Jack,

The subject of Techron received more than its share of discussion in the MBCA when I was a member in the late '90s. The late, great Frank King, technical editor of the STAR at the time, gave the subject very good coverage in the STAR. I'm sure you can find the articles if you have access to any back issues.

The basic worry with Techron is that it is designed as a fuel dispersant. This helps to clean deposits from injectors but unfortunately it hurts when the fuel is able to cross over past the rings and into the crankcase. Now you start thinning the oil in the crankcase.

I recall the rule mentioned was not to run more than two cans of Techron through in any given oil change cycle, and it was better to do it just before changing the oil. It was also recommended primarily for diesels because modern gasoline has additives in it that manufacturers are using for the same effect. Chevron gasoline has Techron in it in small amounts, so constant use will clean or keep clean most injectors.

Diesels need the help because very few companies add anything to their diesel. Truckers add their own favorite potions to their 50 gallon saddle tanks and they're the major consumers so no one bothers adding for the passenger car fringe.

If I'm off-base, I'm sure I'll be corrected, but I have diesels and I was very interested in Techron and other additives for a while so I paid pretty close attention to the discussions. My opinion would be that you can use Techron in a gas motor if you wanted, but if you didn't have signs of deposits on valves or injectors, you really don't need it.