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Fuel Injector Cleaner Poll

jst4f

jst4f

Charter Member
SM 2003
Full Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2002
Messages
150
Location
Southern CA
:cautious:My first thread on this subject didn't get many responses so I thought I would try one more time, using a poll. ;D

Clearly this is not as "interesting" a topic as motor oil , waxes, and tires, but an important one to help keep my AV running at its very best.

The list of products is from other GM BB sites and from responses on my earlier thread.

Thank you.
 
I use Gumout XL Fuel Injector cleaner
 
BG-44K is not so much a fuel-injector cleaner as a carbon remover/preventer. Between the additives in the fuels and the cleaning action of the fuel itself, fuel injectors do not have many problems these days. The big problem is the build-up of carbon (mostly due to the additives in the fuel or from using a gasoline with too high an octane) on the backs of the intake valves. A product like BG-44K used as directed, will keep this build-up to a minimum.

The other problem you should be aware of is water in the fuel tank. This comes from the normal condensation that takes place as your fuel tank's temperature fluxuates. A fuel "de-icer" should be added periodically to eliminate this water. Be sure that you use a product containing Isopropyl (spelling?) alcohol NOT Methanol. Methanol just mixes with the water to keep it from freezing and blocking your fuel line. Isoprpyl will mix with the fuel AND the water allowing you to burn the mixture and rid your system of the water. DO NOT BUY ISPROPYL ALCOHOL FROM THE DRUGSTORE! Read the label, what you buy from the drugstore is a MIXTURE and already contains about 30% water, it will not absorb any more water as it is already saturated. The Isopropyl additives usually sell for less than $1.00 per bottle. Using it once per month would not hurt anything.
 
I do not use anything other than the fuel I put in it....

Fuels today have tons of cleaners in them to help keep things clean......replace the fuel filter often and things should be ok IMO
 
How often are you supposed to replace the fuel filter? I have 8K miles and have not considered changing it, not have I changed the fuel filter on other vehicles I've owned.
 
I live in CA and I believe that our gasoline has different additives. Does CA gasoline represent a different problem from the rest of the US, for fuel injectors and carbon build up?
 
right now i use Marvel Mystery Oil fuel injector cleaner. but, if i had to pick from the ones you listed i would use the Lucas brand.
i add it everytime i change my oil which is around 3000K. ;D
 
I haven't used fuel injector cleaner in the av yet....this is why at times I use the mid-grade octane stuff to hopefully keep the injectors clean...I'm not sure if that approach is an old wives tale or not, but I do it anyway....I used to drop a bottle of the STP stuff in my older cars.... :B:
 
I use Mr. Clean. Sure it runs like hell for a bit after that, but it isn't as if I like the thing anyway.
 
I've never used any of these.

How much value is there really to this stuff?
What do you guys notice that indicates you need it, and what difference does it make after added?
More geared toward harsh conditions?
 
I do not use anything other than the fuel I put in it....

Fuels today have tons of cleaners in them to help keep things clean......replace the fuel filter often and things should be ok IMO
Click to expand...


ygmn,,,

True, you SHOULD be ok... I need to play devil's advocate here, sorry :(

The last thing you want is an improper injector spray pattern. Especially with the propensity for oem's to make leaner running engines. A poor firing injector can cause so many problems with emissions related items, lean combustion chambers that can cause damage eventually, detonation (which is not always audible), excess combustion chamber heat, it goes on... There are SO MANY things that rely on a full healthy spray pattern of the injector, and most are detrimental to the life of the new engines we have...

Knowing this, I am not comfortable in saying, "we should be ok with the new fuels." ... It's just too much for me to gamble ... I think a good injector cleaner like B12 Chem-Tool is pure insurance to a healthy injector spray ...

*** Contrary to belief, the PCM will NOT detect a low to moderate loss in injector spray pattern... It WILL detect a cylinder "that's not like the others" via the Hall-Effect sensor/s, but at that point, you have run lean or have had low grade mis-fires for a while, and that's what we want to avoid... Keeping the injectors at 100% spray effeciency is the goal !

Moreover, when injectors get dirty, it's usually a progression over time, and we may not "notice" the performance decrease ... If you could "pull" them for inspection as you can with a spark plug, then you could prevent a bad thing from happening... They never get pulled, so you need to assume they are ok, but the truth is, GM injectors are a NOTORIOUS breed of injector that sees fouling quite easily; unlike Import injectors... Doing a $2.38 can of Berrymans B-12 is no big deal every 4,000-5,000 miles considering the risks of a fouled or in-effecient injector... Plus, the fuel effeciency you might retain will probably off-set the cost of the cleaner... Keeping the carbon build up to a minimum in the LS1 based motors is also a good thing... I notice a significant difference in performance, and idle quality after every can of Berrymans B-12 every 4,000 miles... They must be getting at least a little dirty if I can feel a difference... I also live in an area where RFG Fuel is a requirement, and it's one of the cleanest burning gasolines available... So, go figure...

11H
 
Wvusquatch said:
You forgot the slick 50 engine fuel injector cleaner. ?I have been told by many mechs, that this is the best to use!
Click to expand...

Thank you Wvusquatch for adding Slick 50 to the list of products. I didn't forget it so much as I didn't know about it. I had searched the forums for product names, I am not familiar with any of them, and Slick 50 either wasn't there or I missed it. Unfortunately, the list for surveys is limited and I can't add Slick 50.

What got me started thinking about the fuel injectors was the very different opinions, as examplified by ygmm and H11. Do nothing and it will be OK on one side and the other side saying Chevy has had a history of fuel injector fouling. (tastes great less filliing?) I am wanting this engine to last 300K plus miles and I am wanting to know if I should be doing something for the fuel injectors, now. So many of our members are very knowledgable about Chevy and its products, I started the poll is to find out what others were doing. So far the poll tells me that on whole it is either not a problem or not a recognized problem.

Again, thanks for your interest and input.

jst4f
 
As a tech and manager of a shop - I dont use any myself but I do sell BG products. 44k is an excellant treatment while it is not a injector cleaner persay it is mostly for carbon deposits. But with the fuel we buy today it already has cleaners in the fuel so really carbon on the outside tips of the injector and depoits on the intake valve and piston tops is what really poses the problem. Gm makes a product called X-66 and I believe this is the strongest and best made for GM products - be careful and follow directions as it is very strong (it also is a decarbonizer). Ijector cleaning additives are like opinons and you know what they say about opinions. All I can say is buy quaility fuel and maintain your vehicle well. :B:
 
One more thing on 96 and newer the PCM CAN detect subtle problems in fuel delivery as well as cylinder effiency by reading the oxygen sensors in the exhaust. There is a multitude of information going into and out of the PCM and a determination of a rich or lean condition can be determined and even narrowed to a specific cylinder. I say this as an ASE Master Tech who does this kind of work every day. :B:
 
TexAVfan said:
One more thing on 96 and newer the PCM CAN detect subtle problems in fuel delivery as well as cylinder effiency by reading the oxygen sensors in the exhaust. There is a multitude of information going into and out of the PCM and a determination of a rich or lean condition can be determined and even narrowed to a specific cylinder. I say this as an ASE Master Tech who does this kind of work every day. ?:B:
Click to expand...
As a master tech...at what number of miles should you consider dropping in some fuel injector cleaner?....or maybe removing them all together.... :B:
 
i bought some B-12 this weekend. got it from Wal-Mart for about $2.50. poured it in my wifes' truck since this is the one we drove. plus it needed gas, so perfect oppurtunity.
the first thing i noticed about this cleaner is that it seemed more like a cleaner than a lubricant. unlike the others i have used that were of an oily substance. i spilled a little on my hand. i noticed that it dried before i had a chance to wipe it off. a little was on the truck too. :8: it dried before i could get to it as well. this stuff reminded me of carb cleaner, or even brake cleaner. great cleaning/ quick drying properties.
i think this is the one for me. i am sure it will clean great. thanx 11H for the great tip.
 
11H said:
ygmn,,,

True, you SHOULD be ok... I need to play devil's advocate here, sorry :(

The last thing you want is an improper injector spray pattern. Especially with the propensity for oem's to make leaner running engines. A poor firing injector can cause so many problems with emissions related items, lean combustion chambers that can cause damage eventually, detonation (which is not always audible), excess combustion chamber heat, it goes on... There are SO MANY things that rely on a full healthy spray pattern of the injector, and most are detrimental to the life of the new engines we have...

Knowing this, I am not comfortable in saying, "we should be ok with the new fuels." ... It's just too much for me to gamble ... I think a good injector cleaner like B12 Chem-Tool is pure insurance to a healthy injector spray ...

*** Contrary to belief, the PCM will NOT detect a low to moderate loss in injector spray pattern... It WILL detect a cylinder "that's not like the others" via the Hall-Effect sensor/s, but at that point, you have run lean or have had low grade mis-fires for a while, and that's what we want to avoid... Keeping the injectors at 100% spray effeciency is the goal !

Moreover, when injectors get dirty, it's usually a progression over time, and we may not "notice" the performance decrease ... If you could "pull" them for inspection as you can with a spark plug, then you could prevent a bad thing from happening... They never get pulled, so you need to assume they are ok, but the truth is, GM injectors are a NOTORIOUS breed of injector that sees fouling quite easily; unlike Import injectors... Doing a $2.38 can of Berrymans B-12 is no big deal every 4,000-5,000 miles considering the risks of a fouled or in-effecient injector... Plus, the fuel effeciency you might retain will probably off-set the cost of the cleaner... Keeping the carbon build up to a minimum in the LS1 based motors is also a good thing... I notice a significant difference in performance, and idle quality after every can of Berrymans B-12 every 4,000 miles... They must be getting at least a little dirty if I can feel a difference... I also live in an area where RFG Fuel is a requirement, and it's one of the cleanest burning gasolines available... So, go figure...

11H
Click to expand...

11H - How bout Chevron's Techcron? A lot more expensive than Berryman's B-12. Wonder if it is about the same stuff. With the MTBE crap they put in the gas here in CA, I definitely believe in using a fuel injector cleaner!
 
I use Chevron Techron... $9.99 per 4-pack at Costco. I usually run one treatment about once every oil change (3-4000 miles). Cheers.
 
I have been using 2 bottles (1 can only treats up to 21 gals)Gumout Xtra @ every oil change. Based on 11H's recommendation I guess I will use the B12 from here on out.

You know what they say....

opinions are like a$$holes.......
an ounce of prevention is worth........

IMHO, it can't hurt anything to add the fuel injector cleaner @ every oil change. A clean injector is a happy injector >:D
 
02 Z71 said:
I have been using 2 bottles (1 can only treats up to 21 gals)Gumout Xtra @ every oil change. Based on 11H's recommendation I guess I will use the B12 from here on out.

You know what they say....

opinions are like a$$holes.......
an ounce of prevention is worth........

IMHO, it can't hurt anything to add the fuel injector cleaner @ every oil change. A clean injector is a happy injector >:D
Click to expand...

I asked my service manager at the dealer how often to use fuel injector cleaner. He said to be careful about doing it to frequently or it would damage the spark plugs. The Platinum plugs I guess burn so hot that with too much injector cleaner they can glaze over. He said use it no more than about every 30,000 miles

I would like more feedback about his recommendations.
 
Supermobile said:
I asked my service manager at the dealer how often to use fuel injector cleaner. He said to be careful about doing it to frequently or it would damage the spark plugs. The Platinum plugs I guess burn so hot that with too much injector cleaner they can glaze over. He said use it no more than about every 30,000 miles

I would like more feedback about his recommendations.
Click to expand...


after reading your post i came to the conclusion that the service guy is a little confused. he did a good job confusing me anyway. the thing about "too frequently" and "too much". if you use it every other oil change, and use the total contents of the bottle with a full tank of gas is neither too frequently/ too much.
i bet if you took your truck to have them clean the injectors they would be more than happy to take your money as often as you would like them to.
there are many factors as to how often you should clean your injectors. is the gas station providing you clean gas? do you buy your gas from the same place all the time? is your fuel filter clean?
 
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