How do you clean your injectors? Take it to ford? Or is there a way for you to do it yourself?

What is backflusing? Was reading someone else's post about a fuel fitler and they mentioned backflusing, what is it?

 

this is what i was told from a service advisor after i just had some work done on my truck at a ford dealership.

my iac controller was replaced, as was a fuel injector, and they also did a fuel injector cleaning.

my truck was running like crap and i had an idle problem also. one of the things they told me was that i had a ton of carbon build up in my injectors.

in the past i had run through some of those injector cleaning products you can buy at an auto parts store, but here is what the guy said.

he said that when the techs do the job, they hook up some sort of machine to the injectors and the fuel actually runs through that and then the injectors. i didnt ask what it did (boost pressure, or add a cleaner to the mix or what). i do know that one of the parts on the ro was for a kit that gets used when they do this.

i looked into the part-no and saw its description, but it did not break down the components of what the kit actually consisted of.

i do know that my truck is running way better than it was prior to having the work done. i am sure someone else here will be able to tell exactly what the ford service does.

 

I've used Seafoam for 45 years in every thing I've ever owned including bikes. Three times a year. Seafoam in ten gals of gas spring, summer, and fall. I keep my vehicles a long time and have never had a carb or injector problem. I had a little dodge 2.5 that never saw the inside of a dealership or garage in 187,000 miles. I drove the crap out of it, my kids drove the crap out of it and all it ever got was an oil change every 5000 miles, three sets of plugs, one set of wires and Dis. cap, and Seafoam in 187,000 miles. It was a little lumpy and had a few rust spots when I sold it but it ran as good as the day I bought it. My wife loved that little Aries. I'm a firm believer in a clean engine and Seafoam has worked well for me.

 

I to would be interested in learning how the techs clean the injectors. I have heard it is the best method.

After researching gas additives the two best are Schaeffer's Neutra 131 which has esters that disolve varnish and carbon. It was the most effective thing I have done to clean up my truck's engine and quiet it down at startup.

The second product is Lube Control's Fuel Power, which has proven to soften carbon in tests. It's an older product that is more of a solvent with no esters.

Neutra is less expensive to buy, but Fuel Power is less expensive to use becuase you only use half as much. I mix the two together at 1:1 and use at the Fuel Power rate, but if I had to pick one it would be the Neutra.

 

Here is your awnser greencrew... I do about 4 "injector" cleanings a week. We (and most dealers) use a machine called a Motorvac. That is the most common machine, but there are other machines that do the same thing. Here is what we do, procedures change from shop to shop, and I think our service is the best way to go. First I unhook the fuel lines, both pressure and return (depending on model, this can be done in the engine compartment, or under the vehicle, forward side of the fuel filter), I hook up a T into the pressure side, and a a straight hose hooking the return line back up (this is done to do some tests), then the vehicle is started, specail solvent is put into the machine. Running pressure is recorded, and then the return line (on the straight part I installed) is pinched off momentarily to see max fuel pump pressure, which is recorded. The vehicle is still running, and I push a "Fill" button on the machine, which pulls fuel from the vehicle, this also checks for flow from the fuel pump. This first part of the service checks the fuel pump, fuel filter. Then once the machine has the correct amount of fuel/solvent mixture, the vehicle is turned off, the pressure side hose is looped to the return line, so the fuel pump is just pumping fuel back to the tank. I then hook up my pressure and return lines from the machine too the vehicle. The machine is capable of 120 PSI. I then turn on the machine, and from their, the 120psi is regulated by the vehicles fuel pressure regulator. (40psi or so depending on model). I leave the machine running for 15-20 minutes (vehicle off), the machine actually pulses the fuel, which results in debris being pulled up out of the injector screens and pushed back to the machine, which has a 5 micron filter. Fuel filters on vehicles on filter down to 20-30 micron. This is done to clean the fuel rail, and any debris that me be stuck in the injector screens. After that, the vehicle is started and ran for 60 minutes. Theres more that we do, but is not relavant at this time. The Motorvac solvent is an Amonia based cleaner, that melts carbon on contact. This service test your fuel pump, cleans your fuel rail, cleans your injectors, cleans your intake valve,s cleans your combustion chambers. The only way to get an injector that clean, is to take it of, and have it cleaned. We usually see 1-3 inches of vacumn at idle after this service. I did my Sport-trac at 35k, started with 18.0 inches of vacumn at idle, when I was done it was at 19.5, I got better power and milage. I have countless success stories, ...2000 F-250 V-10... just tuned up by another shop, +$300 in trying to diagnose but it still had a P0300 random missfire. I hooked up the Motorvac machine, and ran it, while watching missfire counters on my scantool. After 20 minutes, the missfires were gone. I finished the service, and the truck ran perfect. That customer now brings his vehicles in every 30k for that service.

 

haku,

thanks for that post. i just had my truck done recently and was amazed at the difference.

thats a lot of time & work. and now i know what was involved in the process.

maybe those injector fluid cleaners work, maybe they dont, but now i am thinking the same about them as i do with all those 'liquid drano' commercials.

thanks.

 

Those injector cleaners you speak of, (stp ect from autozone, walmart ect), are good for preventive measures. But once there is a driveability problem, you need something stronger. I personally do not use any "pour in the tank" injector cleaner, but I can Motorvac my vehicles any time I get bored so.... Others here talk about Seafoam ect.. and how they suck some into the intake, that great!! But that only cleans the intake, valves, and combustion chamber, during our service we do that as well, but with a S-sprayer, that puts a mist into the intake, which cleans the throttle plate, IAC, ect..

 

next to a motorvac service the next best thing is BG44k. BG actually makes some of the motorvac machines and the chemicals used.

 

Well.............this procedure sounds good, but what does it cost to have done at the dealer? Sounds kinda expensive........

 

Haku, thanks for taking the time type that in and describe the details. Very interesting. I did have the injectors cleaned on my minivan at 88k, and it did the trick for that engine.

 

Would like to know what this cost at most ford dealers?

 

I dont know what the dealers charge, but as for independent shops, it ranges from $149.99 up to $220.99. Our shop charges $189.99, but we also include a computer scan, upper plenum cleaning, and we run the vehicle twice as long as Motorvac recommends. Normal service uses 8oz of cleaner for the whole job, with the plenum cleaning we use an extra 8oz of cleaner.

 

Red Line SI-1 Fuel Injector Cleaner

 

Haku,

Excellent post i personally appreciate the information.Thats why I love this site

 

Can those of us who are mechanically inclined clean our own injectors?