving, the “engine warning” light came on and asked if I’d had it too. Having only just bought the car and not driven it much, I hadn’t come across it and he said it went pretty quickly, and to see how it ran.

Ever since, it’s periodically shown the dreaded “reduced engine performance” warning, but never the amber/red dash light.

Bizarrely enough, it usually happens just as I’m beginning a long journey. No matter how many short trips I do the day of a longer journey, driving round town, stop start - it ALWAYS goes into limp mode at the exactly the same place on the dual carriage way out of town (and I do mean exact!).

Now, as it hasn’t been driven much in recent years and it being a chunky engine, I’ve thought to use the BG44K listed as approved by LR.

I’d also thought to use some Sea Foam in the engine oil - to really give it a good clean. Am I right in saying it could just be caked up fuel lines / injectors?

So, few questions for the community if I may:

1) I’ve seen good things here for BG44K. Can this be used in the engine/crankcase oil as well?

2) Anyone got any views/experience with Sea Foam - or the like - in the engine oil?

Assuming there’s no huge issue using the above in this limited circumstance to give it a good clean, I’d planned to change the engine oil 3-500 miles after adding the BG44K to the fuel. At that point I was thinking of adding the SF/BG to the new oil in the engine and running it for 5-6000m before changing for fresh oil with no additives.

Any ideas?
Please help! I really don’t want to take it down to the garage for another ‘diagnostic’! :-(

Should also mention that the garage has since mentioned that the diagnostics tool showed the engine was running lean when the brakes were done. Hence why I thought perhaps the fuel system / injectors.

Declared interest, I work for BG.
We are talking petrol engine? Otherwise different answers. BG44k #208 is a fuel system cleaner, add to fuel tank at 1 can/50ltrs fuel - nowhere else. It will clean everywhere the fuel goes and even lambda sensors. To flush oil, add BG EPR #109 to warm engine oil, run at 1200rpm for 30mins, turn of, drop oil & change filter, add BGMOA #115 with new oil. Feel the difference.
These products are not a magic wand to cure mechanical or electrical faults, but they will clean out carbon, etc and improve driveability.

Quixote said:

Declared interest, I work for BG.
We are talking petrol engine? Otherwise different answers. BG44k #208 is a fuel system cleaner, add to fuel tank at 1 can/50ltrs fuel - nowhere else. It will clean everywhere the fuel goes and even lambda sensors. To flush oil, add BG EPR #109 to warm engine oil, run at 1200rpm for 30mins, turn of, drop oil & change filter, add BGMOA #115 with new oil. Feel the difference.
These products are not a magic wand to cure mechanical or electrical faults, but they will clean out carbon, etc and improve driveability.

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What a star! And a stroke of luck!

How’s best to do those two - can you do them together? Best to do 44K first, then engine or both at the same time?

Cheers, really helpful!

Same, time. Make sure you have 50 ltrs fuel in tank, pop the 44k in, use a funnel because it not the best car polish.
Proceed with oil flush and change. You mention doing it all again so I can see you have loads of money in which case use 2x EPR to flush & 2× MOA as that sump is quite big - 7+ltrs?

I.e. both cans at the same time, not 2 oil changes.

Every car brand I've worked for (including JLR) specifically prohibit oil flushes / additives for use during service or as a 'treatment' - although some dealerships will recommend and sell them regardless, some also prohibit fuel additives, some allow specific fuel additives in certain circumstances. Any idea why that would be? and what the possible downsides of the additives are?
I'm aware that *most* diesel additives are based upon duty-paid Kerosene and work by raising the burn temperature, some have cetane boosters and other chemicals (detergents) and in the main, I can see some benefit in fuel additives (I've used Dipetane for a few years, which *seems* to help with fuel economy & smooth running) but I'm more inclined to side with the manufacturers on oil additives & flushes.

A comment, not a criticism - and I'd be interested in comments.

Graculus said:

Every car brand I've worked for (including JLR) specifically prohibit oil flushes / additives for use during service or as a 'treatment' - although some dealerships will recommend and sell them regardless, some also prohibit fuel additives, some allow specific fuel additives in certain circumstances. Any idea why that would be? and what the possible downsides of the additives are?
I'm aware that *most* diesel additives are based upon duty-paid Kerosene and work by raising the burn temperature, some have cetane boosters and other chemicals (detergents) and in the main, I can see some benefit in fuel additives (I've used Dipetane for a few years, which *seems* to help with fuel economy & smooth running) but I'm more inclined to side with the manufacturers on oil additives & flushes.

A comment, not a criticism - and I'd be interested in comments.

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Diesel fuel additives certainly help with emissions for the MOT.

Graculus said:

Every car brand I've worked for (including JLR) specifically prohibit oil flushes / additives for use during service or as a 'treatment' - although some dealerships will recommend and sell them regardless, some also prohibit fuel additives, some allow specific fuel additives in certain circumstances. Any idea why that would be? and what the possible downsides of the additives are?
I'm aware that *most* diesel additives are based upon duty-paid Kerosene and work by raising the burn temperature, some have cetane boosters and other chemicals (detergents) and in the main, I can see some benefit in fuel additives (I've used Dipetane for a few years, which *seems* to help with fuel economy & smooth running) but I'm more inclined to side with the manufacturers on oil additives & flushes.

A comment, not a criticism - and I'd be interested in comments.

Click to expand...

Short - and possibly glib - answer to your first question is that many manufacturer's have their own additive and treatment products to promote (sell). With oil additives and, are they a good thing, quality products are, yes. Why do some oils cost more than others? Because they have more 'additives' in them. We need to seperate fuel 'additives' from the fuel system cleaners; both may contain cetane boosters, but do you really want to spend out on additives with every tankfull - if so buy the Shell or BP super fuels. With fuel system cleaners, there are different chemicals in use; generically many use amine chemistry to clean. Fundemenatlly there are two types: Polybutylamine and Polyetheramine. The later is less common, probably because it's more expensive but far better. Most motor manufactures support a Worldwide Fuel Charter which advizes that Polybutylamine can even be harmful, by increasing deposits. So, fuel additives: yes, if you want to, but choose carefully. Fuel system cleaners: definately, but choose carefully - bear in mind that fossil fuel (petrol and diesel) generate carbon when burnt (that's what all the fuss is about) some of it goes into the air and some stays in your engine and attaches to injectors, combustion chambers, piston rings and into the oil. Oil additives: again, choose carefully.

Quixote said:

With fuel system cleaners, there are different chemicals in use; generically many use amine chemistry to clean. Fundemenatlly there are two types: Polybutylamine and Polyetheramine.

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So there is something fishy about them

Quixote said:

Short - and possibly glib - answer to your first question is that many manufacturer's have their own additive and treatment products to promote (sell). With oil additives and, are they a good thing, quality products are, yes. Why do some oils cost more than others? Because they have more 'additives' in them. We need to seperate fuel 'additives' from the fuel system cleaners; both may contain cetane boosters, but do you really want to spend out on additives with every tankfull - if so buy the Shell or BP super fuels. With fuel system cleaners, there are different chemicals in use; generically many use amine chemistry to clean. Fundemenatlly there are two types: Polybutylamine and Polyetheramine. The later is less common, probably because it's more expensive but far better. Most motor manufactures support a Worldwide Fuel Charter which advizes that Polybutylamine can even be harmful, by increasing deposits. So, fuel additives: yes, if you want to, but choose carefully. Fuel system cleaners: definately, but choose carefully - bear in mind that fossil fuel (petrol and diesel) generate carbon when burnt (that's what all the fuss is about) some of it goes into the air and some stays in your engine and attaches to injectors, combustion chambers, piston rings and into the oil. Oil additives: again, choose carefully.

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Hydrogen treatment works well

RangeRoller dt said:

So there is something fishy about them

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Not so much dishonesty as some have evolved further than others, like fish I guess. Engine design has developed enormously in the last couple of decades.