Do you use fuel injector cleaners in your car?

[dennis thompson]

While in Costco I noticed a box of fuel injector cleaners for sale, the kind you put in your gas tank. I've never thought of using them and was wondering if anyone had any information on them or has used them?
Thanks

[Matt Meiser]

The first couple cars my family had that were fuel injected were throttle body injected. A good fuel injector cleaner would definitely get them running smoother so my dad and I started doing 1-2 times a year and it worked well for us and I've done it ever since. Knock on wood I've never head a fuel injector problem and I've never had any fuel injection cleaning done other than that. One of the mechanics here recommended Technron, which Costco sells (sold? haven't checked in a while because I still have some.) IIRC, he said one of the major manufacturers specifically recommended it.

[Bruce Page]

I use it in all of my vehicles. It does a good job keeping the injectors clean and the engines idling smooth, particularly in my truck engine.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Most gasolines today already have injector cleaners in them.

We bought an '86 Toyota 4-Runner with 22 RE engine. Every 20 months or so, it would develop a miss while idling and I had to take it to the dealership to get the injectors cleaned to the tune of $200+. I asked my SIL, a degreed, respected mechanic if I could buy an injector cleaner kit and do it myself. He suggested get a couple bottles of Chevron Techron, add them to a tank of gas and put the vehicle on the road until it was nearly empty. Then begin using Chevron gas.

I haven't had to clean an injector since. We drove the 4 Runner for 16 years before trading it off. I never had to clean the injectors again.

Now all the major gasolines have similar additives.

[Bryan Slimp]

I used it towards the last 20K miles on my last car (Suzuki XL-7.) It seemed to smooth things out. It had 162,000 on it and I think the engine would have kept rolling fine. I probably used it every other or every third fill up.

I bought a larger sized bottle of Lucas Oil fuel treatment at the big blue Arkansas head quartered discount retailer. It was like 4 bottles for the cost of two if I remember correctly.

[George Bokros]

I had a engine miss code come on my Jeep Liberty and was going to change the plugs at 30K miles. The clerk at Autozone suggested using fuel injector cleaner and it cleared up the problem. I use it about every 10K miles in all my fuel injected vehicles. I still have two with carbs, collector muscle cars.

[Bob Turkovich]

+1 on the Chevron Techron. At the time I retired in late 2008, it was the only cleaner recommended by the two major injector manufacturers that I dealt with. I wouldn't use it on a too-frequent basis (like every other tank) but every 10,000 miles or so or only when needed (unless your owners manual says otherwise.) Be prepared for a greyish smoke out of your tailpipe for that first tank.

I cringe every time I see recommendations for putting additives in your fuel tank and crankcase as you can't be sure that it is compatible with every engine out there. The material selection for some components (such as injectors) are specified by the component manufacturers and not edicted by the OEM's. (It allows the supplier to maintain their competitive advantages. There are checks and balances to ensure the supplier does not change material after it's approved for production.) There is no way the OEM and the suppliers can check for compatibility for every additive out there. The additive suppliers certainly don't test every vehicle either.

A case in point: In 2006, we had a customer satisfaction issue (rough idle) that required us to work over the usual holiday shut down period. The problem was due to a stuck idle valve that - upon inspection - had a sticky residue that had impregnated itself into the valve seal. This valve was used only in one vehicle/engine application and had been used for years (in other applications as well) without a problem. Chemical analysis showed the residue was not from anything used in the manufacturing process but it could be created by the combustion process. Computer tools not available earlier confirmed that we were getting a slight backflow through the intake to the valve but should have been getting it all along.

We took another look at the warranty analysis and found all the claims were centralized to one geographical area. After talking to the affected customers, we found they all bought their gasoline from the same discount chain. We had to change the seal material to eliminate the issue.

You would think that would mean that you should just stay away from the discount stations. Unfortunately, I learned from our Fuels & Lubricants specialists that this was no guarantee as they and the "reputable" chain stations can get their gas from the same refineries/tankers.

[Matt Meiser]

I had a engine miss code come on my Jeep Liberty and was going to change the plugs at 30K miles.

That said, don't believe this 100,000 stuff. My wife's previous car was running rough and I finally changed the plugs at about 95K. Found the center electrode was about gone on all 4. Ran great after that, and on a 4 cylinder it was maybe a 30 minute job. My truck has 65K and I think I'm going to do it soon.