Do Injectors need cleaning?
Ed Barrows
Friend of mine swears that his cars need to get the fuel injectors cleaned
every couple of years and that for $160 per vehicle he gets MUCH better
performance. I'd never thought about cleaning the injectors (its not something
in the owners manuals for my cars)
Questions:
1. What benefit can I expect from cleaning the injectors in milage?
2. How do they do it without taking the car apart?
3. Others experience with this?
Thanks
Ed
Rudy Hiebert
--
Rudy Hiebert <Rudy_H...@mindlink.bc.ca>
Using a reputible injector-carb cleaner as a gasoline additive
in every other tank of gas is far cost effective, and
effective.
RH.
JoeBeets
AMSOILD
Ed,
as Rudy said, use of a good fuel additive should about cure or prevent the
problem for a lot less money.
Best treatment I know of is AMSOIL PI. Use at 6 oz per 10 gal, full tank
of gas, for the first treatment. Thereafter, use at 1 oz per 10 gal when
you fill the tank.
Will clean and keep clean the injectors, the backs of the intake valves,
and any other place the gas goes. About $7-8 for a 16 oz bottle.
Next best is BG-44K, a can to a tankful of gas (about every 5,000 miles or
so).
Costs about $16-20 for a can.
Dick in Falls Church, VA
Using and selling AMSOIL over 19 years
Bob Ross
I used this AMSOIL stuff and it caused my engine to seize. Caused a pileup
on the beltway and brought traffic to a standstill for 3 hours.
Dick, glad to see you're back pawning off your amzoil crap again!
Charles Prichard
Ed Barrows wrote:
>
> Friend of mine swears that his cars need to get the fuel injectors cleaned
> every couple of years and that for $160 per vehicle he gets MUCH better
> performance. I'd never thought about cleaning the injectors (its not something
> in the owners manuals for my cars)
> Questions:
> 1. What benefit can I expect from cleaning the injectors in milage?
> 2. How do they do it without taking the car apart?
> 3. Others experience with this?
> Thanks
> Ed
1. = NONE
2. = Chemical Solvent
3. = Yes
If you use a quality (any 'Name Brand') gasoline, the answer to the
subject is NO.
If your injectors DO need cleaning, I suggest you change brands of
gasoline.
'Injector Cleaning' is one of the going 'rip-off cons' at the quick lube
joints, along with the sample of rear differential lube on the paper
towel trick.
In summery, DON'T. Save your money.
--
Charles Prichard, Maitland FL
pric...@worldnet.att.net
xop...@ptd.net
ebar...@man-env.com (Ed Barrows) wrote:
>Friend of mine swears that his cars need to get the fuel injectors cleaned
>every couple of years and that for $160 per vehicle he gets MUCH better
>performance. I'd never thought about cleaning the injectors (its not something
>in the owners manuals for my cars)
>Questions:
>1. What benefit can I expect from cleaning the injectors in milage?
>2. How do they do it without taking the car apart?
>3. Others experience with this?
>Thanks
>Ed
I would replace the fuel filter regularly to keep the crap out of the
fuel system in the first place.
JoeBeets
Fuel injector clogging used to be a problem years ago; now fuels have higher detergency.
It's really caused by fuel carbonizing on the tips after you turn off the car, causing
fuel starvation at high rpm.
--
/lllllllllll\
(.) (.)
^ JoeBeets
\___/
JBlessing
Ok, time to enlighten a few people about injectors. Most injector deposits
are formed AFTER the car has been shut down and is a result of the
volatile fuel elements evaporating and leaving the rest to deposit on the
injector tips. This is made worse by some fuels (regardless of brands),
very high underhood temperatures, and frequency of stop/start cycles. Some
cars are VERY resistant to injector deposits, mainly throttle body
injected vehicles. Some GM's using the Multec injector have very few
problems due to the self-cleaning ball valve. Also regarding the Multec,
they will NOT be damaged by cleaning them (though it usually isn't
necessary), and the coils ARE NOT immersed in fuel as GM would have you
believe. Turn one down on a lathe and see for yourself. Most car companies
plagued with injector deposits have released deposit resistant injectors,
which are somewhat of an improvement. While some fuels may help prevent
deposits they won't do much of a cleaning job either. I have seen 2 year
old cars with dead misses due to plugged injectors and other cars with
200K on the clock running like new. As far as injector cleaning I hold
little faith in any "in tank" treatments. They are so diluted by the time
they reach the injectors they just aren't strong enough. Put more in the
tank and you seriously risk other fuel system damage. Besides in an older
car these cleaners may do their job in the tank and lines and all that
crap ends up in the injectors instead! My opinion based on experience is
that full strength cleaners which are injected directly into the fuel rail
are the only "on car" methods that really work, and they do work rather
well. If this method of cleaning doesn't do the trick the injectors will
have to be removed for ultrasonic cleaning or replaced. If your
multi-point fuel injected car has a rough idle, starts hard, leans out on
acceleration, etc you may need your injectors cleaned. It makes a world of
difference in my 2.9 Ranger about every 2 years, but will make liitle if
any difference on a throttle body injected car.
--
Jordan Blessing L1 Master Tech
*For Information on my new booklet:
*What You Should Know Before the Tow: A Consumers Guide to Auto Repair
*Reply to this message via Email with your request.
Jim Wilson
jble...@peganet.com (JBlessing) wrote:
>Ok, time to enlighten a few people about injectors. Most injector deposits
>are formed AFTER the car has been shut down and is a result of the
>volatile fuel elements evaporating and leaving the rest to deposit on the
>injector tips.
I disagree. The MAIN reason that "pintle" type port fuel injectors
need cleaning is due to being so close to the carbon spray from the
cylinders. Throttle body injectors don't usually need cleaning due to
their much larger openings and being isolated away from the carbon
spray. GM multec injectors have a recessed opening with a ball type
tip. First they are physically farther from the carbon spray, and then
they have a rotating ball tip that is self cleaning.
>. Some GM's using the Multec injector have very few
>problems due to the self-cleaning ball valve. Also regarding the Multec,
>they will NOT be damaged by cleaning them (though it usually isn't
>necessary),
Yes they can be if used with some cleaners. I have held such injectors
in my hand. They were from well documented cases and used in a GM
training class.
>and the coils ARE NOT immersed in fuel as GM would have you
>believe. Turn one down on a lathe and see for yourself.
Yes they ARE exposed to the fuel. I have sat in more than one GM
training class holding fuel injectors with damaged coils from fuels
with high alcohol content. GM has updated Multec injectors many times
trying to come up with more alcohol resistant coils. You might not be
able to see it when 'slicing' one open, but fuel does get to the
coils. If I'm wrong, then maybe someone should notify all those
engineers at GM that they are chasing the wind....
Mr GoodFish <><
Jim Treber
Jim Wilson wrote:
(snip)
> I disagree. The MAIN reason that "pintle" type port fuel injectors
> need cleaning is due to being so close to the carbon spray from the
> cylinders. Throttle body injectors don't usually need cleaning due to
> their much larger openings and being isolated away from the carbon
> spray. GM multec injectors have a recessed opening with a ball type
> tip. First they are physically farther from the carbon spray, and then
> they have a rotating ball tip that is self cleaning.
>
(snip)
What is carbon spray? I've never heard that term.
And when did the multec injector come into use? Were they used on
all cars?
Jim
Jim Wilson
Jim Treber <jtr...@cris.com> wrote:
That's a term they seem to like in the GM training classes.... The
same carbon that likes to build up on the pistons and behind the
intake valves also makes its way to the tip of the fuel injector. For
a small amount of time, when the exhaust valve is open, the intake is
also open. This helps to pull the air/fuel mixture into the cylinder
for later burning. This also exposes the intake valve and fuel
injector tip to exhaust gases.
Multecs came into use either in 87 or 88.
Mr GoodFish <><
Jim Wilson
jwil...@primenet.com (Jim Wilson) wrote:
>>Jim Wilson wrote:
>>> I disagree. The MAIN reason that "pintle" type port fuel injectors
>>> need cleaning is due to being so close to the carbon spray from the
>>> cylinders. Throttle body injectors don't usually need cleaning due to
>>> their much larger openings and being isolated away from the carbon
>>> spray. GM multec injectors have a recessed opening with a ball type
>>> tip. First they are physically farther from the carbon spray, and then
>>> they have a rotating ball tip that is self cleaning.
>> (snip)
Well doggone... I'm going to have to eat some crow here.....
Just spent the day talking with a field engineer from GM and he tells
me they (gm engineers) now have decided that most fuel injector
problems ARE from fuel sitting in the injectors on shutdown and
'baking' from all the heat. For years they taught us the above. And
for years they thought that was correct.
So Jordan Blessing was RIGHT! At least on that point. However, Multec
injector coil windings not only are exposed to fuel, but the fuel is
what cools them.
Now, I'll just get my foot out of my mouth and be on my way....
Mr GoodFish <><