is this normal?
Thread Starter
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Member
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 40
From: Saint Mary's, GA
is this normal?
When I'm at idle every about 10-15 seconds the RPM will drop and cause my H3 to shack slightly for about a second then back to normal. It's a 07 with 39000 miles and I have had it for about a week and half. Any ideas? How long do the spark plugs last from factory?
Super Moderator
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 13,083
From: Boat Town USA MI
Add two bottles of Techron and things will be twice as good, three bottles = 3Xs as good............. in so far as the makers of Techron are concerned since they get your $$ and you feel good about doing something.
However, in reality, additives do jack for your vehicle, but they are great at lightening the weight of your wallet.
As long as you use top tier gas and skip the off brand jungle juice there is never a reason to buy magic in a can or bottle.
Definitely buy MAF cleaner and TB cleaner and do those. There are plenty of threads here about what to do, search them out.
Welcome to the forums.
However, in reality, additives do jack for your vehicle, but they are great at lightening the weight of your wallet.
As long as you use top tier gas and skip the off brand jungle juice there is never a reason to buy magic in a can or bottle.
Definitely buy MAF cleaner and TB cleaner and do those. There are plenty of threads here about what to do, search them out.
Welcome to the forums.
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 378
Doc- I've noticed you seem to be an ardant proponent to using Techron around here, but your rant raises a question or two:
How can you suggest that using a 'top-tier' fuel such as those already containing Techron is beneficial, but then impying that using the bottled additive Techron is a waste of time and money? That makes no sense whatsoever.
For those that don't have access to top grade fuels such as Chevron and Texaco gas which already contains Techron, buying and using the additive separately to clean the injectors and combustion chamber makes all the sense in the world.
The OP has owned the vehicle a week and a half. He likely has no idea what grade fuel his vehicle ran for the first 39,000 miles of it's life. Running Techron through the fuel system seems like a very good idea to assure the injectors and combustion chamber are indeed clean. He could very well have a vehicle with dirty injectors that is causing his problems.
While I whole-heartedly agree that many (most/nearly all) 'additives' on the market today are indeed nothing more than snake-oil, there are a handfull of fuel system cleaners like Techron that do a very good job of cleaning dirty injectors and combustion chambers.
How can you suggest that using a 'top-tier' fuel such as those already containing Techron is beneficial, but then impying that using the bottled additive Techron is a waste of time and money? That makes no sense whatsoever.
For those that don't have access to top grade fuels such as Chevron and Texaco gas which already contains Techron, buying and using the additive separately to clean the injectors and combustion chamber makes all the sense in the world.
The OP has owned the vehicle a week and a half. He likely has no idea what grade fuel his vehicle ran for the first 39,000 miles of it's life. Running Techron through the fuel system seems like a very good idea to assure the injectors and combustion chamber are indeed clean. He could very well have a vehicle with dirty injectors that is causing his problems.
While I whole-heartedly agree that many (most/nearly all) 'additives' on the market today are indeed nothing more than snake-oil, there are a handfull of fuel system cleaners like Techron that do a very good job of cleaning dirty injectors and combustion chambers.
Super Moderator
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 13,083
From: Boat Town USA MI
I just operate on facts. GM has extensively tested every fuel and oil additives you can think of (my Bro-in-Law was the lab tech here in Warren MI doing the testing) and that is why the engineering literature is clear, and GM does not recommend them, they are not worth the coin, even when applied at ridiculously high ratio amounts.
The testing was on high mileage dirty motors, several doses of your ____________ [favorite brand of magic in a bottle] do little to nothing to clean the fuel system and carbon from the combustion chambers down stream. This is not to say additives have no function.
The term "top tier" does have regional connotations and those specific brands are not important. There are many additional brands that should be added to the marketing list and do just as well (Marathon for example). The basic EPA required amounts of detergent in gasoline is pretty low so cheap gas is cheap for a reason.
What is important is to run quality fuel all the time where the additives in that fuel have the opportunity to continually clean all the time every tank from the start and and skip the add a bottle stuff.
In other words, if your fuel system and motor have been subjected to cheap fuel long term and are gerdoo encrusted, adding a bottle of magic is not going "fix it."
I do fully agree the OP has no idea what the prior owner ran through the truck, and even if he did, he can't change it now.
No ranting intended, I just find it comical. You know, my car has this or that symptom...... I'll add a bottle of magic and cross my fingers, click my heals together, and hope it got fixed.
The testing was on high mileage dirty motors, several doses of your ____________ [favorite brand of magic in a bottle] do little to nothing to clean the fuel system and carbon from the combustion chambers down stream. This is not to say additives have no function.
The term "top tier" does have regional connotations and those specific brands are not important. There are many additional brands that should be added to the marketing list and do just as well (Marathon for example). The basic EPA required amounts of detergent in gasoline is pretty low so cheap gas is cheap for a reason.
What is important is to run quality fuel all the time where the additives in that fuel have the opportunity to continually clean all the time every tank from the start and and skip the add a bottle stuff.
In other words, if your fuel system and motor have been subjected to cheap fuel long term and are gerdoo encrusted, adding a bottle of magic is not going "fix it."
I do fully agree the OP has no idea what the prior owner ran through the truck, and even if he did, he can't change it now.
No ranting intended, I just find it comical. You know, my car has this or that symptom...... I'll add a bottle of magic and cross my fingers, click my heals together, and hope it got fixed.