New here so greetings to all.
I was wondering what the general view is of Redex additive? My diesel Citroen ZX rolled over 250k a month ago and apart from doubling the frequency of oil changes I've always chucked in some Redex on a regular basis, a habit inherited from my father who loved the stuff. I wonder if its contributed to the Citroens trouble free engine life or have I wasted my money?
Thoughts Please.
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It's obviously not done any harm...:-)
I did find one excellent use for Redex apart from the usual shot per gallon into the fuel tank - I used a small amount in my Thorens 160's turntable spindle housing to reduce friction to the minimum when the turntable was in use.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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"I used a small amount in my Thorens 160's turntable spindle housing to reduce friction"
Did it go faster afterwards..? :-)
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>>Did it go faster afterwards..? :-)>>
Yes, but only in circles - not much use car wise....:-)
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Gosh - Thorens 160 turntable .... Linn Sondek LP12, Rega Planar 3, my youth is coming back to me!
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>Gosh - Thorens 160 turntable .... Linn Sondek LP12, Rega Planar 3, my youth is coming back to me! <
I still have and use a mint condition, full working order, super rare Fergus Fons CQ30, 4 speeds with pitch control, SME 3009/Shure V15/3HE. I bought the Fons in about 1980 in preference to a Linn Sondek because of the speed flexibility.
How about that then?
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Redex? Wow. "4 gallons and 4 shots". I'm sitting in the back of my dad's Moggy outside Park Lane (no not that one) Garage and petrol's about 4/8d.
Who said nostalgia's not what it used to be?
John
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Impossible to prove cause and effect, of course, but if it feels right...
It's not costing you much, and IMHO it pays for itself anyway. You could also try this:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=2&t=33...4
which probably complements Redex nicely. I'm just using acetone at the moment, as I want to establish its effects independently, but I shall probably end up pre-mixing the two to simplify the dosing. I should add that the plastic bottles used for Redex may not be suitable for the mixture, though.
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I'm always a bit suspicious of these magic potions. If they really do improve matters, then I would have thought the fuel companies would put them in anyway.
250K for an XUD is nothing special, most will easily do 300K if properly serviced.
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I'm always a bit suspicious of these magic potions. If they really do improve matters, then I would have thought the fuel companies would put them in anyway.
Don't they call it Optimax?
----
Life is complex; it has real and imaginary parts.
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I've always been under the impression that Redex is a bit harsh in petrol engines, but it's done your smoker no harm. FWIW I've used the silkolene add in petrols (usually a bike thing) & Millers Diesel Clean in every diesel I've had. As discussed elsewhere there isn't a lubricant standard established for diesel fuels, so some oil companies skimp on this. Or maybe that's just the stuff they sell to the supermarkets. I don't know. Talking of packages though what's this BP ulitmate diesel do? Anyone know?
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Have used Shell in my A3 tdi for the 18 months since I bought it. Tried BP Ultimate for couple of fills - more expensive, made no difference, to either performance or consumption.
Sticking with Shell.
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I use Redex in my diesels, particularly just before MoT's or just after seeing black smoke in the rear view mirror: none have failed MOT's due to emissions, nor have I ever had the injectors serviced in any way. One went over 150k miles before something else went wrong. When you read in HJ that some VW engines need new injectors at c. 100k, it seems worthwhile to spend a few bob (I bought a big container of redex). Redex technical say that if using the red in a diesel, use twice as much as you would of the green. (I had loads left after going diesel.)
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When in the Air Force, I was told that Redex was the same stuff as what we called OM15. That was a mineral hydraulic oil with fairly good detergent properties and anti-foaming additives etc. It was much cheaper to take a can of OM15 once a year, and it seemed to have the same effect as Redex. That is, nothing really quantifiable, but no harm done either. I have heard that dripping it into the carburettor, producing clouds of smoke, is a good way of de-carbonising the cylinder head.
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Yes, we always used to wind up the engine, the squirt loads of Redex down the carbie in the the belief it cleaned out the cylinder head, although there was no proof whatsoever to that effect. Certainly it sorted out sticking valves, though.
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When in the Air Force, I was told that Redex was the same stuff as what we called OM15. That was a mineral hydraulic oil with fairly good detergent properties and anti-foaming additives etc. It was much cheaper to take a can of OM15 once a year, and it seemed to have the same effect as Redex. That is, nothing really quantifiable, but no harm done either. I have heard that dripping it into the carburettor, producing clouds of smoke, is a good way of de-carbonising the cylinder head.
I have done this with Redex, and to go one step further, I have put say 25cc into each cylinder of a hot engine, replaced the plugs finger-tight truned the engine over on the starter very briefly, and then left overnight. This will almost clean the top-end of the engine down to shiny metal. But of course there is loads of white smoke on startup !
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Used to do the plug out & red Ex in, in our Talbot horizon - made it one of the few non-rattly ones in existence, while we owned it!!
VB
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Quite so PeteM! OM 15, the red hydraulic fluid, was Redex SFAIK. I remember pouring it neat into the carb intake of my 6 cylinder Ford Zodiac - highly impressive smoke cloud I recall! Don't know if it did any good but it didn't do any harm
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If you have put Redex in the car from new then that's the answer it has kept the engine cleaner , Redex is an upper cylinder lubricant so it helps I think, it certainly won't do any harm. There is a rider tho' modern fuels in the UK are pretty good & might not need an additive my experience with fuels in the middle east & China tells me that the UK is better , Shell in Oman was the best for my Fiat Punto it seemed to run better & use less fuel , I had a trip computer so I could keep track of consumption .
They have just started to sell Redex in the filling station in Dalian China where my wife fills up , we do mostly stop start short trips & she has been told to put the additive in for 5 fills that's all . the car is not all that old & has done 40000km's which is nothing I don't think it is a bad thing.
If your engine is old it will make it sound even older I know from bitter experience it took the carbon out of my old Marina OK & afterwards the engine burnt more oil than petrol . In the 50's my grandfather swore by it & used it in his car & tractor with no problems.
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A very old thread being revived...:-)
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suppose its better than putting a tiger in your tank as redex takes up less room
and probably more carbon neutrol
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Yay, for carburetted cars and old-tech diesels, essentially anything pre-1990 and certainly anything pre-1980. Excellent stuff.
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What does the Owner's Gude say? Mine specifically warns against using fuel additives.
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It would be a mildly amusing experiment to plant an old thread here and see who rose to the bait:
"I have a very high mileage Morris Minor that's done 40,000 miles. I have been told I should rev the engine before switching off. Will this prolong its life?"
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Use this instead:
tinyurl.com/ls7s3w
In any case 40k is nothing for a one-litre A-Series - looked after properly it should easily reach 45k to 46k...
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I was wondering what the general view is of Redex additive?
Diesel (DERV) does much the same thing and is a lot cheaper.
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hi,
Was shopping in Morrisons yesterday and noticed that the petrol redex had 100% extra free, so it was £3.79 for I think 500ml, whereas the diesel did not have this offer.
I drive a MK2 mondeo diesel. Would the redex for petrol cars be ok in the diesel. Are the two different bottles (red for petrol, dark green for diesel) just marketing, and really same stuff underneath or are they different?
I have used injector cleaners in the past that stated on the bottle as suitable for both petrol and diesel, so this got me thinking.
Thanks In advance
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You should try the omega range of additive products. They are a cut above redex etc. I've had nothing but good experiences with them. Try Omega 909:
cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=...2
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Thanks for the tip, but since I bought the magnets and used Xtralub ZX1 I don't need anything else.
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If you get carbon deposits anywhere, then none of these additives will shift it as they're practically insoluble in any solvent - it needs to be physically removed, usually with ultrasound.
The only way around it is to stop them building up in the first place, and that's done by the EMS optimizing the fuel/air ratio to ensure combustion is as complete as possible and by the owner using decent fuel and following the manufacturers' service schedule.
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If you get carbon deposits anywhere, then none of these additives will shift it as they're practically insoluble in any solvent
I seem to remember from school Chemistry experiments (in the days before Elf and Safety, i.e. when one was allowed to play with hazardous substances) that we managed to dissolve carbon - using boiling strong sulphuric acid, which wouldn't do engine parts any good at all, would it?
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Strictly speaking you're not making a solution of the carbon, you're oxidising it to carbon dioxide.
But, as you say, not a particularly viable option.
Edited by Andy P on 21/01/2011 at 07:54
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Carbon Disulphide should do it.
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Talking of de-carbonising,whilst attending Grantham Tech in the mid-late `70`s,amongst the various engines,cutaways etc we had in the w/shop dept ,there was a Commer 2-stroke diesel engine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commer_TS3.Was told that on reaching the finite amount of carbon build-up that clearances on this fascinating engine allowed they would self de-carbonise whilst vehicle was on the move...probably not a nice vehicle to be following at such a time.
Not really anything to do with de-coking but reminds me of the time I sold a 1986 Astra to a mate in Leicester.Within a week I had to put another engine in for him.Whilst driving through the centre of Lincoln the engine ceased to be provided with lubrication and the resulting explosion was followed by a huge plume of smoke engulfing a poor pedestrian.Not knowing anything about the finality of what had just occurred under the bonnet,the driver immediately walked back to collect some of the spewed pieces of metal debris from off the tarmac....he soon dropped them!
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Thanks for the tip, but since I bought the magnets and used Xtralub ZX1 I don't need anything else.
I find an incantation over the fuel filler works just as well...
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I put some into my VW Tdi estate and it helps clean the system
After years of using Cheap supermarlet fuel, I had to fill up my motobike (CB250) at a BP garage as my Sainsburys closed for a refurb.
I noticed the immediate smoothness of the engine and I get much better MPG as a result. The tickover was stable with the BP, unlike the supermarket stuff
Since then I have stuck to using standard BP fuel on all my cars and bikes. Everything runs like cloclwork
BTW I dont get paid by BP!!
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I put some into my VW Tdi estate and it helps clean the system
After years of using Cheap supermarlet fuel, I had to fill up my motobike (CB250) at a BP garage as my Sainsburys closed for a refurb.
I noticed the immediate smoothness of the engine and I get much better MPG as a result. The tickover was stable with the BP, unlike the supermarket stuff
Since then I have stuck to using standard BP fuel on all my cars and bikes. Everything runs like cloclwork
BTW I dont get paid by BP!!
No course you don`t lol, I dont use redex and dont have any problems, never have had with any fuel from any garage...
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