Frequently Asked Questions

Our experts explain what Techron® does, why engines need it, and how it helps improve engine performance.

Techron® is a patented fuel additive with powerful detergents to help keep vital engine parts clean. Techron's unique formulation helps fight deposits in an engine's fuel intake system and minimize contribution to harmful combustion chamber deposits.

Normal, everyday engine combustion can cause carbon deposits to build up throughout the fuel system. Those deposits can clog the fuel injectors and impede the flow of fuel. Left unchecked for too long, they can impair engine power, start-up, acceleration and fuel efficiency.

Techron® targets carbon deposits, breaks them up and clears them out of your car’s system, and keeps vital engine parts clean with continued use. This helps optimize performance, minimize emissions and maximize power and fuel economy. Techron® will help deliver the best engine efficiency your car can get.

A new car is just as vulnerable to deposit buildup. As engine technologies advance, operating temperatures become hotter, fuel pressure increases, tolerances are tighter than ever, and fuel injector holes are becoming much smaller and more numerous. So deposits can start building up nwithin the first few thousand miles. But here’s the good news: Techron is formulated to work in both older and newer engines.

Techron® is proven effective in a wide range of field tests against the competition. At Caltex, we routinely look at competitors' products on the shelf and compare them against the performance of Techron. Our engineers break them down to their molecular level and analyze their contents. Some competitor products either completely lack or have very little of the key detergents found in Techron. And unlike some competitors, Caltex has test results to back up every performance claim. That explains why engine manufacturers and professional mechanics worldwide use Techron® to solve deposit-related problems.

Techron® is recommended for use every 3,000 miles or right before an oil change. You should limit your use of Techron® to no more than five bottles or treatments between oil changes.

If you use Techron® in smaller engines, such as a motorcycle, don’t use the whole bottle. The recommended treatment rate is one ounce per gallon, so in a four-gallon tank, use four ounces of Techron.

Knocking and pinging are generally caused by improper combustion in your engine, called “auto-ignition.” Increasing engine load, temperature, compression, spark-advance, air-fuel ratio and combustion chamber deposits all increase the tendency for an engine to knock. Using higher-octane gasoline reduces an engine's tendency to knock. If excessive combustion chamber deposit are contributing to the knocking problem, you may benefit from adding a bottle of Techron® to your next tank.

Techron® can help reduce emissions. Lower-quality gasolines leave deposits behind on intake valves. Techron® has the ability to clean up these harmful deposits, allowing engines to operate efficiently and minimize emissions.