Fuel Injector Cleaning Kits

RevDevil

RevDevil

Joined
Nov 9, 2009
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So I had the oil changed on my car a few months ago, and I'm due for another change soon. The tech at the garage asked if I had run a fuel injector cleaner kit of some kind and I said No.
Has anyone here tried a kit like this?:
http://www.shop3m.com/60455031587.html
The charge at the garage would be like $80-90, Thoughts?
 
i dont use that stuff but i do use Seafoam engine cleaner about twice a year in my old honda. the first time a used it it did end up "feeling better". maybe just in my head but for 7 bucks i dont mind.

is your car running bad or is he just doing the common jiffy lube up sale?
 
Injectors should be ultrasonically cleaned and "retuned" by which I mean the spray pattern should be reset.
This is done on a injector dyno which runs the injectors and simulates flow and allows the operator to view the pattern and adjust it.
A cleaning solution placed in the fuel will only make a very small difference.
 
@Chuck Buck - The car still runs fine, but I notice I have to apply more pressure to the accelerator when getting onto the freeway from an exit for example. RPMs are higher and speed is lower.

@Alfaholic - Thanks. That is exactly what I was afraid of. Ultrasonic cleansing and retuning = $$$$. I guess I will be going to the Honda dealership and handing over some cash.
 
RevDevil said:
@Chuck Buck - The car still runs fine, but I notice I have to apply more pressure to the accelerator when getting onto the freeway from an exit for example. RPMs are higher and speed is lower.
Click to expand...

If you are really having to apply much more throttle than normal this may be indicative of a larger problem. I am not sure which Honda you have, or if it is a stick or auto but it sounds like you may have a slipping clutch (if it is a stick) or maybe a torque converter (auto) problem.

Of course this is a huge guess on my part. Correct diagnosis is very important and will save you a ton of cash.
I would suggest either the dealership or a specialist Honda/4cylinder expert.
 
Never had a very high opinion of many "oil techs" nor of fuel injector cleaning additives...
 
Alfaholic said:
If you are really having to apply much more throttle than normal this may be indicative of a larger problem. I am not sure which Honda you have, or if it is a stick or auto but it sounds like you may have a slipping clutch (if it is a stick) or maybe a torque converter (auto) problem.

Of course this is a huge guess on my part. Correct diagnosis is very important and will save you a ton of cash.
I would suggest either the dealership or a specialist Honda/4cylinder expert.
Click to expand...


Unless you're RPMS are significantly higher (1000's of rpms higher) its probably not trans related- the higher rpms just mean that the increased TPS signal is unlocking the TC. Of course, if they are 1000's of rpms up then it could be the slippy clutch (that would be REAL slippy) or low ATF.

Otherwise, one of the more common super-down-on-power issues I've seen in my personal experience (total shade-tree) has been plugged fuel or air filters or cats that are clogged up. Another good one is vacuum leaks, although the wider the throttle the less it matters. Be sure your O2's are in good shape and your not pre-detonating as this could cause a drastic decrease in either the a/f ratio or the ignition timing.
 
the shop I worked at had two methods, one that was an "in the tank" which worked pretty well, and was really way better than the off the shelf stuff, it would lean an engine right out if you put it in less than 25L of fuel. We also had one that ran in through a vacuum line, and worked very well.
But like Buck said, most of the problems we were able to fix with a fuel and air filters swap, and a tank of premium. if you'd done both, then look at cleaners if you want, but there are a few things I'd look at first in an old car (fuel pump pressure, fuel pressure reg function, "choke" function, tire air pressure, etc)
 
For a liquid cleaner. I don't think anyone can top the BG44K. When i was a mech we recommended it a lot. I used it in several vehicle and it works.
 
It's a 04 Honda Civic EX, manual. It runs ok, but damn it's been bad the last month or so. Maybe due to the weather. I have a short ram (K&N) and I clean teh filter every month or 2 at least. Living in Arizona is like driving laps in a huge dustbowl.

I'm going to have a local shop that does Honda/Acura only have a look and see if they can figure it out. I suspect I may need spark plugs to boot, I have put 45,000 miles on the car and it'sgoing on 7 years old. My clutch does also feel like it's going. Time to look for some after market upgrades, YAY!

I'm going to see if I can score a bottle of the BG44K for good measure.
 
I use the concentrated techron (there's a less concentrated version too, they overcharge for it) though I've heard that Redline SI-1 and amsoil's competing products have more active ingredient (Polyetheramine) than the techron concentrate cleaner. Those and products with similar formulation are the only ones I've used that actually seem to make a difference. Most of the others are just cheap solvents that for whatever reason don't work as well at cleaning fuel systems. Run a bottle per tank, about twice a year and that should clean them up and prevent any clogged injectors. If there's a serious existing problem I'd have a shop do a more thorough injector cleaning for you, or just have the injectors replaced ($$$). Most likely one or two run throughs with the in-tank cleaners will take care of it.

edit: The important thing with in-tank cleaners is not to use them too often. The solvents don't burn as easily as gasoline and overuse will cause them to wash down into the crankcase and dilute your oil. The best time to do it is just before an oil change, and running it for a couple tanks right off to do a thorough cleaning won't hurt anything.

Also noticed your have a K&N, I don't care how dusty it is, unless it's got an inch of dirt caked up it doesn't need cleaned yet. They're easy to over-oil, and if you put too much on some of it can blow off and get on the MAF and cause issues, it's a really sensitive measuring instrument that tells the computer how much air is getting into the engine so it knows how much fuel to squirt out of the injectors, if it's dirty it can cause serious issues with your car's performance. Cleaning them is possible but very risky, and replacing them is $$$.
 
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Thanks for the tips Yoda5461. I'll be changing the oil in about 2 weeks (next payday), I'll see what I can find. I started using Royal Purple oil last year. Funny how the oil goes in purple and comes out a greenish color.

Punisher, I saw some Seafoam videos on Youtube. I was laughing my ass off on this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5Xl5OswlIA
That is a hell of a lot of smoke. I'm guessing that I will need to do an oil change within a day or so of this treatment too right? I'll do this on my brothers Ranger just to watch the look of horror on his face when he starts his truck in the morning. LMAO!

Monkeybomb - I'll research the BG44K stuff too when I go to Pepboys/Autozone to pick up some Amsoil next week. I'm sure the kids at the parts store will ahve no idea what I am asking about as usual.
 
if you are driving around in that much dust I'd really be looking hard at the fuel filter, however, my brain has decided to forget what year honda stopped (or if they did stop) using frame mounted fuel filters....
a general tuning is prob the way to go, getting a computer plugged in will tell a smart tech quite a lot.
 
gadgetgeek said:
if you are driving around in that much dust I'd really be looking hard at the fuel filter, however, my brain has decided to forget what year honda stopped (or if they did stop) using frame mounted fuel filters....
a general tuning is prob the way to go, getting a computer plugged in will tell a smart tech quite a lot.
Click to expand...

I was going to see what the charge was for this since I have to get some other work done anyway (transmission oil change, A/C recharge, etc.). I didn't think about it being the fuel filter, but I'm almost certain it now resides inside the gas tank or within proximity to it. Good Call.
 
If you're in a dusty environment, I'd ditch the K&N. Higher flow equals more particulates passing through. Take note of what very expensive farm machinery uses. Paper filter with oiled foam prefilter. I used to buy into the K&N thing but just stick to paper filters now. If I was actually racing K&N would be great but I want longevity out of my passenger car.

Have you tried disconnecting the battery for a minute to reset the comp?
 
Funny you mention the battery hoopster. I don't have the damn 5 digit code to reset my stero. If the battery dies, so do my tunes. When I get to the dealership, I'll ask the guy to give me the code. I have an Optima yellow top in mind for the 2nd week of May.

So far the K&N has worked pretty good. I could feel a substantial increase in responsiveness. I ended up recycling the old stock aircleaner. Amazing how restricted the airflow really was from the factory. There is a baggie type thing that K&N has available it covers the filter itself, basically acts as a second filter. I got one on the way from Amazon. I hope it does what so many rice burner modders say it does.
 
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