All modern cars have injectors. They replace carburetors and work much better. These revolutionary devices, therefore, have more advantages than the previous devices, i.e., carburetors. However, this does not prevent breakdowns from happening. If the right arrangements are not made, you must resort to costly repairs. I will guide you on how to clean fuel injectors without removing them.
- Do you want to know what injectors are used for and how to clean them without dismantling them?
- How do you identify an injector failure?
- Should you repair or replace your injectors?
As an automotive professional, I give you all the answers regarding these concerns. I offer you simple solutions to maintain your vehicle’s injectors yourself.
What are injectors and why do they get clogged?
An injector is a mechanism that facilitates the delivery of gaseous or liquid substances into a machine. For a modern car engine, injectors are placed at the mouth of each cylinder for direct injection or at the intake manifold for indirect injection.
What is the role of the injectors?
The vehicle injection system is actually a fuel pump. The role is to send gasoline or diesel under pressure into a collective rail where the injectors are fixed. Injectors are important for the proper functioning of your vehicle. They deliver the precise quantity of fuel (petrol or diesel) necessary for each combustion inside the engine cylinders.
In addition, they save fuel. Consequently, they help reduce the car’s consumption. In addition, the injectors increase the fuel’s propagation pressure because the injection pump ensures this pressure. This is the system that improves mixing with air. Thus, engine performance becomes better.
In reality, it was only in 1967 that electronic injection appeared. The fuel is then sprayed electronically. This system is more precise regarding fuel volume injected and reduces injection time. In addition, it reduces polluting emissions from the car while increasing the efficiency and performance of the engines.
Why do the injectors get clogged?
Injector clogging is a recurring concern for motorists. The injectors are equipped with narrow nozzles. Small deposits sometimes block these tubes. Thus, obstructions form due to poor fuel quality or occur due to short trips made.
In fact, the more combustion residue, the higher the possibility of fouling. Consequently, when the injector tubes become clogged, the fuel jet from the injection pump is less sufficient. The air-fuel mixture is no longer uniform, and the fuel compression decreases.
How do you identify an injector failure?
If an injector fails in your vehicle, you can experience many problems. Some symptoms may still attract your attention. First of all, getting started can be difficult. If the car starts, the engine idling may become erratic.
After that, while driving, you will notice a lack of power and gaps in acceleration. If, on the other hand, there is a pressure difficulty in the injection, you will notice black smoke coming out of the exhaust. These fumes can also be due to an air intake problem or injection pump failure.
Here is a list of faulty injector symptoms to watch for:
- Persistent fuel odor;
- Engine running without starting;
- Low power when accelerating;
- The vehicle jerks when accelerating;
- Appearance of a warning light;
- Black smoke from the back of the car.
Why do you need to clean your injectors?
Cleaning your car’s injectors allows you to:
- Protect the entire injection system of your vehicle;
- Facilitate technical anti-pollution control;
- Restore injector flow;
- Limit pollution by exhaust;
- Eliminate acceleration holes and engine idling;
- Reduce engine noise thanks to its super lubricating qualities;
- Restore engine performance;
- Regulate excess fuel consumption.
A properly functioning engine is a guarantee of durability and performance. If you neglect to take care of your injectors, the entire engine will seize.
How often should I use fuel injector cleaner
Because the injectors are in continuous contact with the fuel, it is necessary to periodically clean them properly. It is recommended that you do it every 50,000 or 60,000 kilometers or that you review them every one or two years if you have not reached the specified mileage.
I will tell you different ways to clean the gasoline injectors and keep them in optimal conditions. You must keep in mind that some of these methods require the intervention of a professional , so labor must be added to the price of cleaning, which can put the action at a price higher than $100.
Sweep cleaning
It is a very effective method to clean the injectors, valves, oxygen sensor, EGR valve, combustion chamber and the entire fuel system of the car. It consists of connecting a system made up of tubes to the car engine. This causes cleaning fluid to enter inside while it is in operation until the fluid runs out.
Use of additives
It is possible to clean the injectors using specific additives for this purpose. These are added directly to the fuel tank to mix with the fuel. The compounds they have are capable of eliminating the impurities present in the tank and moving through the feeding circuit to keep it clean. It is a simple and economical method (its price is between $5 and $20 ), but it may be ineffective for directly cleaning the injectors, especially if they are very dirty.
Ultrasonic cleaning
It is the most effective method to clean the injectors and remove accumulated dirt. Despite this, you should be careful when using it as it can take a long time.
To clean with this method, you must disassemble the injectors and work with them to learn as much information as possible about them. That is, it is necessary to analyze the pieces one by one to know their flow rate, their spray pattern, their tightness and their resistance.
Once the problem has been identified in each of the parts, an ultrasonic machine is used to dissolve the dirt accumulated in the injectors to leave them as good as new. This procedure must be performed with specific machines and has a fairly high labor time, so it can be quite expensive.
How do you know if the injectors are dirty?
The best option is to carry out proper maintenance, but sometimes, despite having given all the care to your car, the injectors may be dirty or damaged. You should pay attention to the following symptoms to resolve them before they can cause more serious engine damage.
- High consumption: Fuel consumption increases when driving as the fuel is not distributed efficiently.
- Difficulty starting: When the injectors are dirty, the car may have a hard time starting or may not be able to start.
- Engine failure: the button management light comes on on the dashboard indicating that one or more injectors are not working.
- Blue smoke: Due to dirt, an injector may apply more fuel than necessary. The excess cannot be burned so the car emits bluish smoke.
- Gasoline smell: if there is a smell of fuel inside the cabin, it may be because it is not being burned properly.
- Loss of power: this is one of the most obvious causes of injectors not working as they should.
- Noise: When the injectors are in poor condition, the engine makes a noise similar to that produced when stepping in a puddle.
- Jerking when driving: these indicate that the injectors are not spraying the fuel as they should and can even cause the car to stop.
How to care for injectors
To avoid breakdowns in the injection system and causing more serious damage to the engine, it is necessary to carry out proper maintenance of the vehicle. It is best to go to your workshop to check the car periodically.
However, to avoid having real problems, you can follow a series of very useful recommendations to keep your injectors in perfect condition for longer.
- Change the fuel filter: you must do it within the time stipulated by the manufacturer to prevent dirt particles from passing into the engine.
- Do not circulate in reserve: when the fuel level is very low, it is more likely that the impurities accumulated in the tank will circulate through the fuel system, causing blockages in the injectors and ducts.
- Use quality fuel: this is free of impurities to guarantee the health of your engine.
If you have detected a problem with the injectors and think that they may be failing, it is better that you go to the nearest workshop as soon as possible to solve it since continuing to drive in these conditions can cause very serious damage to the engine.
How to clean your injectors without dismantling?
Here I offer you simple solutions as an automotive specialist to take care of your injectors yourself like a pro. In order to avoid total clogging of the injectors, there are certain solutions which limit the accumulation of soot and impurities.
Taking care of your engine
This of course starts with taking care of your engine and related parts. Avoid emptying your tank completely before topping up with fuel. If you leave your vehicle idle, especially a diesel engine, the heat produced will promote condensation, mixing water and diesel. This significantly reduces the quality of the fuel used. The danger comes down to damage to the injectors and the pump.
In doing so, bacteria proliferates, as does mold, which causes the filters to become clogged. All this can lead to your car being immobilized. So remember to clean the filters from time to time, in order to expel the water that is there.
On the other hand, you need to pay attention to the time it takes for the engine to warm up. Let the engine warm up and don’t go for rough driving from the start.
If your vehicle is equipped with a turbo, you will also need to pay attention to this. This element undergoes very high rotation speeds when you stop the engine while the turbo is still running.
Remember to let your engine run for a few minutes before turning it off, especially after a long trip. This allows the oil essential for lubricating the part to be supplied.
Furthermore, you must use quality oil to protect the engine and increase its longevity. It is recommended to drive on an expressway at times in order to increase the engine speed. It’s a way to clean up the latter. This will encourage the flow of fuel and release the dirt.
Finally, as you can imagine, do not neglect the maintenance intervals and scrupulously respect the instructions provided by the manufacturer.
Adopt an additive (gasoline or diesel available)
Car engines have several problems due to clogged injectors. Replacing injectors is a very expensive operation, particularly for engines with more than four cylinders. The cost of replacing injectors is between 450 and 2000 euros for the most common models. To avoid this, I offer you cleaning products adapted to the needs of your engines, whether they are diesel or gasoline type.
Combine refined fuel with injector cleaning treatments , especially if you are traveling short distances. These preventive and curative products help avoid clogging and engine shutdown. They also allow you to avoid or delay replacing your injectors.
If you have defective or saturated injectors, adding a cleaning additive to your fuel allows you to carry out initial cleaning and eliminate possible deposits.
Injector cleaners are commercially available. There are specific models for gasoline and diesel injectors. In addition to the injectors, they can also clean other elements of the engine: the combustion chamber, the valves or the injection pump.
Instructions for use of cleaners are indicated on their bottle. To ensure optimal use, it is recommended to use these additives at regular mileage . If the problems continue after using the product, it will be necessary to dismantle the injectors. They will need to be cleaned (this is not always easy) or replaced.