How To Use Fuel Injector Cleaner [Expert Tips]

In an internal combustion engine, any issue with a fuel injector can reduce the amount of fuel in the ratio and the efficiency of your vehicle. At that time, the fuel injector cleaner can become your lifesaver to help clean fuel injectors and improve the engine’s performance. Knowing the information about cleaners as well as how to use fuel injector cleaner will help you fix the problem effectively and give your car better performance. 

What Does A Fuel Injector Cleaner Do?

During combustion, the car engine will produce soot (an invisible form of carbon). Over time, soot will accumulate and stick to details in the engine including fuel injectors. If the fuel injectors are not cleaned regularly, soot can clog the injectors, affecting the fuel supply for combustion, and causing your vehicle to operate less efficiently and be unstable. To fix this issue, specialized cleaners were developed just for fuel injectors. 

• The main function of a fuel injector cleaner is clearing the nozzles of your fuel injector and the engine’s combustion chamber of troublesome carbon deposits. Besides, it will enhance the engine’s ability to burn fuel efficiently and it also means that your car will have better gas mileage and a smoother experience overall
• Keep the fuel system lubricated: Using a suitable cleaner will keep your fuel system adequately lubricated, minimize friction and slow the speed of the carbon buildup in the future. 
• Improve the lifespan of the fuel injector: We’re sure that every driver also knows how does a fuel injector work in your car. The fuel injector is a mechanism that opens and closes to control the flow of fuel into the cylinder combustion chamber of an engine to create the ignition. Fuel deposits can not only damage the fuel economy and your car’s performance but can take their toll on the fuel injector system. Using the cleaners properly is the best way to improve the performance and lifespan of the fuel injector. 
• Help prevent detonation and clean the emission control system. 

>> Related post: Most Common Bad Fuel Injector Symptoms

When To Use Fuel Injector Cleaner?

Adding the injector fuel cleaner properly helps the combustion process of the fuel mixture achieve maximum efficiency. Your car not only operates more powerfully and smoothly but also saves fuel. How often to use fuel injector cleaner? According to experts and automakers, it is recommended to add car injector cleaners every 15,000 – 20,000 km of operation or even earlier, this number will depend on the specific model and make of your vehicle. However, it will be best to refer to the manual before using any cleaners and cleaning your fuel injector. Alternatively, if you notice any symptom below, it’s also a warning sign that tells you that you should use a fuel cleaner for car.

• Weaker engine: When the injectors are clogged the amount of gasoline/oil put into the combustion chamber is affected, and the combustion process may be earlier or later. This makes the engine not operate properly. Clogged injectors cause fuel to enter the chamber not enough or at the wrong time, making the combustion of the fuel mixture ineffective. This easily causes problems such as the car being difficult to start, the car stalling in the middle of the road, and the car being jerked when stepping on the pedal…
• More emission: When the injectors are covered with dirt, the fuel injected into the combustion chamber is usually less and later. This causes the fuel to not be completely burned and escape through the exhaust pipe. As a result, the emission will be more than usual and the color is black.
• Consume more fuel: Dirty injectors cause fuel injected into the combustion chamber to be misaligned in flow and timing, resulting in incomplete combustion of fuel. Therefore, to compensate, the engine will have to consume more fuel than usual.
• Engine noise: When the injectors are clogged, the combustion of the fuel and air mixture has problems, making the engine weaker. Therefore, in order for your car to achieve the right capacity for the driver, the engine will have to work more than usual, resulting in louder noise.

Although the above signs may not entirely stem from dirty or clogged fuel injectors, when experiencing these problems you should check the injectors and use the appropriate cleaner.

How To Use Fuel Injector Cleaner In The Right Ways? 

We must say that this process is a very simple step-by-step tutorial and we will outline all of the instructions:

Step 1: Locate the fuel injector.

The easiest way to locate the injectors is to consult the owner’s manual. Normally, the injector is mounted on the engine cover and connected to the fuel supply rail. V6 and V8 engines will have 2 rail pipes located on both sides of the engine.

Step 2: Check the fuel injector system

After positioning the fuel injector, you need to check the condition of this part. Many drivers wonder how many fuel injectors does a car have? Normally, your car has one fuel injector/ cylinder however, if your car has a four-cylinder, you will have 4 fuel injectors correspondingly. If you detect signs of clogging and dirt, you should clean the fuel injector immediately. 

Step 3: Choose the suitable fuel injector cleaner

There are dozens of fuel injector cleaners on the market, some types are only used for diesel engines, and others for gasoline vehicles. Additionally, some are designed for turbo-charged engines and others for older engines. So it’s very important to choose the right cleaning solution for your car. Consult the manufacturer’s manual to ensure that your fuel injector is not required to use a specially formulated cleaner.

Not all cleaners are effective for your fuel system and, if not used according to the manufacturer’s recommendations, could result in complete failure of the fuel injectors and require replacement. In addition to referring to the manual, you need to read the labels on cleaning products carefully to know what compounds your fuel injector cleaner contains so you can find a good cleaning solution for the fuel injector. 

If you’re looking for the best fuel injector cleaners, we will recommend for you a list you may take a look at. We made this list based on the feature price, quality, durability, and reputation of the manufacturers:

1 Chevron Techron

This is one of the most popular fuel injector cleaners available in today’s market and it comes from a well-known brand in fact it’s often recommended by automakers as a solution for cleaning the fuel injection system. It works on lighter vehicles of all types of carbureted or fuel-injected engines. According to the manufacturers, this solution will clean and restore the entire fuel system including the fuel injector, intake valve, and combustion chamber. 

2 Redline Complete SI-1

Most fuel injector cleaners have the same basic chemicals but Redline has patented a formula that puts it in front of the competitors. It not only cleans your fuel injector and the carbon buildup in the engine but also lubricates the cylinder and reduces the need for high-octane gasoline. It can be used on all kinds of vehicles including cars, trucks, or off-road vehicles…

3 Liqui Moly 2007 Jectron

The number three position is held by the Liqui Moly Jectron. It has been considered a very powerful additive for cleaning the fuel system and carbon buildup, especially for older engines. Liqui Moly is one of the fastest solutions on the market with improvements being seen after only one thousand miles. It was tested by the strict TUV technical inspection association in German.

This cleaner becomes the safety fuel injector cleaner product. One downside is that it can be only used for gasoline engines. The Liqui Moly will get your car smoother idling, better throttle response, and cleaner combustion by using its Jectron fuel injection cleaner. It also helps to eliminate the starting problem and stalling. 

Besides the above 3 brands, there are still many other types of cleaning solutions on the market such as Sea Foam SF, STP Ultra, or Sta-Bil 360 protection…

Step 4: Get the appropriate amount of the fuel injector cleaner

Cleaning the injectors with a cleaning solution for car injectors is very convenient because there is no need to remove/install complicated injectors. On the market, there are many products for cleaning injectors of automobile combustion chambers of brands such as Liqui Moly, and Bluechem… Car owners can also buy and clean themselves at home.

Cleaning the injector with the solution is very simple. Most just need to pour the fluid directly into the fuel tank (fuel/oil tank). The cleaning solution will follow the fuel into the injectors. However, each product will have a different mixing ratio. For example, for 1 bottle of Liqui Moly’s cleaning solution 300ml, the manufacturer recommends 50-70 liters of gasoline.

It is best to read the manual carefully before using the car. In case when cleaning you have to remove the fuel injector directly, you will use a suitable amount of cleaning solution to clean the injector. This way helps to clean more thoroughly because the injector can be rinsed directly. However, the process of disassembling the injector is quite complicated. If not careful, it is easy to damage the rubber gasket wrapped around it.

Note: When buying a fuel injector cleaner, it is also important to note the different cleaning solutions for gasoline and diesel injectors. Absolutely do not use or mix between these two types.

>> Read more: How to Ensure Fuel Injector Is Receiving the Correct Voltage?

In Conclusion

Not just using cleaning solutions will help you fix problems with the fuel system in general and fuel injectors in particular. And not often using these fuel injector cleaners will be good for your car, please refer to the owner’s manual before using any additive for the vehicle. In some cases, the fuel injector is beyond cleaning, so you need to replace it or have other solutions.