I learned from my clients many years ago that another way to get smoother performance and more pep out of a car is to wash the windows and vacuum the inside during an oil change. I can't count the # of follow up calls I got stated how much better the car ran after the C service ( oil change).

I see additives and flushes as a waste of money.

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Auto Zentral Ltd.

Funny but true. I once had a supervisor expound on that notion while at a conference for my hospital position I held a few years ago. He related that your car feels so much faster and performs seemingly better when it is cleaned...and that perception is akin to a hospital. If the hospital is always clean and tidy, everyone will think it is a better hospital. Of course, that all equated to him wanting those of us not in the maintenance field to pick up the tissues and such we find.

But, as relatively seasoned as I am, and while I know it has no bearing on the car's performance...a good wash and detail always does seem to make my car feel better.

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2004 Chrysler Crossfire

Same principal holds true for yourself.
You'll feel much better if you shower at least once a week.

But on a more serious note, I would only do an engine flush on a very old engine, that was retrieved from a barn.

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2007 C 230 Sport.

I understand its a waste of money to flush a well looked after engine. But I'm more so wondering if an engine flush is good preventive maintance as it would help signifigantly reduce the risk of a engine sludge problem, if one were to ever occur.... I do my own oil changes, but I've noticed that after I do an engine flush, my car runs alot better for the first couple K's. Also my oil changes are done every 6 000km, which is about 4000 miles.

That stuff is snake oil. I don't use it, never will.
You could eat off the valve trian in my 603, the cam, lifter's, and tops of the valves look brand new after 254k miles.

Thats on straight Mobil 1 for the past 25k miles, no idea what the PO used.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

In the shop we only sell engine flushes on the new 112, 113 motors when they begin to consume excessive amounts of oil. When the FFS intervals get ignored the engines begin to carbon up the piston rings leading to oil consumption. If flushed before the bores get beat they usually can return to service without issues.

As a preventative maintennace it's complete overkill. I wouldn't drive the car with it in the oil either. We run the car for 30 mins in neutral @2500RPM to flush them. The stuff is meant to thin the oil and dissolve gunk, not support your bearings under load.

THanks for the info. I don't drive the car with the Engine flush, just leave it started for the time mentioned on the bottle. Similar to what you do. The bottle actually says, do not drive the car and simply let it idle.

I have a ticking lifter on my 99 C280. All the lifters was replaced about 10 000km ago. Before the lifters were replaced, it had a constant ticking. After the lifters were replaced, the lifter ticking is intermittent. Usually on a cold start (but not always - about 50% of the times), I'll have the ticking for about 10-20 minutes before it goes away. Sometimes the ticking will come back even if the engin is still warm, for example after I have driven for 200 km and stop - when I start up after 5 minutes it will tick for a few minutes before silencing.

I dont know why it still ticks even when all the lifters where changed. The only thing I can think of is that one of the lifters is not getting oil due to partially blocked oil galleries, etc.

Is it advised to do an engin flush, or put a detergent in the oil, to try and open up oil galleries. Or what should I do?

I afraid of causing more problems if I flush, such as all the varnish/deposits coming loose and block up the whole engin.

The car has been running on Magnatec for whole of its life (160 000km). Apart from the last service before the lifters was changed when it had Mobil 1 in. I think the previous owner tried to use a synthetic to see if it wouldn't solve the problem before changing the lifters. I bought the car on 150 000, with noisy lifter, but under the agreement that he will change the lifters.

What is the possibility that the ticking noise is something else (not a lifter), keeping in mind that it is intermittent and usually is only noisy in the first 10-20 minutes after a start.

Thanks for helping. I really need to solve this, and have asked for advise in a number of forums over the last few months (this one included), without real pratical advise.

I think it does more harm than good really.... A poorly maintained engine with sludge and varnish in it still runs..... Removing the sludge and varnish could damage the engine further by reducing compression if your sludge and varnish happened to be in an area where it was providing some kind of seal.....

Leave well enough alone..... Change your oil in a reasonable timeframe and leave the engine cleaning to the people who end up doing the overhaul when its time......

Around twenty years ago I was running a mom and pop auto parts store. A fellow came in and bought a quart of engine flush. He looked like the type that would get really p.o. if I warned him about not using it so I kept my mouth shut. The subject car was a early seventies Olds with a 455. It sounded a little ragged, but nothing too alarming. The next day the same guy came flying in the store wanting to kill somebody because he dumped the flush in and drove around for a couple of hours.....until a rod came through the block.

Engine cleaner is kerosene, and shouldn't be used for the same reason you shouldn't use detergent oil in a car that had been run on non-detergent oil. All the crud gets knocked loose and plugs up the motor(esp the oil pump pickup), ergo no oil pressure... and a thrown rod.

Frequent oil changes are best, though I have been guilty of putting a little Sea Foam in the oil to free up lifters and rings. I always worry about reducing the lubricity of the oil. Anyways, just my .02 cents.

Hey thanks for that repsonse. That was one of the better repsonses and very detail filled. What you said makes alot of sense, and it makes me wonder even furthur what really is the benefit of using this product.

I'll also be talking to my friend, who uses an engine flush product for every oil change on his 2003 Honda Accord(since brand new) and does his oil changes every 4500 kms. He maintains its the reason his oil comes out looking new, but i wonder if he's damaging his car by thinning his oil. He thinks his car's engine will last forever as sludge and junk will never deposist in his engine......