by AJ Roderick

Created on: October 06, 2009

Over time, the fuel injectors in your engine eventually collect grime and sludge which limit vehicle performance. Here are a few simple tips to show you how to clean fuel injectors if you are experiencing issues like rough idling, stalling, hesitation on acceleration, and poor fuel economy.

1) Hard Acceleration
The deposits that form on the tips of the injectors can sometimes be jarred loose through quick bursts of acceleration on the highway. You may want to purchase some fuel that has injector additives included (most fuel companies have them added.) The resulting jolts of acceleration may clean your fuel injectors through the increase of fuel flow which wash away any of the deposits.

2) Use Concentrated Injector Fluid
Service stations, shops for auto parts and mechanics have concentrated fuel injector cleaning fluid which adds a detergent to the fuel and which breaks down any of the residue built up on the injector heads. The fluid is added to a full tank of fuel, and will assist in keeping the injector tips clean for a longer period of time. This method works best if your vehicle does a lot of slower speed driving (within the city). Do not add more than one bottle of fluid to clean your fuel injectors - it is very concentrated and may lead to the quicker deterioration of rubber parts in your engine.

3) Force Cleaner Through the Injector
In order to clean your fuel injectors with this method, you must take your vehicle to a professional. Concentrated cleaner is forced directly through the fuel line. The mechanic/technician will have to do this, as it requires the return lines to be blocked. This method will also assist in cleaning carbon from the engine intake valves which can block fuel from flowing to the cylinders properly.

If these three methods fail, the injectors will either have to be replaced or disassembled and cleaned separately. Both methods can be quite costly, since most service shops do not have the equipment to properly clean fuel injectors that are off the vehicle.The injectors are mounted on specialized equipment, and the grime is removed through electric pulses and by forcing fluid backwards through the line. Once they have been cleaned, the injectors are then tested to ensure the spray pattern is within factory standards.

Having the injectors disassembled and sent out for servicing is only a last resort. You can rest assured that there is little need to clean your fuel injectors regularly. The only time you should consider it is if you are experiencing engine stalls or stumbling and hesitations while driving.

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