Forte Top End Cleaner
 

I am considering using this treatment to 'free up' possibly sticking hydraulic tappets in my V90 (1997). Has anyone had any results worth passing on? And any idea exactly how to use it? Such as pour it into a hot or cold engine etc? Then run the car for x miles to get it around the engine? I cannot see any advice in Forte's web site or any other so am hoping the Forum will assist.

Forte have a great reputation. I have only used it once when the wife's CRV failed the MOT on emissions.

Put some in the fuel as per the instructions and gave it an Italian tune up.

Not had a problem for the last 4 years.

It will come with full instructions and is unlikely to do any harm.

I personally add such products to a hot & running engine to ensure complete mixing & no risk of a neat dose of the cleaner being sent around the engine and drive for a least 10 miles to guarantee it is complete mixed in

Add between 0.5 - 1.0L of synthetic ATF to the engine oil to help free, quieten hydraulic tappets, revive seals and generally clean the engine.

It's a lot cheaper than the Forte products, can be left in as long as you like and will do as good if not better a job of it.

I've used it in countless vehicles to sort noisy hydraulic tappets, revive oil seals and clean the engine internals. I could sit here typing for hours about the different vehicles i've used it on and i can tell you now, there is about a litre of it in my B280E engine now (even though it doesn't have hydraulic tappets) and about 0.5L in the C27 engine in my Rover 827 (that does have hydraulic tappets and a reputation for being "tappety" - mine isn't!) and i've used it on many previous cars too.

Favourite synthetic ATF for this is Carlube ATF-U which can be used for many Volvo in the gearboxes and is currently in the boxes of both my cars. :thumbs_up: ;) :D

engine cleaner
 

Whyman, I think you may have a different cleaner from the one I mentioned! The Forte Top End treatment is supposed to go in the engine through the oil cap!

engine cleaner
 

Thanks all for your kind comments. For the time being I am going to put a 400ml bottle of Forte Top End treatment in the V90 engine oil when the engine is hot then go for a drive for up to an hour (preferably coinciding with a trip I needed to make anyway!). After that I'll do the same when it has its annual service next April and the oil is changed by the garage (DMW, Merton). I might then try Carlube ATF-U instead to see if there is any noticeable difference in running or tappet noise. I'll let the Forum know how it goes.

Forte oil addative
 

My independent Volvo dealer always added a Forte treatment at every service. 940 SE TDI now on 210,000 miles and original turbo, V90 on 175,000.

How can you put this in to most red blocks as they recommend semi synthetic oil and this is a fully synthetic, I thought they are not supposed to mix

I have used a lot of the Forte products and they do work well. If they don't work then you have a more major issue and the engine/fuel system will need some work

It's part-synthetic that has difficulty mixing with mineral or fully synthetic. To understand the difference is fairly simple, semi-synthetic is a blend of mineral and synthetic oils, generally in about a 50/50 mix with the various additives added in afterwards.

Part synthetic is mineral oil with synthetic additives designed to work with mineral oil.

It goes much deeper and more technical than that, that's the simple version though! :thumbs_up:

It sounds very pedantic but presumably there's a reason for it! Daresay one of the people with more "oily" brains than mine can explain why etc.

Either way, adding synthetic ATF works wonders for sticking hydraulic tappets/lifters, clean the engine internally and helps revive leaking seals. I've got some in my 760 at the moment because i used some oil that turned out (despite the labeling) to be recycled and it developed a minor leak from the rear crank oil seal. So far it seems to be easing so fingers crossed i caught it in time!
I also regularly run my Rover 827 with between 0.5-1.0L of synth ATF in with the oil, they have a reputation for being slightly tappety, not entirely undeserved in some cases but it keeps the hydraulic tappets clean and working as intended. I also had a Jeep Cherokee 4.0 a few years back with 3 very bad hydraulic tappets, sounded like 3 mini pile-drivers inside the engine block! As that took 6.8L of oil on the oil change, i put a litre of synth ATF in first then added a full 5L tub of oil plus some from another tub i used for topping up.
Less than 1000 miles later, it was smoother, more resonsive, more powerful and economical and above all, silent!