Recommend a good fuel injector cleaner.

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Red-Line SL1 is good.

Change the fuel filter. A clogged fuel filter will clear up for a while with fuel injector cleaner, and then the problem will come back. If you repeat the fuel injector cleaner the problem will go away again but come back i a shorter time.
 
Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
Check your LTFT's...if one or more of your injectors are plugged you should be running lean (>8%). If however your LTFT's are within range (filter) issue.

Check the..
-PCV valve
-EGR solenoid (it should click click click when running)
-check your 02 sensors voltage switching (.1 to 1.0) and range. Dirty or bad 02 sensors can be slow to respond and cause a sluggish or stalling engine. You can also induce a vacuum leak in the intake and the 02 sensor voltage should drop to around .1 volts and then rise above .5 volts when the leak is subsequently plugged to confirm it's working.

How do you know you don't have a vacuum leak? What did you do to confirm this?


I initially sprayed with carb cleaner all around the intake and vacuum lines. When I didn't see a leak or hear a leak I had the system smoke tested. So it doesn't have a vacuum leak
Fuel trims at idle go lean while driving they seem ok. Egr is also fine.

When it did this before fuel injector cleaner made a night and day difference. Went from the idle surge to perfect smooth idle. That's pretty telling
 
Originally Posted by ram_man
How good is Lucas fuel treatment just curious since I never hear much about it.


The label says it contains no solvents and solvents dissolve gum and varnish so I'm not sure how effective of a cleaner it is. It may be just a DCA. It also claims to promote a more complete combustion, how is beyond me.

Lucas provides scant details about this product.

If I were considering a "maintenance" cleaner i would a) first consider using a top tier fuel all the time and b) MMO. It has a solvent and oil for UCL... and it's relatively cheap.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by ram_man

I initially sprayed with carb cleaner all around the intake and vacuum lines. When I didn't see a leak or hear a leak I had the system smoke tested. So it doesn't have a vacuum leak
Fuel trims at idle go lean while driving they seem ok. Egr is also fine.

When it did this before fuel injector cleaner made a night and day difference. Went from the idle surge to perfect smooth idle. That's pretty telling


Sounds like you got a handle on it..ðŸ‘
 
Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
Originally Posted by ram_man

I initially sprayed with carb cleaner all around the intake and vacuum lines. When I didn't see a leak or hear a leak I had the system smoke tested. So it doesn't have a vacuum leak
Fuel trims at idle go lean while driving they seem ok. Egr is also fine.

When it did this before fuel injector cleaner made a night and day difference. Went from the idle surge to perfect smooth idle. That's pretty telling


Sounds like you got a handle on it..ðŸ‘



It's crazy you just don't see clogged fuel injectors very often. I can tell you my mom always goes to bp. I remember last time I tried liqui moly because I had beat my head against a wall and couldn't figure it out. And low and behold that fixed it. Weird I know .... I've never had a car have clogged injectors.
 
Originally Posted by ram_man
Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
Originally Posted by ram_man

I initially sprayed with carb cleaner all around the intake and vacuum lines. When I didn't see a leak or hear a leak I had the system smoke tested. So it doesn't have a vacuum leak
Fuel trims at idle go lean while driving they seem ok. Egr is also fine.

When it did this before fuel injector cleaner made a night and day difference. Went from the idle surge to perfect smooth idle. That's pretty telling


Sounds like you got a handle on it..ðŸ‘



It's crazy you just don't see clogged fuel injectors very often. I can tell you my mom always goes to bp. I remember last time I tried liqui moly because I had beat my head against a wall and couldn't figure it out. And low and behold that fixed it. Weird I know .... I've never had a car have clogged injectors.

You don't see it very often because it doesn't happen very often.. not since at least the EPA began mandating minimum levels of detergents in gas. I'm skeptical it's the FI but who knows... keep us posted one way or another....
 
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I dumped a bottle of Lucas fuel treatment in it today not the whole big bottle but a portion of it. Let it idle for 45 mins and its back to normal again. This time I'm not done with the cleaning but that was a nice start . Fuel trims look better than they did when it was acting up to.
 
Originally Posted by ram_man
I dumped a bottle of Lucas fuel treatment in it today not the whole big bottle but a portion of it. Let it idle for 45 mins and its back to normal again. This time I'm not done with the cleaning but that was a nice start . Fuel trims look better than they did when it was acting up to.

What is "better".. what's the actual number at idle and under load?
 
Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
Originally Posted by ram_man
I dumped a bottle of Lucas fuel treatment in it today not the whole big bottle but a portion of it. Let it idle for 45 mins and its back to normal again. This time I'm not done with the cleaning but that was a nice start . Fuel trims look better than they did when it was acting up to.

What is "better".. what's the actual number at idle and under load?


+1. Numbers help make the story.

I'll say that Lucas is one of very few products that seemed to me to give a butt dyno improvement a decade ago when using it in an old OBD1 car.

But there was no objective evidence.

It claims to be more of an UCL.
 
Originally Posted by JHZR2
Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
Originally Posted by ram_man
I dumped a bottle of Lucas fuel treatment in it today not the whole big bottle but a portion of it. Let it idle for 45 mins and its back to normal again. This time I'm not done with the cleaning but that was a nice start . Fuel trims look better than they did when it was acting up to.

What is "better".. what's the actual number at idle and under load?


+1. Numbers help make the story.

I'll say that Lucas is one of very few products that seemed to me to give a butt dyno improvement a decade ago when using it in an old OBD1 car.

But there was no objective evidence.

It claims to be more of an UCL.

I have no doubt that Lucas FI treatment does just fine as a UCL, albeit a rather expensive UCL compared to stuff like MMO or TCW3. And I'm not poo pooing that because anytime/anywhere you can reduce friction - that's a win. But what I'm more interested in are the other claims on the bottle of cleaning and a more complete combustion (however you define that). Lucas, like many mfgs, just doesn't provide much detail in the way of ingredient so for me it's hard to justify the cost given the lack of info.
 
Originally Posted by Lolvoguy
OR simply run prem. fuel every few tanks
About the same cost as adding fancy fuel injector/system cleaners.


The additives in Premium is not enough compared to 1 bottle of a fuel system cleaner.
 
Originally Posted by billt460
Originally Posted by csandste
I use a PEA cleaner, either Techron or Gumout.

I'll second this, ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


I had excellent result from one bottle of Gumount.
 
I run a bottle of Amsoil PI every oil change in all my (4) cars. I have also used BG 44K and 44K Platinum and Techron. I haven't noticed a difference in any car but that might be because I use it every change. With that said, I have never had to have my injectors professionally cleaned. I also only use top tier gas. I will note that 2 of my cars are new. I have a 2018 Subaru Legacy with 8k miles and a 2019 Impreza with 3k miles. My 2001 S4 has 99k and has a crap load of other issues and my wife's 2014 CR-V has 98k miles. We did just had plugs replaced and the throttle body cleaned. The Honda dealer is always trying to get us to do the professional injector service but I don't do it. They don't base it off of anything other than mileage. However, they also always try to get us to replace the ATF and rear diff all the time. They even told me my cabin filter was dirty 5k miles after I put it in!
 
Originally Posted by Leo99
Originally Posted by billt460
Originally Posted by csandste
I use a PEA cleaner, either Techron or Gumout.

I'll second this, ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


I had excellent result from one bottle of Gumount.


Which Gumout do you use, the all in one?

Originally Posted by Wheel366
I run a bottle of Amsoil PI every oil change in all my (4) cars. I have also used BG 44K and 44K Platinum and Techron. I haven't noticed a difference in any car but that might be because I use it every change. With that said, I have never had to have my injectors professionally cleaned. I also only use top tier gas. I will note that 2 of my cars are new. I have a 2018 Subaru Legacy with 8k miles and a 2019 Impreza with 3k miles. My 2001 S4 has 99k and has a crap load of other issues and my wife's 2014 CR-V has 98k miles. We did just had plugs replaced and the throttle body cleaned. The Honda dealer is always trying to get us to do the professional injector service but I don't do it. They don't base it off of anything other than mileage. However, they also always try to get us to replace the ATF and rear diff all the time. They even told me my cabin filter was dirty 5k miles after I put it in!


If you use top tier fuel you mostly likely don't even need fuel cleaners but it never hurts.
 
Originally Posted by diyjake

If you use top tier fuel you mostly likely don't even need fuel cleaners but it never hurts.


Agreed.
 
I have a friend who boroscoped his engine after using only two top tier fuels except when he was on the road. His piston tops look like the dark side of the moon. I will ask him to post here, maybe he will maybe he wont. He didnt use s1-1 at that time, but he is now. I have zero idea how it will turn out, I guess we will know in 3 mos, the random time period he gave himself to test. His first tank of s1 is leaving some hesitation, I guess there is two ways to look at that deal, clearly it is doing something.
 
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