In an internal combustion engine, any issue with a fuel injector can reduce the amount of fuel in the ratio and the efficiency of your vehicle. At that point, fuel injector cleaner can become your lifeline to help clean the fuel injectors and improve engine performance. Knowing information about cleaners as well as how to use fuel injector cleaner will help you solve the problem effectively and give your car better performance.
What is a fuel injector cleaner for?
During combustion, the car’s engine will produce soot (an invisible form of carbon). Over time, soot accumulates and adheres to engine details, including fuel injectors. If fuel injectors are not cleaned regularly, soot can clog the injectors, affecting the fuel supply for combustion and making your vehicle less efficient and unstable. To solve this problem, specialized cleaners have been developed specifically for fuel injectors.
- The main function of a fuel injector cleaner is to clean your fuel injector nozzles and the engine combustion chamber of troublesome carbon deposits. Furthermore, it will improve the engine’s ability to burn fuel efficiently and it also means your car will have better fuel economy and an overall smoother experience.
- Keep the fuel system lubricated: Using a suitable cleaner will keep your fuel system properly lubricated, minimize friction, and slow down the rate of carbon buildup in the future.
- Improve the lifespan of the fuel injector: We are sure every driver also knows how a fuel injector works in your car. The fuel injector is a mechanism that opens and closes to control the flow of fuel into an engine’s cylinder combustion chamber to create ignition. Fuel deposits can not only harm your car’s fuel economy and performance but can also have detrimental consequences on the fuel injection system. Using cleaners correctly is the best way to improve fuel injector performance and lifespan.
- Helps prevent detonation and cleans the emissions control system.
When to use a fuel injector cleaner?
Correctly adding fuel injector cleaner helps the combustion process of the fuel mixture achieve maximum efficiency. Your car not only runs with more power and smoothness but also saves fuel. How often to use a fuel injector cleaner? According to experts and car manufacturers, it is recommended to add car injector cleaners every 15,000 to 20,000 km of operation or even sooner; this number will depend on the specific model and brand of your vehicle. However, it will be best to refer to the manual before using cleaners and cleaning your fuel injector. Alternatively, if you notice a symptom below, it is also a warning sign telling you that you need to use a car fuel cleaner.
- Weaker engine: When injectors are clogged, the amount of gasoline/oil introduced into the combustion chamber is affected and the combustion process can be earlier or later. This prevents the engine from running properly. Clogged injectors cause fuel not to enter the chamber sufficiently or at the wrong time, making the combustion of the fuel mixture inefficient. This easily causes problems such as the car being hard to start, the car stalling in the middle of the road, and the car jerking when you press the pedal…
- More emissions: When injectors are coated with dirt, the fuel injected into the combustion chamber is usually less and later. This prevents the fuel from burning completely and escaping through the exhaust pipe. As a result, the emission will be greater than usual and the color will be black.
- Consume more fuel: Dirty injectors lead to misalignment of the flow and timing of the fuel injected into the combustion chamber, resulting in incomplete fuel combustion. Therefore, to compensate, the engine will need to consume more fuel than usual.
- Engine noise: When injectors are clogged, the combustion of the fuel and air mixture has problems, making the engine weaker. Therefore, for your car to reach the appropriate capacity for the driver, the engine will have to work more than usual, resulting in a louder noise.
Although the above signs do not entirely come from dirty or clogged fuel injectors, when you encounter these problems, you should check the injectors and use the appropriate cleaner.
How to use fuel injector cleaner the right way?
It must be said that this process is a very simple step-by-step tutorial and we will outline all the instructions:
Step 1: Locate the fuel injector.
The easiest way to locate the injectors is to consult the owner’s manual. Normally, the injector is mounted on the engine hood and connected to the fuel rail. V6 and V8 engines will have 2 rail pipes located on both sides of the engine.
Step 2: Check the fuel injection system
After positioning the fuel injector, you need to check the condition of this part. Many drivers wonder how many fuel injectors does a car have? Normally, your car has one fuel injector per cylinder; however, if your car has a four-cylinder engine, you will have 4 fuel injectors accordingly. If you detect signs of clogging and dirt, you should immediately clean the fuel injector.
Step 3: Choose the appropriate fuel injector cleaner
There are dozens of fuel injector cleaners on the market; some types are only used for diesel engines and others for gasoline vehicles. Furthermore, some are designed for turbocharged engines and others for older engines. Therefore, it is very important to choose the right cleaning solution for your car. Consult the manufacturer’s manual to ensure your fuel injector is not required to use a specially formulated cleaner.
Not all cleaners are effective for your fuel system, and if not used according to the manufacturer’s recommendations, they could lead to complete fuel injector failure and require their replacement. In addition to referring to the manual, you should carefully read the labels on cleaning products to know the compounds your fuel injector cleaner contains so you can find a good cleaning solution for the fuel injector.
If you are looking for the best fuel injector cleaners, we will recommend a list you can check. We compiled this list based on feature price, quality, durability, and manufacturer reputation:
1 Chevron Techron
This is one of the most popular fuel injector cleaners available on the market today. It comes from a well-known brand. In fact, it is often recommended by car manufacturers as a solution for cleaning the fuel injection system. It works on lighter vehicles of all carburetor or injection engine types. According to the manufacturers, this solution will clean and restore the entire fuel system, including the fuel injector, intake valve, and combustion chamber.
2 Red Line Complete SI-1
Most fuel injector cleaners contain the same basic chemicals, but Redline has patented a formula that puts it ahead of its competitors. It not only cleans your fuel injector and carbon buildup in the engine but also lubricates the cylinder and reduces the need for high-octane gasoline. It can be used on all types of vehicles, including cars, trucks, or SUVs…
3 Liqui Moly 2007 Jectron
The third position is held by Liqui Moly Jectron. It is considered a very powerful additive for cleaning the fuel supply system and removing carbon buildup, especially for older engines. Liqui Moly is one of the fastest solutions on the market, with visible improvements after only a thousand kilometers. It has been tested by the strict German technical inspection association TUV.
This cleaner becomes the safety cleaning product for fuel injectors. The disadvantage is that it can only be used for gasoline engines. Liqui Moly will allow your car to achieve a smoother idle, better throttle response, and cleaner combustion using its Jectron fuel injection cleaner. It also helps eliminate starting problems and stalling.
Besides the 3 brands above, there are still many other types of cleaning solutions on the market like Sea Foam SF, STP Ultra, or Sta-Bil 360 protection…
Step 4: Get the appropriate amount of fuel injector cleaner
Cleaning injectors with a car injector cleaning solution is very convenient because there is no need to remove/install complicated injectors. On the market, there are many products for cleaning injectors in automobile combustion chambers from brands such as Liqui Moly, Bluechem… Car owners can also buy and clean them themselves at home.
Cleaning the injector with the solution is very simple. In most cases, it is simply a matter of pouring the liquid directly into the fuel tank (fuel/oil tank). The cleaning solution will follow the fuel into the injectors. However, each product will have a different mixing ratio. For example, for 1 bottle of 300 ml Liqui Moly cleaning solution, the manufacturer recommends 50 to 70 liters of gasoline.
It is best to read the manual carefully before using the car. If during cleaning you need to remove the fuel injector directly, you will use an appropriate amount of cleaning solution to clean the injector. This method allows for a more thorough cleaning as the injector can be flushed directly. However, the process of disassembling the injector is quite complicated. If you are not careful, it is easy to damage the rubber seal around it.
Note: When purchasing a fuel injector cleaner, it is also important to note the different cleaning solutions for gasoline and diesel injectors. Do not use or mix these two types.
In conclusion
Using cleaning solutions will not only help you solve problems with the fuel system in general and fuel injectors in particular. And using these fuel injector cleaners is not often good for your car; please refer to the owner’s manual before using an additive for the vehicle. In some cases, the fuel injector cannot be cleaned, so you must replace it or find other solutions.