Comments on: How to Clean Fuel Injectors

By: Chris

Chris — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 21:58:32 +0000

Umm… I know it’s been a while since anyone has posted, and this may be a little off topic, but what would an oil company executive (or any executive for that matter) know about working on cars? In fact, most of the executives I’ve met don’t really know about anything and are actually quite proud of their ignorance. To be honest, I don’t know how they even get their shoes tied in the morning.

By: ferry

ferry — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 20:58:36 +0000

hi guy’s. i own a 80 series land cruiser diesel. i started using atf [ clean atf straight out the bottle] in my fuel . 500 ml to a full tank [ 93 ltr ] the result is amazing. lot less diesel clatter, no smoke, a hell of a lot more power, and over all it is running very smooth, there is no change in running temp it runs nice and cool as always. as for an engine flush, i buy nulon diesel engine flush[ Australian made] two bottles every oil and filter change[ 5000 kilometers] idle for 30 min drain well till pan stops dripping. put the plug back in and your new filter and you back on the road with with a perfectly clean engine. done it for years. cruiser now has done 300 000 klm, and runs like a brand new cruiser. cheers ferry, Australia.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 17:31:46 +0000

Really “mouse milk”…well I used a OTC fuel injector cleaner on my 2001 ford expedition because I was running it on low fuel a lot & it helped matter of fact it was… Gumout…for 2 bucks @ a retail store.. it quit trying to stall on me… Iast for me – I would never trust an oil exec they are crooks…

By: Dick

Dick — Sat, 28 May 2011 23:44:30 +0000

I have been told , by an oil company executive, OTC inj. cleaners amount to “mouse milk”, because even if they have an effective cleaner, there isn’t enough to do any good. RE: fuel quality, is there some posting that shows which fuels have good cleaning properties?

By: David

David — Fri, 06 May 2011 21:48:06 +0000

I have a 1995 Aurora and I was getting a Hesitation that felt like it was miss firing. I had replaced all the gaskets, plugs and plug wires, nothing helped.
I got pushy one day, filled up my gas tank, put half a gallon of Ethanol racing Fuel into the fuel tank, and 2 standard bottles of STP Fuel Injector Cleaner.

Ran my car at about 4000 RPM’s and wallah.

Although I do NOT recommend doing this, but if you have tried everything it’s a decent alternative.

By: James

James — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 03:25:07 +0000

Oxygen sensors are sensitive to oil contamination. One of the main reasons why fuel injected 2 stroke engines don’t have this sensor. Could this Excess oil damage it? Just a thought.

By: Erick

Erick — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 03:30:47 +0000

Walmart guy, the stuff that goes into the vacuum line is top engine clean / induction system clean, not injector cleaner. A fuel system can’t “suck” anything in. Top engine clean is good for carbonated or injected engines.

By: F250

F250 — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 22:18:55 +0000

ATF is a good additive for diesel engines. It has detergent and would clean out the fuel system. It also provides some lubrication to the today ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel), which is detrimental to diesel engines built prior to 2006.

I use ATF and TW-C3 2-stroke engine oil alternatively in my fuel tank for my F250. It smooths out my engine nicely.

By: Kchuculate

Kchuculate — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 21:04:53 +0000

I had a 2003 dodge Cummins. Fuel pump kept messing up. I told an old timer about it he said to add automatic transmission fluid – about a half to a whole quart per fill up. He said new diesel and the bio diesels dry out seals. He was right, I’ve put 100,000 miles on since then with no problems.

By: Indeskize

Indeskize — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:00:59 +0000

The Best off the car fuel injector cleaner I have found is the ASNU system. http://www.asnu.com. The Best on the car fuel system maintenance chemical and equipment isn’t available to “man on the street”. MotorVac is about $4000 for their on the car system, quite pricey. I have been using the ETECH chemicals and tools for 10+ years and I know they work. Most of the “professional only” chemicals work to some degree, ETECH is just my personal choice. Tell your mechanic to ask his NAPA man about it.

By: Roader

Roader — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 06:08:48 +0000

Does it also work for diesel engines? I mean can we add ATF to diesel engines safely?

TIA

By: Overnite

Overnite — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 01:25:40 +0000

Wal-Mart uses Gumout injector cleaner for their injector service. The canister with the cleaner that they hook up to your car, connects to an intake vacuum line like the brake booster hose. The cleaner just gets sucked into your fuel system where the air and fuel ar mixed. Some people think it helps but I think it’s a waste of money. I’ve seen Wal- Mart techs sell this service to people that don’t even have fuel injectors on their car. I think a good fuel additive like Seafoam or Marvel Mystery Oil is more effective. Just my opinion, I’m a Wal-Mart tech.

By: EriktheAwful

EriktheAwful — Fri, 15 May 2009 19:13:32 +0000

BG products are only available at dealerships and are overpriced. I have no clue where to get Chevron’s products. The process described above is far different from the process we used at the dealership I worked at. We poured a can of BG 44K in the tank, used a spray to clean the throttle plate, and used a vacuum port to suck BG’s Engine Treatment into the plenum at a steady rate for 5-10 minutes while the engine ran at 2000-3000rpm.

MMO and ATF are both good at loosening up carbon deposits, but may foul your oxygen sensor.

The gas market is pretty open, and most any gas station, name brand or not, buys from whoever’s selling at the best price. Some of the better brands may add their own additives that may help reduce deposits, but I’ve been using 7-Eleven gas for decades now and haven’t had a problem yet.

The fact is fuel standards are higher than they used to be and fuel injectors are a lot more resilient than they used to be. If your injectors clog within the expected life of your vehicle, then it’s likely you got some seriously old gas that turned to varnish or somebody put something in your tank.

Or your mechanic doesn’t know what’s wrong and is just selling you something.

By: Adam

Adam — Thu, 14 May 2009 18:47:41 +0000

I’ve heard a LOT of people recommend “sea foam” online… supposedly it cleans everything.

You add 1/3 of the can to your tank, 1/3 to your oil (crankcase?) or the last 1/3 ….. I can’t remember where, lol. And it’s supposed to clean out your injectors, oil, etc.

But personally, I just go with the over the counter fuel injector stuff.

If you pay the 20 bucks at Walmart, they have an “IV drip” type system, in which they put some solution in the tank, and some in an IV drip type thing, and feed it directly into the engine or something to thoroughly clean the injectors.

Best left to an expert lol.

By: Kenneth

Kenneth — Sat, 09 May 2009 01:41:38 +0000

Ya, it works good I used and WOW my 1987 k-car runs like it just came off the show room floor. Thanks for the tip guys keep them coming.

Thanks Kenneth

By: Beto

Beto — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 05:29:17 +0000

I definitely agree with Bryon the transmission fluid works OK. Mysteri oil is good too.

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:12:25 +0000

Never use transmission fluid in gas tank. There is an old product on market since I was a teenager, it is called Marvel Mystery Oil. When you get a quart low on oil, add can less less 8oz. to the crankcase. The remaining 8oz. should be added to the gas tank. Take a long trip and you will certainly see increased power. Have a great trip!!

By: Chris

Chris — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 21:03:40 +0000

Bryon, are you saying add transmission fluid to your gas? I have never heard that before.

By: Bryon

Bryon — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 16:11:59 +0000

adding Dextron/Mercon ATF one quart to 20 gals of gas before a long road trip will safely clean dirty throttle body injectors for a price below five dollars.