Berrymans B-12 Chemtool fuel injector cleaner- destroyed engine?

[Jeff Jot]

2004 Jeep Liberty 6 cyl. It has been running fine aside from an oxygen sensor being out, which a mechanic had told me not to worry about. It has about 90,000 miles on it.

After watching many Youtube videos on fuel additives/injector cleaners this week, I thought well maybe its time. Many different sites discussed Berrymans B12 cleaner, its at Wal-Mart for just $6 a can. Some swore by it and said theyve been adding it to their fuel for decades.
I thought well why not what is there to lose?
I guess I'm finding out

The day after dumping a can in my gas tank and topping it off at the gas station, I started the engine, and in short order the Check Engine light started blinking. It comes and goes, runs like that about 5 minutes and when it does there is a definite drop in engine performance. Enough to have me seriously worried. This happened 3 times while driving the car today. Then it stops blinking, and it runs OK but the engine light stays on.
I have never seen this happen before and I've owned the car for about 3 years now. The light was on, but my understanding was it was the oxygen sensor, and I had no problems driving.
It just seems an awful coincidence that this is just one day after I emptied a whole can of the Berrymans B12 in and then topped off the fuel tank yesterday. I'm not accusing the product by any means, but its all I have to go on at this point.
Honestly with this long list of codes its seems a miracle it runs at all! If anybody has seen anything like this, please let me know how screwed I am. I read the directions 8 times, it said empty the entire can in your gas tank, then fill the tank. Thats exactly what I did.
Coincidence? Heck if I know.

Anyway these are my codes. I have 28
1/28 SRS $5B 2 Occupant Classification Undetermined
2/28 SRS $5B 9 Current Vehicle Identification Number Missing / Mismatch
3/28 TCM$18 P0123 Throttle / Pedal Position Sensor High
4/28 TCM$10 P0706 Bad Transmission Range
5/28 ECM$10 P0430 Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshhold Bank 2 STORED
6/28 ECM$10 P0157 Oxygen Sensor Circuit Low Voltage Bank 2 Sensor 2 STORED
7/28 ECM$10 P0158 Oxygen Sensor Circuit High Voltage Bank 2 Sensor 2 STORED
8/28 ECM$10 P0430 Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshhold Bank 2 STORED
9/28 ECM$10 P0157 Oxygen Sensor Circuit Low Voltage Bank 2 Sensor 2 STORED
10/28 ECM$10 P0158 Oxygen Sensor Circuit Low Voltage Bank 2 Sensor 2 STORED
11/28 ECM$10 P0420 Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshhold Bank 1 TEMP
12/28 ECM$10 P0441 Evaporative Emission System Incorrect Purge Flow TEMP
13/18 ECM$10 P0300 Random- Multiple Misfire Detected TEMP
14/28 ECM$10 P0430 Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshhold Bank 2 TEMP
15/28 ECM$10 P0157 Oxygen Sensor Circuit Low Voltage Bank 2 Sensor 2 TEMP
16/28 ECM$10 P0158 Oxygen Sensor Circuit High Voltage Bank 2 Sensor 2 TEMP
17/28 MOD$10 P0420 Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshhold Bank 1 CONFIRMED
18/28 MOD$10 P0441 Evaporative Emission System Incorrect Purge Flow CONFIRMED
19/28 MOD$10 P0300 Random - Multiple Misfire Detected CONFIRMED
20/28 MOD$10 P0430 Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshhold Bank 2 CONFIRMED
21/28 MOD$10 P0157 Oxygen Sensor Circuit Low Voltage Bank 2 Sensor 2 CONFIRMED
22/28 MOD$10 P0158 Oxygen Sensor Circuit High Voltage Bank 2 Sensor 2 CONFIRMED
23/28 MOD$10 P0420 Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshhold Bank 1 PENDING
24/28 MOD$10 P0441 Evaporative Emission System Incorrect Purge Flow PENDING
25/28 MOD$10 P0300 Random - Multiple Misfire Detected PENDING
26/28 MOD$10 P0430 Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshhold Bank 2 PENDING
27/28 MOD$10 P0157 Oxygen Sensor Circuit Low Voltage Bank 2 Sensor 2 PENDING
28/28 MOD$10 P0158 Oxygen Sensor Circuit High Voltage Bank 2 Sensor 2 PENDING

 

[kiwi_outdoors]

Until you burn thru that tank of fuel, you will never know.

 

[Jeff Jot]

Well so does anyone recognize any of these codes and know if its OK to drive, or serious damage will happen?
Should I get an oil change?
Transmission service?
Or would they make no difference in this case.
Have you used Berrymans before, and had something similar happen?
It seems the fuel additive is definitely causing problems. How could all this possibly start just right after adding it

 

[Jeff Jot]

Change the fuel filter?

 

[ShowMe Cherokee]

My guess is that the Berryman's worked too well. It broke loose a bunch of gunk that was in your cylinders and that clogged your O2 sensors and maybe you cats. So that is why it is running like crap, because the computer can't get correct oxygen data and is trying to fix things. You can pull your O2 sensors and try to clean them (see youtube for details) or you can just replace them. The EVAP code is probably similar if the valve sucked a bunch of gunk into it. With clean O2 sensors, many of your problems should clear up. It is the place to start anyway.

 

[duderz7]

I've used that product plenty of times, about yearly. In fact I had it clear a misfire code that has not returned in years, was probably a dirty fuel injector. I agree with the above. If engine was dirty and computer had adjusted for it and now all that filth is breaking loose clogging this and that and fouling sensors it probably means it's working too well. Any damage is likely done at this point. Keep driving it, do a couple short Italian tuneups (floor it and let it high rev down the highway). Good luck, hope it works out

 

[derekj]

Speaking from experience and looking at your codes my guess would be your purge valve is probably sticking open - when you fill the tank the vacuum in the purge valve line will suck gas up from the tank and into the engine causing a rich misfire as it is unmetered fuel going into the engine. If you drive it for a bit and get the fuel level in the tank down to 3/4 or less my guess is the misfire will go away. I would be hard pressed to think a bottle of fuel conditioner mixed in with 15 gallons of fuel is going make your truck run rough.

Quick test to confirm would be to disconnect and cap off the vacuum line to the purge valve and see if it runs any better.

 

[Johnny O]

My guess is that the Berryman's worked too well. It broke loose a bunch of gunk that was in your cylinders and that clogged your O2 sensors and maybe you cats. So that is why it is running like crap, because the computer can't get correct oxygen data and is trying to fix things. You can pull your O2 sensors and try to clean them (see youtube for details) or you can just replace them. The EVAP code is probably similar if the valve sucked a bunch of gunk into it. With clean O2 sensors, many of your problems should clear up. It is the place to start anyway.

Yep. Barryman's is hard cor e stuff.

 

[Deb'nKJ]

Yep. Barryman's is hard cor e stuff.

& probably best suited to pre-sensor/cat vehicles

 

[Johnny O]

& probably best suited to pre-sensor/cat vehicles

yep, except air cooled engines. plugs them right up every time.

 

[Krf]

Your mechanic is wrong for telling you not to worry about a bad oxygen sensor. The O2 sensors keep the air/fuel mixture optimized. If they aren't working right, the engine won't run right. Most of your codes are related to O2 sensor or catalytic converter issues. I doubt the Berryman's had anything to do with your problems.

Find a new mechanic.

 

[Johnny O]

Your mechanic is wrong for telling you not to worry about a bad oxygen sensor. The O2 sensors keep the air/fuel mixture optimized. If they aren't working right, the engine won't run right. Most of your codes are related to O2 sensor or catalytic converter issues. I doubt the Berryman's had anything to do with your problems.

Find a new mechanic.

Yep. O2 sensors are critical for fuel injection. Bad ones can turn your cats into glowing orange slag tubes.

 

[Jeff Jot]

>>
I doubt the Berryman's had anything to do with your problems.
Find a new mechanic.
>>

I've had the same mechanic for 5 years, he's been fine up until now.
Anyway its extremely strange that I drove the car for 3 years and this never happened, and then started happening the day after I put Berrymans in the tank. I worked in tech support for decades and the first question we always asked was, "What was the last thing you did before the problem started?" and if they say they did nothing, I would say, "What has changed between when it worked, and now that it doesn't?"

Well, that would be dumping a can of Berrymans B-12 in the fuel tank. Other than that, nothing has changed.
It seems to make sense to me the idea that it dislodged a bunch of junk from an engine with 89K miles that has been sitting somewhere over the years (after all, its a 2004 and that's low miles for such an old vehicle)
And that gunk is now circulating in the engine and occasionaly clogging things up, like an old man with heart disease and clots are breaking lose and occasionally causing strokes right. Heheheheh. Yeah.

Well some days it runs perfectly fine. Then there's days like today where I will get a blinking engine light, and definite drop in engine performance, worryingly so. And then vrooom! (pardon my lack of technical term) it will run good again, the light stops blinking. As if some chunk is stuck somewhere and passes through right? Of course I'm under extreme time pressure to get work done and have to do a short commute to worksite. And due to the nature of my work which is leasing and facing a vacancy renovation and quite possibly two, I will make no money for at least a month. So I have to pray for now.

But here's my question:
Say it is exactly as I imagine. Would that mean that if I fill the tank with more gas---- thus, diluting the Berrymans.... it will become less strong. And therefore, unable to break clogs at that point?
That's my fear. Or is it that the Berrymans is causing the problem, and diluting it will make it run better.
Again I'm guessing, but thats all I have at this point. Until I can hire a better mechanic and dump a fortune there I don't have right. ***** to be poor! Be born into a rich and generous family, it helps tremendously.

 

[Jeff Jot]

Oh my goodness, I'm not allowed to say the word *****! Well I'm gonna think it anyway, so too bad

 

[Krf]

>>
I doubt the Berryman's had anything to do with your problems.
Find a new mechanic.
>>

I've had the same mechanic for 5 years, he's been fine up until now.
Anyway its extremely strange that I drove the car for 3 years and this never happened, and then started happening the day after I put Berrymans in the tank. I worked in tech support for decades and the first question we always asked was, "What was the last thing you did before the problem started?" and if they say they did nothing, I would say, "What has changed between when it worked, and now that it doesn't?"

Well, that would be dumping a can of Berrymans B-12 in the fuel tank. Other than that, nothing has changed.
It seems to make sense to me the idea that it dislodged a bunch of junk from an engine with 89K miles that has been sitting somewhere over the years (after all, its a 2004 and that's low miles for such an old vehicle)
And that gunk is now circulating in the engine and occasionaly clogging things up, like an old man with heart disease and clots are breaking lose and occasionally causing strokes right. Heheheheh. Yeah.

Well some days it runs perfectly fine. Then there's days like today where I will get a blinking engine light, and definite drop in engine performance, worryingly so. And then vrooom! (pardon my lack of technical term) it will run good again, the light stops blinking. As if some chunk is stuck somewhere and passes through right? Of course I'm under extreme time pressure to get work done and have to do a short commute to worksite. And due to the nature of my work which is leasing and facing a vacancy renovation and quite possibly two, I will make no money for at least a month. So I have to pray for now.

But here's my question:
Say it is exactly as I imagine. Would that mean that if I fill the tank with more gas---- thus, diluting the Berrymans.... it will become less strong. And therefore, unable to break clogs at that point?
That's my fear. Or is it that the Berrymans is causing the problem, and diluting it will make it run better.
Again I'm guessing, but thats all I have at this point. Until I can hire a better mechanic and dump a fortune there I don't have right. ***** to be poor! Be born into a rich and generous family, it helps tremendously.

Regardless of whether the Berryman’s is causing a problem or not, any mechanic who says it’s OK to keep running with a bad O2 sensor is not a good mechanic. I wouldn’t use him.

 

[BigMopar440]

If it has been sitting and not being driven and now it is being driven that would be a change. Bad O2 sensor/s are your problem. These 3.7s have four. One upstream of the converters and one downstream on both sides. A scanner will tell you which one/s are bad. Serious engine damage can result from just a single O2 sensor being bad.

 

[Jeff Jot]

--A scanner will tell you which one/s are bad. Serious engine damage can result from just a single O2 sensor being bad.--

The engine has been running fine for 3 years up until last week though
I just changed out all the spark plugs with new. They didn't look good, but it didn't seem to make any difference with the problem.
A woman on another website keeps mentioning having a similar problem and replacing the 'coil pack', saying that fixed it. But I don't understand her, as far as I know there is no coil pack on an '04 Liberty. Just 6 separate ignition coils. I hate to spend the money on those if its not the cause.
In any case it can't be the oxygen sensor or this would have been happening all along.

 

[Jeff Jot]

The only code that could be the ignition coil I can see is the P0300 'Random Multiple Misfire Detected'.
But this does not give a specific cylinder,to say which coil is bad.... it just says random and multiple.
This makes it look like its not an ignition coil problem

 

[KJowner]

I'm not a fan of engine rebuild in a tin products, however the diesel injector cleaner is magic stuff, I guess the petrol version is similar, however it depends on what's in it - older engines without cats and O2 sensors don't have issues however modern sensors are destroyed by things like leaded fuel, so if the additives in your fuel treatment are not suitable for a more modern engine they could very easily wreck them, it could also be entirely coincidence that the fault happened after using the additive, especially if the performance was down and you added it to try to improve things.
Unfortunately now you have O2 sensors that have failed the engine won't run correctly because the ECU uses the data to adjust fueling.
I'd be inclined to dump the remaining fuel and replace the filter before I replaced O2 sensors, just to be sure!