fitch fuel catalysts

[drjay]

Anyone have any experience with these little things you drop into your fuel tank? My local BMW shop parts guy swears by them. Internet search seems very promising.

[smiller]

Pure snake oil. Your parts guy is either pretty gullible or pretty greedy.

[Deadboy]

Funny my parts guy swore at them.....nothing new here, pure snake oil.....plus when the plastic starts to deteriorate you get a free plugged fuel filter....something to look forward too down the road....

[E30TECH]

Anyone have any experience with these little things you drop into your fuel tank? My local BMW shop parts guy swears by them. Internet search seems very promising.

 

You must be talking about the dealer in Falmouth! I was just up there last Tuesday and saw those things on the counter. I picked it up to check out the picture on the package but put them back.

[Sidmariner]

I started using Fitch products a few years ago in those places where fuel tended to sit for long periods of time. Initially, I put them in the tanks of my inboard and outboard boat motors, and then I put one in my lawnmower and in the jerry can for my chainsaw/weedwacker gas.

 

I realize this is purely unscientific and anecdotal, but I found that I have fewer starting problems due to stale gas and that those engines appear to run smoother. In this respect, my personal experience indicates that the product lives up to its claims.

 

In the marine industry, it has long been the practice for fuel to be run through heavy magnetic coils to improve combustion. I think the theory is that fuel, left sitting for long periods, will start to reorganize itself into long chain molecules (I am way out on a limb here) making it more difficult to burn. The catalyst, much like the magnets, helps to keep the fuel molecules short and more combustable.

 

In the absence of any negative experience, and with the intention of avoiding fuel problems in the spring, I put Fitch capsules in both my K100RS and my K1100LT last fall, because I tend to drive the RT all winter and leave those two idle. Both my Ks sprang to life in the spring and I have never had injector problems. Again, anecdotal, but I like to think the fuel catalysts had performed as they were intended.

 

Again, back in my marine trade days, we used to make a lot of money every spring when boaters brought in their outboards for repair because they wouldn't start. It was almost always due to gas being left in all winter, evaporing away, attracting water, and turning to shellac in their carbs. Small engines don't have to sit for long for this to happen.

 

All I can say is...it doesn't happen in my engines. I believe the Fitch Catalyst helps.

 

FWIW. BTW I am back in the Navy and don't sell Fitch products. If you want more info check here: http://www.fitchfuelcatalyst.com/

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Anyone have any experience with these little things you drop into your fuel tank? My local BMW shop parts guy swears by them. Internet search seems very promising.

 

It seems we don't frequent the same sites on the internet:

 

Tony's Guide to Fuel saving gadgets

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

In the marine industry, it has long been the practice for fuel to be run through heavy magnetic coils to improve combustion.

 

Tony had this to say about fuel magnets.

[Sidmariner]

I admitted quite honestly that my opinion was unscientific and anecdotal and will be the first to admit it might all be voodoo. But, they're in my tanks, have done no harm, and my gas does not appear to be going stale. As long as the girls fire up when I ask them too I have no great concern about leaving them in.

 

I am a lot more suspicious of the claims of the dozens of fuel additives on the auto store shelf.

[drjay]

Thanks for all the responses. I was suspect and it was confirmed!

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

...But, they're in my tanks, have done no harm, and my gas does not appear to be going stale. As long as the girls fire up when I ask them too I have no great concern about leaving them in.

 

FWIW, the two bikes you mentioned - a K100RS and a K1100LT - are fuel-injected. You won't get any varnish/oxidation/evaporation of fuel anywhere in the fuel system except on the inner surfaces of the fuel tank, where they're generally not a problem. Not true of a carburetted engine, where the fuel in the bowl is continuously exposed to atmosphere: evaporated light fractions of the fuel can diffuse up the feed tube to the venturi, and oxygen can diffuse down the same tube into the float bowl. All of that is to say that I suspect your RS and LT didn't really have a problem to begin with. Likewise with my RT, which has sat through seven winters now with no fuel treatment of any kind, and I've never had a problem with startup the following spring.

 

And FWIW, I think gasoline these days is better than it used to be. Just like the RT, my little carburetted lawn mower has sat through five long winters, no fuel treatment, no springtime startup problems. It's possible the fuel in the carb is forming deposits, but either it's happening so slowly that it's going to take a few more years to be a problem, or the fuel these days has such good detergents in it that running the engine in the spring soon removes the previous winter's varnish.

 

As for no harm...your bikes may be fine, but have you checked your wallet lately?

[Sidmariner]

Good points. I'll admit I was probably too gullible.

 

Luckily, my wallet is OK. My Fitches were given to me by the distributor when I had my business.