Fuel Injection Cleaner ? - Robbie?

PabloCruise

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I'll throw this out, I've run both 44K and Techron. Usually it's Techron on an oil change and a can of 44K maybe once a year or so (I shoot for every 12K miles).

When I pulled my injectors for the rebuild (they were 187K old), I had acceptable flow, at 43 psi one was at 186cc/min and the rest 194cc/min up to 197cc/min (stock they are rated at 200 cc/min at 41.25 psi). They all but one came back just a little cleaner from Witchhunter. The lowest increased 1cc and the worst 8cc increased flow. We're talking a spread of about 5% to start to around 1% high to low after cleaning.

So I dunno if spending ~$80/year for 9 years was worth it or not. I spent about $120 having my injectors cleaned, so I've stopped using the $25 44K and just do a Techron maintenance on oil changes. I plan to yank the injectors out again at 50K and see how they look. I have my doubts as to the effectiveness of anything that is safe to run through the fuel system, although I can't complain about their condition at 187K. I'm also very weird about gas, use the same station and pump 75% of the time (the far west side pump at the Downing St. Conoco, 85 octane in winter and 87 octane in summer).

BTW, I only run anything in the engine once. It's probably coincidental, but I was planning on switching from Castrol Syntec to Mobil One oil in my engine, so I ran BG's Engine Clean (I think that's the name) before dumping the Syntec and refilling with Mobil. It was that oil change, about 500 miles later, when my timing chain broke. I never put much stock into oil additives and after that it's only oil ever now... I might also note that at 187K my lower end looked good, nice caramel color, no sludge build up. I'm running Syntec again in the new engine.

I know what you mean. Like I said, my Civic is closing in on 200k w/ no treatments and she seems to run fine.

I am trying to avoid pulling injectors on the Pig and would like to eliminate variables where I can.

But you have helped me quantify an important question I had... Thanks!
 

powderpig

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While I believe that the best way to get the injectors clean is to send them to a place to get them clean. I also believe that low cost cleaners like Techron, lucus and redline(all usually under 10 bucks) every 10 k miles, will keep them fairly clean for well over 100k miles. Dave, do you really do 30k miles a year? (3 bg 44 a year). I believe that if you use these cleaners more often, there will be no real benifit. Just my experence over the years. I too believe that BG44 is way over priced, too the point of rapeing the customer.
Is your honda mulitport injections or throttle body? Your pig has a engine that fuel injection? What engine is that?
If you have multi port and pulled the injectors and sent them in to get cleaned. I would guess that you see a smoothness you did not have before and better throttle response. Anyhow just my thoughts.
later. robbie
 

DaveInDenver

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Dave, do you really do 30k miles a year? (3 bg 44 a year).
Nope, I was using a can of 44K once per 12K miles, which historically was about once a year. But I just turned 205K recently on the odometer and when I rebuilt the engine the odo was at 187K, so indicated 18K miles since May of 2006. My odometer reads high by about 10%, so I do 7,200 miles per year. That makes sense I guess, the only trip we've done in the past couple of years was Rubithon and I ride my bike to work a couple of days per week. But we've owned the truck for about 8 years now and I've put about 95,000 miles on it, so on average we do about 11,875 miles per year.
 

PabloCruise

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Is your honda mulitport injections or throttle body? Your pig has a engine that fuel injection? What engine is that?
If you have multi port and pulled the injectors and sent them in to get cleaned. I would guess that you see a smoothness you did not have before and better throttle response. Anyhow just my thoughts.
later. robbie

Thanks for your time Robbie!

Honda is multi-port,
Pig is 3FE

Trying to avoid pulling injectors on the Pig as that EGR nut is on there pretty good.

The Honda (B-series) engine I think would be pretty easy to pull the injectors. I did enjoy throttle response when I replaced o2 sensor in the Honda.

Any recomendations on where to send 'em out for service (Honda or Toy)?
 

DaveInDenver

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Any recomendations on where to send 'em out for service (Honda or Toy)?
Witchhunter. I sent them on a Monday via Priority Mail, he got them Wed. (he's in Washington state). Did them that day and I had them again Friday. He did all 4 plus the cold start, all new gaskets and seals. Good price, too, $18/each.

http://www.witchhunter.com/
 

AxleIke

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This is an interesting thread, and has been enlightening.

I've always been in the snake oil category. Gasoline is a great solvent itself, so I always figured that putting more solvent into a solvent, was a total scam.

However, seems a lot of you guys use it. Especially people who've been in the game for a long, long time, and see actual results with it. I may have to give it a shot.
 

DaveInDenver

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I've always been in the snake oil category. Gasoline is a great solvent itself, so I always figured that putting more solvent into a solvent, was a total scam.
I tend to agree to the extent that I dumped the stuff in not expecting too much. But OTOH I hedged my bets thinking while gasoline itself is a solvent, but does get that varnish when it sits around. So maybe the additives and junk build up, I dunno for sure. But like you mention, I can't complain that my injectors weren't in horrible shape after 16 years. Shrug. I had my doubts, so I'm sticking with the $5/bottle stuff and see what happens after a few years. Rather than spend $25 for 44K every year, I'll spend $100 to have them cleaned properly every few years. Nothing like putting eyeballs on the internals to know.
 

leiniesred

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I'm a long time techron fan. It was the only easy to get fuel injector cleaner certifed for use in a Mercedes, so it can't be too bad.
I might use it 1/year. I can't tell a difference.
I've never had my injectors cleaned. They have 267,000 miles on them.

The biggest difference in "tuning" my truck with snake oil? Clean the backside of the throttle butterfly with intake cleaner. A can based intake cleaning can increase my before/after idle RPM by 300RPM and the hesitation when running cold goes away for another year.
 

Uncle Ben

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This is an interesting thread, and has been enlightening.

I've always been in the snake oil category. Gasoline is a great solvent itself, so I always figured that putting more solvent into a solvent, was a total scam.

However, seems a lot of you guys use it. Especially people who've been in the game for a long, long time, and see actual results with it. I may have to give it a shot.

Those who spray are always faster than those who drip!!!! :eek: :homer: :lmao:
 

farnhamstj

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I havent got my TT yet so I'm feeling out of the loop. I've got 170k on the clock and never used any injector products. I had a stalling on start up problem a year back, thew a code for #4 injector. I pulled the harness, cleaned the contacts. End of problem. I have cleaned TB as per directed on MUD. Are you(forum members) sugesting I should go get some Techtron or something?
 

farnhamstj

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That would mean going to the post office. I hate the post office almost as much as the dentist.
 

farnhamstj

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The more I think about it, my membership does expire in November. Hmmm.....
 
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Throwing in my 2 cents... AutoZone also carries Techron.

In my daily driver... a 2002 Intrepid with the 3.5L i typically use 44k. I put a lot of miles on, so it seems that I'm always running it through. The heads are currently off for headgaskets and new cams and rocker arms (yes it got HOTTT). I was really curious to see my combustion chambers... Hmmm, not as clean as I would have thought they would have been. I have carbon build up on the top of the pistons... not a lot... probably more than a 1/16th of an inch. I expected to see the metal tops of the pistons. The valves are clean as are the injectors. Anyhow, there's my 2 cents.

I get my 44k from the bus garage. They use all BG products on the school buses and fleet of vehicles. We collect the "coins" and at our annual Christmas parties we all get gifts from BG...
 
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