When do fuel injectors need cleaning

Honestly, there's not much to be gained from adding fuel injector cleaner to your gas tank. While it is possible to clean some deposits from the fuel system simply by pouring the contents of a container into the gas tank, it's really not as effective as the marketing will have you believe.

To properly clean a part of the fuel system with heavy deposits, the system needs to be drained and portions of it disassembled. Only then can the fuel system components, such as few injectors, be properly and thoroughly cleaned. To effectively clean a dirty fuel injector, high concentrations of cleaner need to be pushed through it using specialized equipment.

You simply can't get these concentrations by adding a 3 ounce container of cleaner to a gas tank. There are services available at shops where concentrated cleaner is pushed through your entire fuel injection system. Some of these can be beneficial, but only if you are truly experiencing problems caused by deposits. If you are running into trouble codes that point to misfires that are diagnosed as clogged fuel injectors, then this service might be beneficial. But in the end, the proper way to clean any fuel injector is to remove it and even then you might still have to replace it if cleaning fails.

If you are using a quality fuel injector cleaner, you might need to use a lot of those little bottles before the deposits break up. The next time you are in for automotive service and the shop tells you that you need your fuel injection system cleaned out, think about what that really means. Are you experiencing any problems, or is this one of those 'comparison' sales tactics where you are shown a before and after sample and advised that your system is just as dirty.

You'll probably hear this statement at an independent shop as opposed to a franchised dealer. This system circulates detergents thru your fuel rail and pressure regulator, using a venture action to remove insoluble material from the injector inlet screens, before cleaning the injector ports, rather than just spraying solvent thru the injector. The complete fuel rail injectors, screens, hoses, and regulator is scrubbed clean first, and then the engine is run for about 30 minutes to clean the injector nozzles.

These systems hold many advantages over the pressurized-can cleaning setups from years past, which actually never worked very well at all in our opinion. The best possible reasons to recommend a fuel injection cleaning are appropriate mileage intervals or an attempt to resolve an existing vehicle symptom.

Unfortunately most convenience oil change providers try to up-sell services that they can get done in a hurry. Unfortunately, this is a very common practice in the automotive convenience market. Convenience shops are also not equipped to deal with any of the very real problems that may crop up during cleaning. It's telling you that there may be dirty fuel injectors at work. Typically, "rough idling" is characterized by varying revolutions per minute RPMs , even when you have your foot off the pedal.

Often, rough idling is accompanied by engine stalling — a sudden decrease in RPMs and engine noise that feels like running out of gas on a hill. Dirty fuel injectors are only one of several engine problems that can result in rough idling and engine stalling. If you notice these issues in your car, come in for a Complete Vehicle Inspection. Our expert technicians will get to the bottom of the problem and recommend a fuel system cleaning if needed.

Well-performing fuel injectors help your vehicle get the kind of gas mileage that manufacturers promote. While a variety of engine issues can cause you to stop by your local gas station more often, lousy gas mileage could be a signal that something is wrong with your fuel injectors. Typically, you control what your car's dash gauges do. When you drive a lot, the gas needle moves from "F" to "E. What do dirty fuel injectors do? They can cause the needle on the tachometer — the gauge that displays the vehicle's RPM — to move unpredictably.

You may notice the needle moves unprompted, indicating changes in RPM when your car isn't switching gears. Fuel injectors deliver gas to the appropriate cylinders. That's Job 1. And when Job 1 isn't getting done, your engine won't receive its crucial combination of air and fuel. When the ratio of air and fuel in your engine is off, your motor may not generate the combustion it needs to operate. It's rare, but in some cases, fuel injector issues can lead to engine failure that prevents your car from starting.

It's also possible that your car won't start because, um, you forgot to put gas in it. It happens to all of us! Unfortunately, running out of gas can also lead to fuel injector issues.