Do fuel injector cleaners really work?

FUEL RESIDUE DEPOSITS ARE A MAJOR PROBLEM FOR FUEL INJECTORS AND THESE CLEANERS COULD BE THE SOLUTION

It’s almost impossible to surf the internet or walk down the street without coming across an advertisement for a new miracle cure or a new product that will change our lives like nothing else. The world of automotive products is unfortunately no different – new “must-haves” that boldly claim to increase performance or reduce fuel consumption are constantly being pushed on us.

It can be difficult to know if it’s the real deal or not. One such product that consistently has a question mark hanging over it is the fuel injector cleaner. What do these fuel additives do and do fuel injector cleaners work?

WHAT IS INJECTOR CLEANER

Fuel injector cleaners are made up of various solvents and are designed to clean the fuel lines of diesel and gasoline engines. They are incredibly simple to use and can be added directly to the fuel mixture. They do not need to be drained or removed afterwards; the solvents are combustible and will therefore be eliminated with the rest of the fuel mixture and should not leave additional deposits.

They are designed to restore your car’s fuel injection system to its original state, removing anything that might prevent it from reaching its full functionality. Producers claim that their products can disperse moisture and dissolve gum, varnish, and other fuel residues from the entire fuel system, from the fuel tank, fuel lines, fuel injectors, valves, rings, and pistons, essentially cleaning the entire fuel system.

The highest-end and potentially most effective cleaners often contain polyisobutylene (PIB), polyether amine (PEA), and polyisobutylene amine (PIBA) as active ingredients. PIB is an effective detergent for removing gum, carbon, and other deposits from the fuel system and works with PEA to break down the hardest deposits in the fuel injection system. PIBA does not remove deposits and is more effective at removing moisture in the fuel system and may not be included in all injector cleaners. Some lower-end products instead contain solvents like toluene (used in the manufacture of paint thinner) and acetone (found in ordinary cleaning products found in the home and similar to nail polish remover), which might be less effective than those containing PIB and PEA. Some of the most popular injector cleaners are: 12 Chemtool Fuel Treatment, Chevron Techron Concentrate Plus Fuel System Cleaner, and LUCAS LUC10013 10013 Fuel Treatment.

WHY DO WE NEED INJECTOR CLEANER

Fuel injectors have the essential role of spraying the optimal amount of fuel into your car’s engine. If the incorrect amount of fuel enters the cylinders, it will likely cause errors in the combustion process and your engine may start to stutter and lead to inefficient fuel consumption. Fuel consumption will increase accordingly, as will your car’s emissions.

These injectors can become blocked by deposits that have built up over time. While most of these fuel residues slowly evaporate, some of the fuel is always left in the injectors and the injectors themselves. The residue in the fuel that does not evaporate and is baked onto the sides of the fuel injectors or cylinders turns into a hard varnish which is the beginning of a deposit. These deposits eventually clog the injector nozzles as well as the injectors themselves, and cause the engine to no longer get the exact required air-to-fuel ratio. This is when it can cause serious problems.

This is often a problem for older vehicles and for drivers who frequently make short trips, as any moisture in the oil does not have time to evaporate when.

DOES INJECTOR CLEANER WORK

Alongside this improvement in fuel supply, the car will also produce fewer emissions when the injectors are cleaned. Carbon deposits and other impurities in the fuel injection system can impact the optimal fuel and oxygen mixture, leading to more harmful emissions. Reducing your emissions could also help older cars, which are more likely to be affected by fuel injector problems, pass their technical inspection or maintenance check.

Similarly, one of the additional benefits related to this is the reduction in fuel consumption. As the fuel injector cleaner removes deposits in the fuel system, your diesel engine’s fuel consumption level can return to its optimal state, which will make things much cheaper for you and means your car’s mileage will likely increase.

Some car owners have reported increased power after using their injector cleaner. They reported recovering up to 40% of their engine’s power by applying a high-end diesel fuel injector cleaner. Blockage of the fuel injection system reduces your car’s power and acceleration due to a sub-optimal mixture of fuel and oxygen in the fuel system. If your truck or cars are old, you should consider using a good fuel injector cleaner to remove deposits from the injection system. You might be surprised to recover lost power and acceleration in your car.

As mentioned above, higher-level injector cleaners will include PIBA and facilitate the removal of water from the fuel system. This can improve your engine’s performance and also helps prevent rust and corrosion in the engine in conjunction with other cleaning additives.

Experts have noted that incidents of engine misfires can also be avoided by using a fuel injector cleaner. The buildup of burned and cooked fuel can prevent pistons from operating at the right time and in sync with the valves and other moving components of the engine – if one cylinder misfires, the others can and will continue to operate normally, but you will notice a certain collapse in your engine’s operation. If the fuel injectors are cleaned and free of blockage, this will not take place and everything should run properly again.

However, there are potential issues with fuel injector cleaners. As always, it still depends on the quality of the product you choose. There may be a weak, or even no, effect if lower-end products, which do not include the highest-end chemical solvents, are used. Burned fuel is much more resistant than average household grease and paint, so using products mainly composed only of acetone and toluene might not be as effective.

That said, this does not mean that products containing these powerful chemicals are automatically better. Many of them are not suitable for diesel engines due to their strong nature and could cause serious and lasting damage to your engine. Overuse of certain types of diesel fuel injectors can damage your equipment’s fuel injection system. Some fuel injector cleaners can be used multiple times without adverse effect, but should only be used intermittently and according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. It is always best to check product labels and consult an expert or your vehicle’s manufacturer before using any type of injector cleaner.

Similarly, older vehicle models manufactured before the 1990s may use a carburetor instead of a fuel injection system. This means that these injector cleaners will not be suitable and might not have the desired effect or even any effect at all. These vehicles may require different, more specific cleaners or a different maintenance schedule altogether. Otherwise, it could damage the engine or even cause the buildup of larger deposits.

There are also some questions about the duration of the effect of fuel injector cleaners. Some will only protect your fuel lines for a short period, while others will keep your fuel system clean for more than 2 years. Again, this varies from product to product and is very difficult to predict.

INJECTOR CLEANER: IS IT WORTH IT

As with many aspects of car maintenance, there is no clear answer as to whether injector cleaner works or not or when to use injector cleaner. It is clear that having injectors clogged with burned fuel or leftover residue will hinder your car’s performance due to a sub-optimal air-fuel mixture and that, in theory, removing these deposits will greatly benefit your car’s overall performance and condition. However, there is a risk, albeit small, that you could damage certain engines by using injector cleaners. Overall, it seems that they are going to be better for your engine than bad for it, but it is always important to check if the product you are going to put in your fuel tank is compatible and recommended by experts or your manufacturer.