Fuel Injector Additive/Cleaner?

[twiggy]

What does this forum think about the fuel injector cleaners that you add to your gas when you fill up? Do any of them brands work or is it snake oil?

Thanks.

Topic

[yarddog1950]

Almost twenty years ago, the Federal government required that all gasolines include proper additives for fuel injection. If you were around back then, you were able to notice improvements in some gasolines. For example, I had a 1988 GMC S15 2.5 with a single fuel injector. It would run fine on Chevron gasoline, but some other brands would cause knocking within a few miles. I would remove the air cleaner and look at the spray from the injector while the engine was running. The injector was not atomizing the fuel and I could see drops of fuel coming out of it. I would then fill up the tank with Chevron and the knocking would clear up in about 50 miles. I would then observe the spray from the injector and it would be normal again.
When the government required FI additives in all gasoline, I was able to run any gasoline without a problem. Can we conclude that the entire problem was caused by lack of FI additives? No > part of the problem was the design of the injector. I think injectors on American cars were prone to clogging. The VW Squareback and Fastback with Bosch FI and the Alfa Romeos with mechanical FI were available in the US in 1969 and they were not prone to clogged injectors.
Injector design has improved since the early 1990s and all gasoline has FI additive. Some gear heads believe that Premium fuel has a better additive package than Regular. I’ve never met one who can back that up with facts. Some people cling to the belief that Chevron with Techron is still better for FI systems than some other gasoline. Techron is merely Chevron’s copyrighted name for their additive package. It contains a type of naptha, a rather ordinary chemical that reasonable people might assume is available to other gasoline companies.
My point is that you can find plenty of gear heads who swear by some additive or a particular gasoline, but it’s very hard to find any who know the facts or have actually tested their beliefs.
Here’s what I do with my 2004 RSX . I run the recommended 97 octane regular and I buy it from several different companies. I use my trip meter to keep track of my mileage every time I fill up so I can see any drop in performance including a need for better gasoline. I’ve seen no evidence for superiority of any brand of gasoline. Also, I buy a six pack of Techron from Costco (because it’s very cheap there, as it should be!) and I add Techron a few times a year. I can’t observe any improvement in MPG after a Techron treatment, but I reckon an additve is good idea as long as I’m not spending much on it. If I have the choice of a $10 can of additive and a six pack of Guinness Extra Stout, I take the Guinness.

[twiggy]

Thanks for your very well written reply. I had been putting Techcron from Costco with every oil change but also noted no change in MPG or performance as well. Sounds like the gas I’m buying as you suggested is already doing the job.

[dreamer2355]

If your buying fuel injector cleaner, look for the brands that have polyether-animes. That is the best cleaner to get rid of carbon buildup.

Check out http://www.bobistheoilguy.com and look in the forum for the Fuel and Fuel additives.

That site is great for any type of lubrication questions and evidence of what oils work and so forth. There’s some very intelligent people on that board. Its one of my favorite sites to visit.

[pcmdjason]

Naptha is lighter fluid.

[yarddog1950]

Since I posted my reply, I have made a few Google seaches to refresh my knowledge of today’s gasoline additives and additive packages. I found a lot of bad advice from gear heads, DIYs and pros. I found a little healthy skepticism from people who meet the same description.
I think that, among the best advice on the internet, there’s my Guinness Rule of Thumb. You can modify it to fit your own favorite beverage, of course. You have to ask yourself if you actually need this cr*p as much as you need your favorite brew.
Also, remember the rule you ordinarily follow > If it ain’t broke, don”t fix it. If you have no drop in performance/mpg, the additive package in the gasoline you’re using is doing it’s job in all probability.

[college man]

In reguards to fuel injector cleaners.do they work? I have tried them all.gasoline companys have been trying to formulate so called clean as you drive fuels
for decades.Its never worked.If it did we wouldn’t get glogged injectors or carbon deposits on intake valves.gasolines of today are dirty as hell.I broke down
a few years ago and bought the same fuel injector cleaning kit that Eric used in one of his videos.( one way to move a vehicle without fuel pressure) I know
this kit isn’t for everyone.But its the best way to clean fuel injectors and intake valves.I do it every spring which is about 12k-15k of driving.also clean the throttle
body and wipe out the air intake.Then follow up with a tank additive to clean the entire fuel system.I like sea foam.my question is if these tank additives are so
great why do we need to add them in 3k-5k intervals.The bottom line is do what works for you.If you feel the additives are working for you then great.But be
careful adding these additives to often or over concentrating,they all say sensor freindly but to much will hurt them.Next time you add some to your tank run
it through the tank then pull one of the plugs and you will see a discoloring of the plug.I’m not trying to bash these additives.I guess its better than nothing.
Its like having a beer to much can hurt you.But in moderation can be a good thing. stay dirty everyone.

[EricTheCarGuy]

I’m not a fan of ‘in tank’ fuel injection cleaners for a couple of reasons. The first is that when you put a cleaner in your tank it’s going to knock the varnish and sedement inside the tank loose and send it toward your fuel injectors before you even start ‘cleaning’ them. Second most times the directions are not followed which leads to poor or inconsistant results from the products used.

I have a special kit that I use for ‘cleaning injectors’ that ties directly into the fuel system and does an excellent job at cleaning. There are a lot of tools like this and I have no real preference for one over another but I mention it as an alternative to what you suggest, to be honest your mostly cleaning the deposits from inside the intake as in my experience fuel injectors don’t ‘clog’ up all that often, think about it, gasoline is a solvant to begin with, why would you need another solvant to clean that same system?

Save your money on over the counter stuff and have it done with a professional machine or equipment if you ever find a need to do that type of cleaning.

[Author]

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