Fuel injector cleaners
Has anyone used the BG44 fuel injector cleaner? This is supposedly the best stuff, however, pretty potent.
When I first got the car, there were certain gas stations to avoid b/c it burnt sulfer smelling exhaust. I found a good station that I've been using for two years. Recently, the smell has come back. I replaced the 02 sensors and the smell is still there. I was wondering if a strong fuel injection cleaner like the BG44 can eliminate the problem.
And where is it retailed? TIA
When I first got the car, there were certain gas stations to avoid b/c it burnt sulfer smelling exhaust. I found a good station that I've been using for two years. Recently, the smell has come back. I replaced the 02 sensors and the smell is still there. I was wondering if a strong fuel injection cleaner like the BG44 can eliminate the problem.
And where is it retailed? TIA
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Comments
I don't think a malfunctioning injector has much chance of being cleaned by most products available, as this would require an extremely potent "juice"...and even so, perhaps you've only temporarily cured the symptom, but not the cause of the injector fouling.
Also, bad injectors usually make for a rather badly running car, quite a noticeable deterioration of performance....while not impossible, I don't think pinging would be a primary result of dirty injectors (they could, I suppose, lean out the mixture, but that defeats your report about pinging on a cold engine , when the mixture is actually richer).
I have cured bad running cars by replacing injectors, but I've rarely seen anything cured by attempting to clean them...now and then it works, don't get me wrong, but usually the problem is a bad idle, stumbling performance, etc. not smells or pinging.
In my humble opinion, both of you have some other problem; moreoever, I don't think any cleaner you can buy as a consumer, in a chain store, is going to work.
FAct is, most commercial fuel injection cleaners are "maintenance" cleaners, to prevent dirt build up---they can rarely dissolve it once it forms.
My motto is: You can't fix a car out of a can.
Later
Later
You know, it could be just that one speck of dirt that is dislodged with hard acceleration and revving and that voodoo juice. I was more skeptical about a situation where all the injectors are really gummed up or even rusted, which can happen as well.
But, the BG products, such as 44k, which is a "concentrated" fuel system cleaner for "professional" use, is a very good product. They also make a less concentrated product which can be used more often. I immediately noticed a benefit ie smoother acceleration, after using this product in my BMW. These products are usually used by dealer mechanics for a "quick" injector cleaning. Though, not quite as effective as having the solution hooked up directly to the injector lines ie one of those expensive dealer recommended "injector cleaning" services. Some gasoline stations also sell these products, but you will probably have better luck locating them at the parts department of an auto dealer. I also use the Chevron Techron additive on a regular basis, as it is readily available (Wal-Mart).
Vern
If using the Chevron Techron concentrate,how often would be acceptable or recommended by you folks to use this product without harming anything? I have a 99 model year vehicle and would like to use this as a maintenance feature. Thanks in advance.
Lou
That being said, I think I'd still hold to the view that no store-bought cleaner in a can is going to clean a really dirty injector....it simle isn't strong enough...you can use it for aftershave, it's soo harmless.
I used a bottle or two every year (along with a few bottles of isopropyl dry gas) as a injector-clog preventative and to keep my fuel system free of moisture. Basically, it's just insurance against the inevitable tank of bad gas we all get once in a while.
My buddy's FI (throttle body) Rabbit was getting AWFUL mileage for a while and when he added just 1/3 of a bottle of this stuff, he gained something like 5mpg almost instantly. That showed me that at least the stuff is CAPABLE of actually doing something ... unlike some of these others which make you wonder.
--- Bror Jace
I have used Techron on my other cars once in a while but not sure if that works either. Not had an injection problem on about 7 cars in 10 years so who knows.
Any advice would be welcomed. :-) Thanks.
blujeep, I would think 3-4 times per year for any decent injector cleaner would be plenty. I add about 2 ounces of Redline SI-1 once each month along with a little isopropyl drygas to keep thing clean and moisture-free.
--- Bror Jace
I think in the beginning I'll add the 2 oz mtce amt every other week (about 3-4 fillups). Then I'll cut it back to once a month, then starting in Sept I'll cut it down to every 3rd month. You think that's over-kill?
I have always been using premium grade fuel (92 octane) but the last time I had the fuel injector cleaned was at 31k when I bought the Jeep (Aug 99) and now it has 48k. From all the discussion here, it looks like I have ignored this matter for a long time. My question was... Is it required to spend $80 for the fuel injector cleanup, or can I do it with regular use of the cans which will cost me much less. I dont want to ignore or compromise, if it is required to be cleaned by the dealership. Another question, do any of the repair shops like Firestone or PepBoys do this work; if they do, they might be somewhat cheaper than the dealership.
Final question, what does cooling system flush involve? If it is just draining the antifreeze/coolant and filling up fresh, I would prefer doing it myself and saving some bucks.
Any suggestion regarding these would be greatly appreciated.
A cooling flush isn't a bad idea, but if your Jeep isn't high mileage or up there in age perhaps just a replacement of the coolant would be fine. You need to find a safe way to dispose of it, however. As you probably know, it is harmful to pets and the environment. I'd save frequent coolant flushes for alloy block engines or engines under severe use.
biky, I think the dealer pushes these services because they are a big money-maker. As Nigel said, most fuels don't need any additives. Pour-in injector cleaners are just insurance for the times you get old, poor-quality or contaminated fuel. Depending on where you live and which stations you frequent, this should be rare. If you're worried, try one of the better bottle cleaners out there on the market once in a while avoiding the ones with methyl alcohol (methanol) in them as they can damage your fuel system. I like Redline SI-1 myself and Chevron Techron has a good reputation but there are probably other good ones as well.
As for the cooling system, I think your vehicle is too new for you to be worried. As long as you don't neglect your coolant to the point where it's a rusty-color, a simple coolant change (without abrasive cleansers) should be fine. If your coolant is discolored and has bits of things floating in it, CONSIDER a flush.
--- Bror Jace
--- Bror Jace
- engine stalls when vehicle stopped after 5-15 minutes higher speed operation
- engine will restart but stalls when shifted into gear
- ok if vehicle sits for 5-10 minutes
- may be intermittent
These are the typical symptoms of a stuck torque converter clutch solenoid. More common with 3 speed transaxles. To diagnose, locate and disconnect the square electrical connector on the front of the transaxle. Retainer clip's usually on the bottom (naturally). Will have tan with black trace, purple, or both wires. If symptoms disappear, tcc solenoid is defective. About a $200-$250 repair job. Not recommended to leave tcc disconnected as internal transaxle damage may occur due to overheating.
Obviously this was not a problem as I was moving ... I merely let the clutch out again and the car would run again ... although some times with a really LOUD backfire ... getting rid of the unspent fuel in the motor.
--- Bror Jace
1. Put a cleaner in the oil
2. Put a bottle of cleaner through the vacuum hose directly into the engine, and
3. Put a follow up bottle in the tank.
When they did Step 2 it really stunk when it started, but was much reduced by the end of the bottle.
I ran the tank completely empty witht he followup bootle. (Yes I had to push it to a station) and filled up with regular. It has been running smoothly since then, and passed emissions with flying colors.
It seems good, but could I have saved a lot of money with Techron, or Syntech?
Basically, I recommend people try the easier/cheper things first. If your car begins to run rough again, I'd try the $5-10 solution first and see if that does the trick.
--- Bror Jace
I now have proof. A few thousand miles ago I did the fancy 3 step de-carbonization procedure. I had a state emssions test. Never do it just before inspection. Let at least 3 tank fulls go by before inspection.
My high speed CO2 was 0.00, the Idle CO2 was 0.04. The the Ultra clean California Standard is 0.05. The hydrocarbon level was 21 at 50 MPH, and 62 at idle. The inspector said that most NEW cars aren't that clean.
I never had readings so good on this 10 year car. I compared it with last years and they were 3 times that.
The car runs smoother and unknowingly I struck a blow for clean air.
An injector will screw up smog big time if it is spitting out irregularlly, and you know, sometimes you get lucky with these treatments if you can stop the injector from dribbling or spritzing.
I've never failed our stringent emissions tests, and fortunately have never had to go to the expensive EPA stattion. It was just that this car has never gotten such good readings.
Fuel injector companies have demonstrations showing dramatic differences with both valves and pistons. Extremely dirty pistons and encrusted valves look very clean after treatment. Is this reality or garbage like most oil additives have proven to be? Does their stuff work, or is this an exaggeration?
Buy the way I don't buy the oil companies claims that everything needed is in the gas. I did a fuel injector treatment and was able to get away from premium gasoline to the recommended regular. I generally tune this car once a year, so other factors were generally eliminated.
IS the FTC just too busy, or is there some truth to their claims?
A 5% difference in flow from injector to injector will show up as a varying idle especially on 4 cylinder engines, 6 better, V8 best [smoothest].
Some gasoline [Chevron] seems better at washing the baked on additives off the pintle but may be worse on build up of valve stem material.
If the idle is not perfectly as new [assuming adequate intake/throttle cleanliness and periodic EGR valve cleaning [so it doesn't stick open a little at idle] your first area of focus is injector cleaning, however most retail products are just a concentrated form of the additives in gasoline [they are generally to weak to do much good].
Professional pour in tank products [BG 44k] are 10 times more effective when used every 5,000 to 15,000 miles but even they cannot dissolve all the buildup from trash in gasoline which gets through fuel filter and is deposited on the individual injector filter screens. For this you must get a high pressure fuel rail treatment...running the car on a pressurized bottle of special concentrated cleaners which dissolve the varnish and allow it to pass into the injectors where it gets burned in the engine...this may tend to add build up on piston sand spark plugs so the plugs get changed and the engine gets [needs] a 15 minute high rpm stress drive.
http://www.off-road.com/isuzu/injectors.html
http://www.injectioncorrection.com.au/Injector%20Cleaning.htm