does fuel injector cleaner actually work?

2DaTrakNow · 04-28-2006, 08:03 PM

do all of these fuel injector and fuel system cleaners work? I know that the octane boosters are somewhat of a rip off, because most of them only boost about 5 points, which is .5 of an octance level. But what about the cleaners? Ive tried several of them(probably one of every kind at autozone), and im not really sure if they do anything. I was thinking about trying the BG 44k, its really expensive...but if it works then why not? If anybody has used the BG stuff just let me know, of if you think every fuel treatment thing is a waste of money then let me know also! any input would be great, Thanks alot!

reeper · 04-28-2006, 08:22 PM

Ive used it on several occasions, made a difference here

octane booster is a joke

BlackCherryTsi · 04-28-2006, 08:27 PM

I believe they are a waste, they are too diluted to actually clean your injectors,
Shops like mine use an injector cleaner setup that bypasses the fuel tank and supplies fuel directly to the rail, in this method, you use much stronger cleaner, to clean them better, most shops can do it, if you think they need cleaned, I would reccomend taking it in and having them cleaned
Don

Black91TSiAWD · 04-28-2006, 10:18 PM

sea foam is the best bet, it does alot and you can run it in your oil, in your gas tank, through your intake mani vac line, basically any way you can think of to get it in there you can.

Just be sure to replace your fuel filter and spark plugs afterwards.

Dragon TalonTsi · 04-29-2006, 02:31 PM

Seafoam does wonders, check our forum on it, its like 9 or 10 pages now... I have used it on my 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP Supercharger, and my 98 TSi AWD, I will never use anything else. Use your PVC valve, it reaches all ports, use it in the crankcase, but only when you are about to change your oil, and dump some in the fuel tank, just to condition your fuel system too. You can even put it directly in your spark plug holes, let it sit for a long while, then crank her up. Change or clean your plugs after that too. Well, check em out....

stickshift69 · 04-29-2006, 05:41 PM

Sea Foam is the bomb! it even work is my SeaDoo. Either way, you get what you pay for.

Wufei · 04-29-2006, 09:25 PM

I only use fuel cleaner when they have a free rebate on it

Lucas fuel treatment is good stuff though.

femmeDSM · 04-30-2006, 10:19 AM

+1 for SeaFoam. I've also used Lucas with decent results, but I'm a SeaFoam advocate 100%

That said, though.....Any of these commercial Fuel System/Engine Cleaners should be taken w/ a grain of salt - there are definitely better (albeit more time consuming and less cost-effective) ways to go about cleaning your fuel system. But if you'd like to try one out, I'd go with SeaFoam. I pour a little in my tank every few months, just for peace of mind.

96gsdsm · 04-30-2006, 06:27 PM

You could also use Mineral Spirits If you have it laying around the house (the chemical xylene in mineral spirts is the same one used in many octane boosters and fuel injector cleaners as a cleaning agent) I use about a plastic throw away cup per full tank every other oil change. The stuff is also VERY cheep compared to other products.

However, this is the cheep way ... I would recomend seafoam If you have the $$$ for it. That stuff works wonders.

2DaTrakNow · 05-02-2006, 06:02 AM

if you use sea foam, do you really have to change the fuel filter on your car? I mean, its not that big of a deal to change the filter, but i am just curious. Also, ive never heard of sea foam before...where do you buy it????

97EclipseGSTer · 05-02-2006, 06:55 AM

I grab it at Autozone, I've heard of people having a hard time finding it though... I believe there is a website if no one carries it around your area... let me find out. Its a White bottle that I believe has bubbles or "foam" for a picture.

2DaTrakNow · 05-02-2006, 08:14 AM

haha yeah, i went to autozone and bought a bottle about an hour ago! Would i be safe to do this about 50 miles before i change my oil?

ICGerms · 05-02-2006, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2DaTrakNow

...Would i be safe to do this about 50 miles before i change my oil?

,,, OR you could do the seafoam treatment and then change your oil 50 miles sooner.

2DaTrakNow · 05-02-2006, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ICGerms

,,, OR you could do the seafoam treatment and then change your oil 50 miles sooner.

So your saying dump the sea foam into my oil, then just change it?!?!?!?!?! Or dump it in my oil, then do the recomended fuel/upper engine treatment. Then once the upper engine treatment was done, drain the oil and replace it with fresh and new?

ICGerms · 05-02-2006, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2DaTrakNow

...Then once the upper engine treatment was done, drain the oil and replace it with fresh and new?

AWD_Launch · 05-02-2006, 08:53 PM

I just did this 300 miles ago, depending on your method you could

1: Pour 50% in valve cover and slowly pour the rest in the break booster line while you idle the car ay 2K then let it run for a while to really clean your engine then drain your oil like usual but you also must change your spark plugs.

2: 1/3 in gas tank, 1/3 valve cover, 1/3 into break booster, everything else is like 1 except I would change the spark plugs next time I filled up.

P.S. make sure you have someway to get rid of the extra smoke, we did this in a garage with the door open and a fan on casing the whole block to fill with smoke. we let the car run for a good 5 minutes with the seafoam in the valve cover with holding the rev at 3K every now and then to get some cleaning going.

femmeDSM · 05-03-2006, 12:24 PM

FYI, All the information you could ever possibly need to know about Seafoam can be found Here: http://dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=222686

2DaTrakNow · 05-07-2006, 09:45 PM

WOW..................this stuff is amazing! ive been posting on how to use it and stuff, and i finally tried it. I had so much carbon come out of my exhaust, it was unreal................It was almost like the movie "The Fog" when i started up my car! lol

groundPork · 05-08-2006, 02:40 PM

If you can... spend the time and cash to have your injectors proffesionally rebuilt and blue printed by a reputable guy like Russ Collins of RC engineering. My blue injectors p/u 6 cc. min of flow over facotory rating and my spraypatterns were all drippy, and they fixed that too. I feel my mileage and the performance has improved. it's about 23-30 bucks each.

nightracer91 · 05-08-2006, 06:27 PM

Seafoam is good stuff, but I would never run anything in my gas tank besides gas. I work at a Toyota Dealer and all we use is the 'MotorVac' and the 'BG' machines. Both of these run detergent through your fuel rail and through your intake manifold. Those bottle cleaners contain so much crap, some of that stuff eats away at you gas tank if not used soon enough. Best bet is to take it to a shop and have a Fuel System Service done. It is worth the money.

2DaTrakNow · 05-08-2006, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nightracer91

Seafoam is good stuff, but I would never run anything in my gas tank besides gas. I work at a Toyota Dealer and all we use is the 'MotorVac' and the 'BG' machines. Both of these run detergent through your fuel rail and through your intake manifold. Those bottle cleaners contain so much crap, some of that stuff eats away at you gas tank if not used soon enough. Best bet is to take it to a shop and have a Fuel System Service done. It is worth the money.

yeah, i probably wont ever run it through my gas tank either. I am just going to put it in the oil, and through the vaccum line.

nightracer91 · 05-09-2006, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2DaTrakNow

yeah, i probably wont ever run it through my gas tank either. I am just going to put it in the oil, and through the vaccum line.

Yeah, When using seafoam too, you should change the oil after you use it and the fuel filter could always be changed just for regular maintenace.