3 Common ways to clean fuel injectors (for gasoline engine)

When we talk about car fuel injectors, of course, we will remember a component that functions to convert liquid fuel into mist and spray it into the combustion chamber.

Yes, the injector has an important role so that the fuel injected into the engine is already in the form of fog and fuel vapor. In that way, the engine can achieve "perfect combustion", so the engine power increases maximally.

If the injector has a problem, the engine will also experience several problems making it uncomfortable to use, such as shakes, limping, lack of power, unstable rpm when idling, and many others. In this case, fuel injector cleaning is generally one of the repair options that will appear to deal with these problems.

From what we already know, there are three ways to clean fuel injectors, from the easiest without disassembling the injectors to removing the injectors from the engine when we do the cleaning processes.

Below are three ways to clean fuel injectors commonly done in car repair shops.

1. Mix the injector cleaning liquid into the fuel tank

The first and most common way to clean fuel injectors is to mix injector cleaning fluid into the fuel tank. That is a very easy method because we do not need to disassemble the injectors that require mechanical skills, accuracy, and caution.

Simply by mixing the injector cleaning fluid in a particular ratio into the fuel tank, the cleaning fluid will dissolve into the fuel.

Together with the fuel, the cleaning fluid will flow into the injector to clean the inside of the injector. At the same time, the car can be used and driven for daily purposes.

Although this method is considered the easiest, it also has a less than optimal cleaning effect for the injector. The injector cleaning fluid contaminates other dirt from the fuel tank, fuel filter, fuel pipe, and hose leading to the injector.

The effect will not be as good as cleaning fuel injectors removed from the engine. In addition, the dirt in the injectors and fuel will eventually get "stuck" in the combustion chamber, so it has the potential to become a deposit that causes the car engine to tickle.

2. Using a special injector cleaning tool

The second way to clean fuel injectors is to use a special cleaning tool. This special tool is generally only owned by car repair shops that have middle and upper grades, such as official workshops in big cities or general workshops that specifically deal with car injector problems.

Cleaning the injectors using a special injector cleaning tool requires the injectors to be dismantled and removed from the engine. After the injector is removed from the engine, the injector will be immersed in a special cleaning liquid in a container that will vibrate with ultrasonic vibrations.

This ultrasonic vibration will make the cleaning fluid easier to knock out dirt in the injector. After being soaked and vibrated, the injectors will be installed in glass tubes so that the results of mist spraying can be seen based on the volume of fuel compared to the injection time carried out by the tool.

If the result is good, the injector is ready to be put back into the engine. If the result is not enough, the injector will be soaked and cleaned again.

As a result, cleaning fuel injectors using a special injector cleaning tool is the best way. The injector can be cleaner, and we can measure the accuracy of the injection volume correctly. Still, an injector cleaning tool like this is quite expensive, so cleaning the injector will also be expensive.

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3. Spray the injector cleaner liquid directly

The most common way to clean fuel injectors is to spray cleaning fluid (injector cleaner) directly into the injector holes. This method also requires that the injector be completely removed from the engine so that it requires skilled mechanics and understanding how to dismantle the injector properly.

Basically, this method is similar to using an injector cleaning tool. Still, the process is manual and generally does not go through soaking it in the cleaning liquid first.

The injector from the engine will attach with cables. Later, these cables are connected to the car battery to activate the injector to open or close the valve.

An injector cleaner spray attaches to the injector section where the fuel enters. So, when the injector is activated, the cleaning spray is also activated. The cleaning fluid will flow and clean the inside of the injector.

The cleaning process is considered complete if the spray that comes out of the injector is in the form of mist spray and flows smoothly (not clogged or the spray shrinks).

This method can be the same as using an injector cleaning tool for the results. Still, the risk of the injector being damaged also needs to be considered because the price of the injector is quite high. The injectors may be in the ON (open) position for too long, which causes a short circuit.