The International Cessna^® 170 Association

I still believe my earlier post is accurate regarding Techron(c).
From: http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=Techron

In gasoline giant Chevron's quest to obtain more market share, it has bedazzled us with a series of bizarre commercials starring an Albert Einstein lookalike, to tell us the wonders of a mysterious new additive: Techron. We watch, and we accept, and we do not question. But what really is this fancily-named magical additive? According to Chevron's technical library, deep within Chevron.com:
Techron®, the special ingredient in all Chevron gasolines, makes them unbeatable at helping your car perform at its best and with the lowest possible emissions. Virtually every car on the road will give its best possible performance and lowest possible emissions using Chevron gasolines with Techron®.
Very, very vague. In fact, most of Chevron's website likes to talk about how great Techron is, but won't actually say what it is. However, through patent information it is revealed to be a type of polyether amine, to be used in gasolines to maintain engine cleanliness. Described as being a colourless to pale yellow liquid, it is composed of the following:
naptha (light aromatic)
stoddard solvent
1,2,4-trimethyl benzene
xylene
cumene

I stand by my statement IT WORKS.

here's a list of all the contributions by that author on that website:

Satire
The logic of atheism
Strangelet
recreational drugs
War On Some Drugs
self-identity
Kurzweil And Molly
Spiritual Machines
New Coke
techron
Indigenous people are better than you
Indigenous people don't exist
xanthan gum

sounds like a helluvan authority!

Well, I don't know that he claims to be an "authority" on any/all subjects the members of his forum talk about..... but at least he quoted the patent filing information as the source of the Techron ingredient list. I believe that's probably more specific/better reference or resource/authority than "a very experienced refinery engineer I know", at least as far as specific references are provided.
I think it's a possible indicator of Techron's qualities that Chevron may have actually patented the stuff. All alone, that one act would seem to lend validity that the stuff might have some merit. Of course, the act of patenting a product/process is a well-known and well-practiced marketing ploy all in itself, whether or not the product actially has unique merit. It's a practice that's been done ever since the days of travelling medicine shows.
Chevron is not the only gasoline to have Techron (or it's many un-patented competing formulated gasolines, for that matter.) Some Texaco's advertise the stuff is in their gasoline, but to me that only speaks well of Chevron's marketing. Lot's of gasolines advertise "detergent' qualities without paying Chevron to use the Techron brand-name. (Techron is only a specific mix of aromatics. Change any single ratio, and it's no longer "Techron",...it's simply "detergent"...or whatever.) But most of the claims like your engineer friend and all our buddies are no better than my own as far as anecdotal information is concerned. My Jeep has 253,000 miles on it's original engine with no significant repairs including it's original never-cleaned injectors (and until this last week even had it's original fuel pump, which I changed purely as a preventive measure) and it's always had the cheapest gas I can find, usually un-branded stuff from the local grocery-chain or the Wally Mart. None of them claim to have magic potions in them and my Jeep doesn't seem give a damn...it just keeps on running very well. It's only an opinion, worth what was paid for it.
As for that site's host being "an authority"....I'd suggest that at least he seems interested in wide subjects and not possessing an agenda to discredit anyone in particular. Does your engineer friend only talk about gasoline? Or does he sometimes also muse over religion, women, and maybe a few other subjects perhaps? Wouldn't the qualification-system you apply to the site, disqualify your engineer friend to comment as well, since he probably talks about other stuff?

PS-That was a joke...meant purely as a manner of ribbing. No intent on my part to discredit anyone at all. Any of you like Techron? Use it. I have Chevron stock in my portfolio and am tickled you like it. Glad to see the chinese are dropping the UnoCal thing.

After much surfing on Chevron's website, and then hacking into their corporate database, I have discovered that they refer in-house to techron as "MMO". Hmmmmmmm....

Eric

Blow all the smoke you like, call a spade a spade, Techron is added to clean your engine, aka a detergent, and it WORKS.

Eric I was thinking the same thing.

Interesting - MMO has Stoddard Solvent in it as does Techron.

From what I've seen, most gasoline base stock is the same. There is winter gas and summer gas (Reed Vapor Pressure Differences, more volatile in winter for easy starting) The difference after it leaves the refinery to the specifc company is the additives that Shell, Chevron, Mobil, etc add to the base stock. Additives are needed to prevent detonation and deposit buildup. Some work better than others, in the industry Chevron seems to have the best collection of additives.

Jeeps seem to run on anything even cheap stuff like WalMart fuels (Chinese gas). Wonder if Jeep can be talked into a installing their run out fuel injected engines in the 170.

BTW what is Stoddard Solvent?

Answered my own question. Good old Google what did we do with out it?

Here is a link:
http://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/baec ... olvent.pdf

I think it is interesting that "in house" Chevron engineers refer to Techron as MMO. In my mind MMO works in the airplane's fuel so Techron probably works in the Chevron auto fuel. Must be because of the Stoddard Solvent in both.

Harold

jon s blocker wrote:Blow all the smoke you like, call a spade a spade, Techron is added to clean your engine, aka a detergent, and it WORKS.

My point precisely. Virtually all modern gasolines have a near equivalent by necessity/design.