Cleaning fuel injectors

[01rangerxl]

If you use too much of the Sea Foam, it can also hydrolock an engine, but if you follow the directions you will have no problems. I have used it in my Ranger and it greatly reduced pinging and smoothed out the idle. It is great on vehicles that tend to have carbon buildup issues (like a lot of Fords do).

 

[Master ACiD]

injectors rarely get dirty. ive sold hundreds of sets of used injectors on ebay. i test each set on a spray pattern and flow rate machine but ive never actually found a dirty injector.

 

[mechtech2]

Most civilians in the shop offer their advice that the problem is "in the carburetor". This seems to be the only part that they have heard of.
There are many controls and subsystems that have to be in good order on modern cars. All vacuum lines and sensors, and a healthy ignition system, are first on my list. Of course clean and even injectors are important. Also carbon on the backs of the intake valves can absorb fuel at idle like little sponges, and release it erratically, making the idle and off idle response goofy.

 

[alanu]

I can see a cherokee having a nice chunk of carbon on the back of the intake valve causing atomized fuel to fall out of suspension.

I've seen injectors have bad spray patterns. This is enough to cause fuel wash in the cylinders. Not a huge problem for most cars but a fuel system service will show some signs of improvement meaning an improvement over the original state.

 

[Doc8404]

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Walmart tire and lube has injector cleaning service for $19.88.

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this is not really injector cleaning.
they dump stuff in your tank and then run a mixture through your brake booster line, which doesn't touch your injectors, it cleans the intake.

 

[Lilred]

Just my 2 cents here, But I recently had to do the lifters in my jeep, and I bought it used with a ton of miles on it just to wheel a little once in a while. I put some Slick 50 carbon deposit remover in the tank twice in to 2 years before ever opening the engine up. I always wondered weather it really did anything, but I felt with well over 100,000 miles on it, what could it hurt sence I just beat this thing anyhow. The intake runners, intake ports, and valves were spotless on this thing, like they were scrubed clean or something, and I mean shiny suprize the heck out of me clean. I rebuild my own motors, work on my own cars and have owned at least 30 cars over the years, between Hot Rods and work vehicals, and never seen a intake that clean. So for my 2 cents, that Slick 50 stuff worked.

 

[Doc8404]

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I agree with running something like Chevron Techron via the gas tank as a first step if you feel injectors are clogged. You will spend $100 (minimum) on a fuel injector cleaning kit.
And do not fill up tank until near empty once added. If it does not work, you are out less than $10 and can go on to clean the injectors via the fuel rail.

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totally agree...with the BOGO at AAP, you can treat 24 gallons for less than $7.

 

[jorton]

-leaky injector pintle due to improper pintle shutoff (carbon coking/debris): hard start esp. when cold (or those EFI systems w/o auxilary cold-start injectors), fuel dilution in oil, rich F/A mixture during idling, bad fuel spray (misting) action, mild to moderate acceleration problem, etc.

Is replacement the only fix for leaking injectors?

 

[Islandvic]

Try replacing the fuel pressure regulator.

 

[Auto-Union]

I heard soaking the FI tips in brake fluid works.

 

[mazduh30]

Could be a vacuum leak. Spray carb cleaner around the intake, etc. See if the RPMs increase.

 

[tmorris1]

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-leaky injector pintle due to improper pintle shutoff (carbon coking/debris): hard start esp. when cold (or those EFI systems w/o auxilary cold-start injectors), fuel dilution in oil, rich F/A mixture during idling, bad fuel spray (misting) action, mild to moderate acceleration problem, etc.

Is replacement the only fix for leaking injectors?

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They can be cleaned.

 

[porcupine73]

Maybe a good cleaning of the throttle body and letting it injest some seafoam or similar product would help it out. I sent some injectors for cleaning and service before to witch hunter performance.

Hi Lilred

I'm in Angola too.

 

[jorton]

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Try replacing the fuel pressure regulator.

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ewwwwww. They're $120. I'm going to test the fuel pressure first.

 

[jorton]

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They can be cleaned.

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Great news!

 

[jorton]

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Maybe a good cleaning of the throttle body and letting it injest some seafoam or similar product would help it out. I sent some injectors for cleaning and service before to witch hunter performance.

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Will use Gumout spray because I remember it has detailed instructions on the back label.

 

[Tosh]

I notice the OP didn't mention the condition of the plug wires. If they're old, get new ones. That's my favorite answer for lumpy idle.