Do you believe in periodically running fuel injector cleaner??

[bcholka]

Wasn't sure what the latest thoughts were on this. If so, what type, how often, your experiences, etc??
Thanks!

[SkullV]

I used to work at the Duke of Oil in Munster, Indiana....even though we sold the crap in the bottle, I believe that there is no type of injector cleaner that you can pour in the tank that will work. The only stuff that made any difference is the kind that you sucked up into the vaccuum hoses (brake booser hose). It was valvoline brand like everything else that the Duke of Oil uses!

[Black Sunshine]

Seafoam. Vaccuumed into intake while running, then pour enough in to cut the motor off and let sit over night before cranking back up. Also spray on the MAF screen and inside the throttle body.

[ewill3rd]

There are dozens of types of "Injector cleaners" on the market.
I do not see a need for any type of in the tank fuel additive and it is pretty stupid to market things as "injector cleaner" anyway... modern fuels have so much in the way of detergent additives that the injectors are most likely the cleanest part of the system anyway.

However, some engines can be prone to carbon buildup in the intake and on the valves. For that an additive might be helpful, but... as mentioned most modern fuels are loaded with cleaning agents.
It has been a long time since I pulled an intake to see carbon buildup like they show on TV. Granted I don't work on a lot of really high mileage cars these days, but I just don't see the need for this stuff.

I am not saying don't buy it... if you like it then it should be fine to use it as long as you follow the directions on the container.
Most of that stuff I refer to as "snake oil" because in my mind that is pretty much what it is.

[nikon]

The only products I use, are marvel mystery oil, which most of the time I dump it in the crank case...and water eliminators, for my boat.....I might run marvel mystery through the gas tank every once in a while, but I don't see any difference...the only thing I ever noticed a difference on was running the cleaner straight into the fuel rails....made my tahoe run much better, got all the carbon build up off....but, then you gotta flog the hell out of the engine to clean the plugs off again....dunno exactly what it was, a sort of injector cleaner, but it was something we sold at my dealer.....and yes seafoam will do the trick too.....your better off getting a rag and carb cleaner and wiping down everything you can reach in your TB.

[Kurlee Daddee]

Be brave and run a gallon of Toluene in your tank. It will clean your entire fuel system out and give you that octane boost your car wants. Just don't get any on the paint.

[Black Sunshine]

I use toluene to make my own racing gas when I can't get the "real" thing. Good stuff but be very careful with it. It's dangerous.

The problem is running cheap gas in the car. I believe the sticky build up on parts is less prevelant when using Premium grade fuels but, over the years, I've seen some montserous build up in a very short time.

I inspect the throttle body and MAF about once a month.

[Kurlee Daddee]

Originally Posted by Black Sunshine

I use toluene to make my own racing gas when I can't get the "real" thing. Good stuff but be very careful with it. It's dangerous.

The problem is running cheap gas in the car. I believe the sticky build up on parts is less prevelant when using Premium grade fuels but, over the years, I've seen some montserous build up in a very short time.

I inspect the throttle body and MAF about once a month.

I used to use a gallon and a half during every other fill up in my Stage 4 WRX. It raised the octane to around 94. Helped alot with detonation and even fuel milage.

Yes be very careful with it. It is extremely toxic.

[JimmyH]

I dump some into my Maxima a couple times a year. I have never really thought it did much, but at $5/bottle, I am wasting, at most, $15 a year. Worth it, I think, on the off chance that it does something.

I think the best way to stop carbon buildup is to redline it once per drive

[ronr]

A good friend of mine works at Clorox which has the same parent company as STP. He has a PhD in Chemical Engineering that was focused on the fuel additives. When I asked his advice some time ago he recommended using the complete fuel system product they make if I was going to use anything.

http://www.stp.com/fuel_cfsc.html

He said it had the most of the "good stuff" of any of the products they made. That being said, I've only used it on my Tahoe which has 210k miles on it.

[ahahnu]

C66, wanna chime in on this topic?

[NormV]

Fuel injectors don't get dirty and modern gasoline has detergent already in it. Your heads will accumulate some carbon if you dry short haul without allowing the engine to warm up fully and burn off combustion blow by.

I suggest higher rpms in each gear for example on highway onramps or the twice annual V-day for some deep cleaning!

Norm

[darkman]

Bulletin No.: 05-00-89-078B
Date: February 06, 2008
INFORMATION
Subject:
GM Fuel System Treatment PLUS Fuel Sending Unit Corrosion and Fuel System Deposits

Models:
2008 and Prior GM Passenger Cars and Trucks (including Saturn)
2008 and Prior HUMMER H2, H3
2005-2008 Saab 9-7X

Supercede:
This bulletin is being revised to add model years. Please discard Corporate Bulletin Number 05-00-89-078A (Section 00 - General Information).
The GM Fuel System Treatment PLUS is not recommended for use with diesel fuel. The GM Fuel System Treatment PLUS is specially formulated for use in gasoline and/or E85 fuels.
GM Fuel System Treatment PLUS
GM Fuel System Treatment PLUS P/N 88861011 (for U.S. ACDelco(R) use 88861013) (in Canada 88861012) is now available for use in gasoline engines.
Added Benefits and Uses
The PLUS portion of GM Fuel System Treatment PLUS is the addition of a filmer additive that when used regularly can protect fuel system sending units from the corrosive effects of certain sulfur contaminants found in some of todays gasoline.
Sulfur contamination can disrupt electrical continuity of certain fuel sending units and lead to erratic or false fuel gauge readings. With scheduled usage GM Fuel System Treatment PLUS protects against the effects of harmful sulfurs in gasoline.
The Four Benefits
Just pour in one bottle of the GM Fuel System Treatment PLUS into the fuel tank when refueling around each oil change interval:
Cleans - Sulfur corrosion from fuel gauge sending units.
Prevents - Harmful sulfur components from attacking sensitive fuel system electronics.
Protects - By coating metallic surfaces of the fuel system.
Removes - Engine deposits left from use of poor quality fuels.

[rand49er]

I started my engineering career way back when at Ethyl Corp, you know, the guys who used to put lead in gasoline. We did a lot of dyno testing on engines going through road-load cycles over many days and even months trying to put carbon and other buildup on carbs, valves, plugs, etc. Mind you, this was back in the early '70s, and even then it was hard to get any buildup even with a detergent-free gasoline (Indolene). Modern-day detergents, as everybody has already said, do an outstanding job at keeping the internals clean. Ewill is right; many of these additives are just snake oil.

[lollygagger8]

Seafoam is the only thing I would ever "waste" my money on. I've used it into the brake booster on my Jeep a couple of times, and it's made a helluva difference.

I run 93 in my V at all times, so there's no need for cleaners.