Decarboning/Injector Cleaning Vacuum Method or Shop Machine

[landtoy80]

I justed Seafoamed the FZJ80 via the PCV valve and there was alot of smoke.

Is the DIY method of sucking Seafoam though a vacuum as good as having a shop use their machine.

Same with cleaning the injectors, can a can of cleaner in the tank do as good of a job as cleaning through the fuel rail?

What about removing the injectors and having them cleaned via a injector cleaning shop.
Is it worth the extra $$$ or can a can in the tank or fuel rail method do as good of a gob.

As I have two vehicles that need a good cleaning, I might buy an injector cleaning tool that hooks up to the fuel rail.
Is there any good low cost kits out there that work?

 

[MONKEYMAN]

I had the fuel rail type injector cleaning done on my Sentra over 1 1/2 years ago after failing emissions. Well, I passed fine after that. Last fall I started adding FP60 to both cars every fill up. Took away the rough idle on my Sentra. Idle on my Saturn and Sentra are very smooth and steady. What I am saying is this seems to have cleaned things very well. I looked at removing the injectors for cleaning, but it was labor intensive and expensive. My first gallon of FB60 was about $30. In my case it has worked well. This summer and fall when emission are due on both cars I will have more data that may confirm what I am observing.

 

[andyd]

I Seafoamed my 280k mile 88 Bmw 528e last fall. This combined with a set of new plugs,an O2 sensor , some GTA fuel enhancer and an Italian tuneup made a 60% reduction in NOx emmisions. This is with the original cat. There are outfits which can clean injectors off the car for 20$ apiece. They replace the pintles which helps the spray pattern. Ive heard of using carb cleaner and a 9v battery to clean injectors off the car also. At 265 k, I replaced the injectors with a used set that had been reconditioned. I replaced the plug wires at the same time, so i dont know which did what, but the results were worth it. I do occasionally run a can of cleaner through the tank. Last used was Regain in the clear container in my sons car.

 

[Big Jim]

Since the advent of deposit resistant injectors in the early 90s, injectors usually don't get nearly as dirty as they used to. Prior to that, cleaning injectors with the shop cleaners often made a huge difference in how the engine ran. I remember running at least three doses of cleaner through the Miller machines on some engines. The current method of using a pressurized can of cleaner through the fuel rail is nearly as effective, but not quite. I havn't seen a Miller machine in use in years. They were high maintenance, and most of them fell out of use as the pumps and hoses deteriated from the strong cleaners. It simply wasn't cost effective to fix them for how little they are needed anymore.

Injectors still get dirty though. Just not as bad as before. The improved injectors do usually clean easier.

It has been my experience that a combination of cleaning the intake and combustion chambers with a vacuum induced cleaner along with a good fuel additive cleans the newer style injectors nearly as well the pressurized fuel rail method.

On my own cars, I clean the throttle body (yes, even the teflon coated ones), perform an intake and combustion chamber clean, and add a good injector cleaner to the tank at least every 15,000 miles. It ALWAYS makes a significant difference in engine performance. I feel that this clean up maintenance is as just important as changing oil and filters.