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RESTORE Engine Restorer - Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT IS RESTORE ENGINE RESTORER AND WHY SHOULD I USE IT?

Every vehicle's engine wears out as a result of friction during normal operation. This friction causes wear of the cylinder walls, which leads to compression loss. Lost compression results in your engine having less power - it runs poorly and has sluggish acceleration. It also can cause increased oil burning, exhaust smoking, and poor fuel economy. RESTORE Engine Restorer and Lubricant is a unique engine additive that repairs those worn-out areas in the cylinder wall thereby restoring cylinder compression and improving engine performance to nearly new original condition.

HOW DOES RESTORE WORK?

RESTORE Engine Restorer is the only product that contains the proprietary CSL (copper, silver, lead micro-spheres) formula. This technologically advanced formulation has unique properties that actually fill in and seal micro-leaks in the cylinder wall. The result is increased engine compression and more engine power.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF USING RESTORE?

By using 10% RESTORE Engine Restorer as an initial (curative) treatment & 5% RESTORE on a regular basis at every oil change, you will keep the compression ratio of all cylinders at near original levels. You will feel the difference when you drive, your vehicle will have more power, sharper acceleration and it will run more smoothly because the compression is balanced across all cylinders. In addition, if your engine has blow-by, is burning oil, producing blue smoke or is excessively noisy because of engine wear, RESTORE will reduce and improve this situation.

IS RESTORE ENGINE RESTORER GOOD FOR MY ENGINE?

Yes, RESTORE Engine Restorer is an extreme pressure lubricant in its own right, but it also compensates for engine wear.

IS RESTORE ENGINE RESTORER COMPATIBLE WITH SYNTHETIC OILS?

Yes, RESTORE Engine Restorer may be used with any type of mineral, semi-synthetic or synthetic motor oil such as those available on any supermarket shelf. For best results though, we recommend against using RESTORE with oils containing plant esters, e.g. Castrol Magnatec, Silkolene R, Motul, Redline or oils describing themselves as Racing or Motorsports oils. Ester oils contain positively charged molecules that stick to metal surfaces to enhance lubrication, but they can work against RESTORE, slowing the repair process down considerably. RESTORE is best used in a standard motor oil of the specification and grade recommended for your engine. Once RESTORE has worked its 'magic' you can go back to your preferred friction-reducing package at the next oil change interval if you wish.

DOES RESTORE ENGINE RESTORER INCREASE THE MOTOR OIL VISCOSITY?

No, RESTORE Engine Restorer does not change the viscosity or the characteristics of the motor oil to which it is added. It is not a viscosity improver or an oil additive, but an engine additive. It adds metal back into the scratches cut into the friction-producing surface metal by normal engine wear.

WHAT ABOUT USING RESTORE ENGINE RESTORER WITH "HIGH-MILEAGE" MOTOR OILS?

High Mileage motor oils are simply high viscosity oils, with a higher SAE rating e.g. 20W50. They are intended to compensate for wear in high mileage engines where a thinner oil would escape past the piston rings into the combustion chamber. The high viscosity makes it harder for the RESTORE CSL particles to circulate through the oil and we recommend using RESTORE Engine Restorer with a premium quality conventional motor oil of the grade originally recommended for your engine by the manufacturer.

CAN RESTORE ENGINE RESTORER BE USED WITH "LONG-LIFE" OR "EXTENDED LIFE" MOTOR OILS?

Yes, RESTORE Engine Restorer can be used with Long-Life or Extended Life motor oils providing the engine is clean or cleaned and the oil filter changed before adding the fresh oil and the Engine Restorer. Long-Life motor oil manufacturers suggest it is possible to run your engine on the same oil for up to 20,000 miles before doing an oil change and whilst it may be true that the engine oil retains it's original qualities during that length of time, the engine oil can still become 'out of spec' due to particulate dirt, contaminants and metal fall-out in the oil.

If you are using Long-Life oils in your engine, do not neglect to change the oil filter on a regular basis (at least every 7500 miles) to remove debris and to keep the engine oil clean and healthy. Oil filters left in the engine beyond their intended life span will not only function poorly, leading to blockages in oil-ways, regulators and sensors, but may actually disintegrate. Paper filter elements often self destruct at 12-15,000 miles leading to oil-way blockages and noisy tappets that do NOT respond to flushing nor RESTORE. In this case, it may be necessary to carry out multiple oil changes to try to dislodge the paper fibres or else remove the cylinder head and direct an airline down the oil-ways to blow out the fibres or turn the engine over with a full sump of oil and the cylinder head removed, so the oil pump dislodges the paper fibres. The best prevention for stubborn tappet noise and oil starvation to the camshaft is to CHANGE THE OIL and FILTER EVERY 6 MONTHS OR 6,000 MILES max,. There are thousands of turbo failures every year due to over-extended 20k+ oil change intervals.

CAN RESTORE ENGINE RESTORER BE USED WITH OTHER OIL ADDITIVES?

We advise against using RESTORE Engine Restorer together with additives that modify the viscosity of the engine oil (oil thickeners or stabilisers), 'Stop Smoke' products (oil thickeners containing resins), friction reducers (chlorinated paraffins such as Prolong or Activ8) or other oil additives containing particulate materials (e.g. Slick 50 (PTFE), Molyslip, Xado or Ceramizer). If you have used other additives in the engine recently it is advisable to flush the engine or to carry out an extra oil change before adding RESTORE. 'Stop Leak' products, which rejuvenate rubber seals to prevent leaks, are generally compatible with RESTORE Engine Restorer.

CAN RESTORE ENGINE RESTORER BE USED IN DIESEL ENGINES?

? Yes, RESTORE can be used in diesel engines with either direct injection or common rail fuel injection systems, with the exception of HEUI engines (see Engines that cannot use Restore below).

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY CAR HAS A HEUI ENGINE?

HEUI engines were designed by Caterpillar to deliver much better fuel economy in larger diesel engines and this is one of the selling points of a vehicle with a HEUI engine. In a normal Common Rail diesel engine, the whole fuel line is subjected to high pressure and the injectors are actuated mechanically by extra lobes mounted on the camshaft, with fuel pressure and rate of delivery to the injectors being entirely dependant on camshaft speed. In a HEUI engine, fuel delivery is governed by an ECM (Electronic Control Module). The ECM controls the amount of fuel delivered to the injectors, while a high pressure oil pump pumps the engine oil at pressures up to 4000 psi. The pressurized engine oil fires the injectors at the necessary rate to produce the optimum use of fuel for the engine load and vehicle speed, maximizing fuel economy and minimizing emissions. The HEUI engine was used in Ford Powerstroke and Navistar trucks, in the Isuzu Trooper 3.0 litre DTI dohc (1998 & on - engine prefix 4JX1) and also in some International trucks, Caterpillar equipment and other heavy vehicles with Caterpillar engines. This is not the sort of diesel engine you would find fitted to your average family car. A HEUI engine has two oil filters. If in any doubt, please contact your dealer. More information about the HEUI engine.....

CAN I USE RESTORE ENGINE RESTORER IN A MULTI-FUEL OR HYBRID ENGINE?

Yes, RESTORE Engine Restorer can be used beneficially in a multi-fuel or hybrid engine (not 2 stroke petroil).

CAN I USE RESTORE ENGINE RESTORER IN FUEL INJECTION ENGINES?

Yes, RESTORE Engine Restorer is equally effective in a fuel injection engine.

CAN RESTORE ENGINE RESTORER BE USED IN VVT ENGINES?

RESTORE is safe to use in standard (mechanical) VVT engines, but we do not recommend using Engine Restorer in engines that utilise high pressure engine oil to actuate or regulate the valve timing functions. These engines that use the engine oil as a hydraulic fluid to adjust cam phasing are referred to often as VVTi (Variable Valve Timing Intelligent) engines, but car manufacturers have their own nomenclature for their VVT systems, like BMW VANOS and dual VANOS, Honda VTEC and iVTEC, Mitsubishi MIVEC, Subaru ACVS and AVLS, Fiat MultiAir, Toyota VVTi etc. They all rely very heavily on clean oil of the correct viscosity to provide adequate oil pressure to control the valve timing. Engine sensors are programmed to detect changes in oil viscosity that might suggest dirt, metal debris or contaminants in the oil that could clog oil-ways, contaminate solenoids and cause valve timing to malfunction. The CSL particles in each can of Engine Restorer would be detected by these sensors, triggering the ECU to show an engine management light and possibly engine codes; the engine will run erratically and stall repeatedly - all warnings to stop the engine immediately and not to drive the car until the oil and filter have been changed to remove the Engine Restorer (or other contaminants), and refilled with the recommended specification of oil for your car.

If you want to use RESTORE in a Standard (mechanical) VVT engine, clean the engine well beforehand using a proprietary flushing oil before refilling with fresh oil of the correct specification and fitting a new OEM oil filter. As an extra precaution, you can feed Engine Restorer into these engines slowly over the course of 30 minutes to 1 hour at tick-over to allow the CSL particles to circulate freely without overwhelming the narrow oil passages in these engines. If you are unsure whether your engine uses engine oil as a hydraulic fluid to actuate the VVT, call your main dealer for verification before adding RESTORE or call our technical helpline on 01728 726620.

CAN I USE RESTORE ENGINE RESTORER IN MAZDA RX7 RX8 ROTARY ENGINES?

Yes, RESTORE Engine Restorer is equally effective in Wankel rotary engines such as those fitted in Mazda RX7s and RX8s. One 400ml can is all that is needed to improve low compression and hot starting problems. Simply add to the engine oil.

CAN RESTORE ENGINE RESTORER BE USED IN VEHICLES WITH TURBOCHARGERS OR CATALYTIC CONVERTERS?

Yes, RESTORE Engine Restorer is safe to use in vehicles with turbo-chargers or catalytic converters.

CAN RESTORE ENGINE RESTORER BE USED IN LAWNMOWERS AND TRACTOR ENGINES?

Yes, RESTORE Engine Restorer can be used as long as the engines are 4 stroke engines. When adding RESTORE to small engines such as lawnmowers, add 10% RESTORE by volume when changing the oil. Be careful not to overfill the crankcase since you'll need to add less motor oil to compensate for adding RESTORE.

CAN RESTORE ENGINE RESTORER BE USED IN 4 STROKE MOTORCYCLE ENGINES?

RESTORE Engine Restorer can be used in 4 stroke motorcycle engines, following the same procedures and rules as for 4 stroke car engines (i.e. not in engines pumping the engine oil at high pressure, using it as a hydraulic fluid to actuate or control other engine functions), but we do ask users to exercise caution using RESTORE in motorbikes with wet clutches, in case the Restore particles were to cause the clutch plates to slip. There are several ways to prevent this, either by disassembling the clutch whilst running the bike on the stand for the required time to complete the treatment, or by running the bike on the stand without operating the clutch, and then changing the oil to remove the RESTORE CSL particles before refilling with fresh oil and driving the vehicle as normal, or, if the bike just needs top end attention due to worn bores, by applying RESTORE in small quantities through the spark plug hole(s) into the cylinder(s) on a regular basis instead of using RESTORE in the sump. Contact us for more information.

CAN RESTORE ENGINE RESTORER BE USED IN 2 STROKE ENGINES WHERE OIL IS MIXED WITH PETROL?

No, RESTORE Engine Restorer is not formulated for use in 2 stroke engines using a petrol/oil mix, but it can be introduced down the spark-plug hole with the piston half-way down the bore. You can also use RESTORE Engine Restorer in 2 strokes where the oil is contained in a separate reservoir. Most modern scooters (Piaggio, Aprilia, Yamaha, Sym etc.) have a separate oil reservoir and all you do is pour 125ml into a full tank of oil.

WHAT OTHER ENGINES CANNOT USE RESTORE ENGINE RESTORER?

Engine Restorer should not be used in any engine using engine oil as a hydraulic fluid, pumping it at high pressure to regulate or actuate other engine functions. The HEUI diesel engine is one of these. Although rare in the UK, HEUI engines are found in Ford Power Stroke and Navistar engines, some International and Caterpillar brand truck engines and some Isuzu Troopers (4JX1 engines). A HEUI engine is a high efficiency diesel engine where the injectors operate off engine oil pumped at high pressure – DO NOT USE RESTORE IN THIS ENGINE. A HEUI engine has two oil filters. If you are in any doubt as to whether yours is a HEUI engine, please ask your dealer before using RESTORE or call our technical helpline on 01728 726620

Many later model VVT engines such as BMW VANOS or Valvetronic engines, including the BMW/PSA Prince 1.4L and 1.6L petrol engines used in the BMW Mini and some Citroen and Peugeot cars, Subaru AVCS and AVLS, Honda VTec and iVTec, Fiat MultiAir, Fiat 500 (2007 onwards), Toyota VVTi and VVTL-I engines, GM Active Fuel Management engines (fitted in some Chevrolet trucks but rare in the UK), and others, too many to list here, use engine oil pressure to actuate or regulate camshaft positioning and valve timings. These engines rely heavily on clean oil of the correct viscosity as specified in the vehicle handbook and do not tolerate particles in the oil. Degraded, dirty engine oil containing sludge and swarf engine metal can cause the oil viscosity to go outside a narrow range programmed into the ECM; sensors detect the change in viscosity and trigger an engine management code, engine light and cause the engine to run erratically. For this reason, we DO NOT recommend adding RESTORE to the engine oil in any engine utilizing high pressure oil to regulate or actuate other engine functions. Please call our technical helpline on 01728 726620 for further information on how to treat these engines.

The modern Fiat 500 engines also react to the addition of RESTORE Engine Restorer to the engine oil and should not be treated with RESTORE.

WHEN SHOULD RESTORE ENGINE RESTORER BE ADDED TO THE ENGINE OIL?

RESTORE should be added to clean oil in a clean engine. For best results, clean the engine using a proprietary flushing oil before changing the oil, refilling with fresh engine oil of the correct specification for your engine and fitting a new OEM oil filter. Then add RESTORE to the new oil. To avoid overfilling, make sure to reduce the amount of oil that you would normally use by at least the volume of RESTORE being added and then top up the oil using the dipstick to get a correct oil level. After 1000 miles or 20 hours driving RESTORE will have done its job but can be safely left in the engine till the next oil change.

WILL THE CSL PARTICLES PASS THROUGH THE OIL FILTER?

Yes, they are extremely small (2-10microns) and specifically smooth and spherical to pass through the paper or fabric cross-woven oil filter (its a strainer like a Baleen whale straining out irregular shaped shrimp, but spherical objects like clams wont be caught). Each CSL particle is spherical in shape and average less than ten microns in diameter which allows them to wriggle through and pass through the paper oil filter and circulate along with the motor oil. After 1000 road miles the particles have "disappeared" from the oil and become part of the cylinder wall scratches, big end and main bearing shells, and generally tightened up the engine to near original specifications.

Engine wear particles or shards are continually being produced by friction inside the engine and these irregular metallic debris flakes are trapped by the oil filter. The only substance present in the oil circuit which can effectively block the oil filter is excessive amounts of black yoghurt like combustion sludge. One factor that accelerates sludge formation is blow-by caused by insufficient sealing between piston rings and cylinder walls during the combustion stroke. Since all high-mileage engines have increasing amounts of blow-by, they will consequently have a higher amount of sludge formation inside the engine. It is important to get the engine as clean as possible BEFORE using RESTORE, but RESTORE contains detergent additives which can dissolve sludge and hold dirt particulates in suspension within the oil. Any sludge and dirt particulates held in suspension will be trapped in the oil filter. In the unlikely event there's an indication of abnormally low oil pressure before or after adding RESTORE, this is a result of forgetting to FLUSH and change the dirty sludgy oil before adding the Restore. Too much sludge in the oil filter will lower oil pressure so so it is best to change the oil & install a clean filter BEFORE using Restore. As a safety feature oil filters are designed with a by-pass valve to maintain oil flow to the engine in case the oil filter becomes clogged with excessive amounts of sludge.

The rule of thumb is: clean the engine with a FLUSH or multiple oil changes, change the filter (perhaps several times as needed in an old neglected engine), shake up and pop the top and add the Restore (check the empty can for particles and add some oil and stir and use those too), then drive normally.

If you are using an absolute filter/micro-strainer (for example, a K&N Filter), please talk to us before using RESTORE.

What about the oil passages? The smallest oil passages in the engine are several hundred times larger in diameter than CSL particles. To put this in perspective on a much larger scale, it is equivalent to a golf ball passing through a tunnel 50 feet wide.

DO I NEED TO FLUSH MY ENGINE (4 STROKE ENGINES PETROL AND DIESEL)?

For best results, yes. Engines build up sludge over time from the by-products of combustion mixed with old burnt oil. RESTORE Engine Restorer contains mild detergents to keep the engine clean and corrosion free during and after treatment, but in a neglected engine the cleaners might release sludge allowing it to circulate and possibly block an oil-way. Sludge in your engine can only do harm. If your engine has been poorly maintained, cleaning it with a mild flushing agent (or ideally, automatic transmission fluid) will dissolve varnishes and gums and release all this sludge which will get caught in the oil filter. Change the filter before using RESTORE. The RESTORE CSL® particles will adhere more firmly to clean metal giving longer lasting results.

Badly neglected engines may need flushing twice or multiple oil changes to be sure of ridding the engine of free-floating contaminants. Make sure you change the oil filter each time too to catch the sludge released.
It is possible to add RESTORE Engine Restorer as a top up to existing oil in a well maintained engine with a minimal amount of sludge providing you fit a new oil filter to catch any sludge released by the detergents. If the oil filter gets blocked you will see a flickering red oil light. Change the filter as often as needed to keep pace with the sludge until the light stops flickering.

We do not recommend back-flushing using power flushing equipment.

HOW LONG DOES RESTORE ENGINE RESTORER LAST?

By the time you’ve done 1000 miles with RESTORE Engine Restorer in the engine, the wear reversal process should be completed. Sometimes it takes a little longer and sometimes results are seen very quickly indeed; each engine responds differently, but certainly RESTORE will have done all it can do within 3000 miles or by the next oil change. Any unused RESTORE CSL particles will keep on circulating round the engine filling scratched and worn surfaces where they occur until the next oil change. Generally speaking, the benefits last for about 12,000 miles, but this will depend on driving style and use. It is recommended to add 5% RESTORE Engine Restorer by volume to engine oil once a year, or if you prefer at each oil change, to keep the wear under control.

HOW MUCH RESTORE ENGINE RESTORER SHOULD I USE?

The recommended measure is one 250 ml can of RESTORE Engine Restorer for every litre of engine capacity, e.g. a 1000cc engine (small car) needs 1 x 250ml can; a 2000cc engine (family saloon or Land Rover) needs 2 x 250ml cans; a 4000cc engine (large car or truck) needs 4 x 250ml cans or a one litre can. Alternatively, you can use 10% RESTORE by volume to engine oil in the sump as a 'rule of thumb'. However, after the initial application of RESTORE Engine Restorer at this recommended level, a 5% volume of RESTORE in your engine at each oil change should be sufficient to keep your engine protected against future wear.

WHAT CAN I EXPECT FROM USE OF RESTORE ENGINE RESTORER IN MY WORN ENGINE?

Within a thousand miles of engine use and without having to disassemble the engine, you should experience a dramatic increase in ease of starting, power and torque, improved fuel consumption, reduced oil burn and lower smoke levels.

WHY HASN’T RESTORE ENGINE RESTORER FIXED MY ENGINE PROBLEM?

RESTORE Engine Restorer puts metal back into scratches cut into friction-producing metal-on-metal surfaces in the engine. It uses the reciprocating and rotating actions of friction-producing components to grind the spherical CSL particles into the scratches as they pass between. If your engine problem has not improved within 1000 miles of use, then wear in the metal is unlikely to be the cause of your engine problem. If there is still a noise, smoke or compression problem then have your mechanic look for something broken: cracked piston, broken rings, burnt valves, worn guides and seals, blocked PCV or stuck EGR etc. or call us for advice 01728 726620.

CAN RESTORE ENGINE RESTORER BE USED IN GEARBOXES?

RESTORE Engine Restorer can be used in a manual gearbox or conventional (standard) differential, but NOT in automatics or limited slip diffs where it would make the clutch packs slip. The amount to use would depend on the size of the gearbox, but as a general rule of thumb 5% by volume of RESTORE Engine Restorer to gearbox oil would be sufficient. So for a small gearbox holding about 1 litre of oil, use 50ml (about an egg-cupful) of RESTORE, for a larger gearbox using 5 litres of gearbox oil, use a 250ml can of RESTORE, and so on. RESTORE won't be able to reverse wear on the teeth of the gears, as the gear metal is too hard, but will reverse wear in the bushings and ensure better engagement of the gear teeth, which will help tighten up sloppy gears and reduce whine and chattering.

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