Fuel Injection Cleaner -- Injector Cleaning
83Fuel Injection Cleaner -- Tuneups and Fuel Economy
Fuel injection cleaner, also known as fuel injector cleaner, is one of those often missed steps in tuneups for cars, trucks, and other automobiles. Because it can get a little pricey to replace or disassemble and clean a fuel injection system, it's often glossed over during regular tuneups. Either that, or a shop will charge you WAY TOO MUCH MONEY just to put an additive fuel injector cleaner into a tank of gas for you. Clean fuel injectors help ensure:
- Fuel Economy
- Emissions
- Peak Engine Performance
If that's something you want as an car owner, consider using a fuel injector cleaner every couple of months.
Dirty Fuel Injectors
When fuel injectors are dirty, they can't deliver the correct spray required for combustion, and as a result, fuel economy and engine performance suffers. This, in the long run, can be costly or can even begin to cause symptoms:
- Rough Idle
- Misfiring
- Poor Fuel Economy
That's why fuel injector cleaner is a must. The reason I recommend fuel injector cleaner is because it's one of those simple things a person can do without having to replace any parts or any under the hood work. Normally in a tuneup, lots of things get replaced, things like spark plugs, distributor caps, belts, and fluids. But with fuel injectors, running an additive through a tank of gas every once in awhile will keep them clean and running properly. If you're experiencing these symptoms and aren't sure that your fuel injectors are to blame, read my articles on Spark Plug Problems and MAF Sensor Problems also. Many of the symptoms are the same.
How Fuel Injector Cleaner Works
Over time, all fuel injectors become clogged. This happens
because the deposits come from the gasoline itself. Gasoline is a
compound mixture of hydrocarbons, and includes waxy, heavy chemicals
known as oilfins, which yield a lot of energy when burned. As long as a
car is running, the fuel injectors and engine runs efficiently. The
clogging occurs when the engine is shut off, and a process known as
heat soak occurs. Residue of fuel in the injector nozzles begins to
evaporate, and it leaves the oilfins behind, which don't evaporate and
some of which don't get washed away, but instead get baked into hard
varnish deposits, which ultimately will clog the injectors.
Newer
injectors are more resistant than the old ones to this kind of
clogging, and additives are added to gasoline to try and dissolve some
of these buildups. But cars that make mostly short trips are still
especially susceptible to fuel injection clogging, and every injector
will ultimately become clogged over time. If the fuel injectors are
never cleaned, as the car ages you'll start to notice that your car
shakes a bit while idling and eventually it will either stall or
misfire, and all the while your fuel economy and engine performance
will suffer. I was just in a car the other day that suffered from a
very rough idle, and the driver had to keep a little pressure on the
gas petal while stopped to keep the car from stalling. Fuel injector cleaner works by stripping away the clogging the builds up over time.
 | Amazon Price: $9.95 |
The Best Fuel Injector Cleaner
There are many different kinds of fuel injection cleaners, and the best fuel injection cleaner is one that might surprise you. It's gasoline itself! Cheap gasoline is often lacking in the additives that breakdown clogging and, over the long haul, can cost you more money than it saves. That being said, there are also some very good brands of fuel injection cleaner out there. I like Red Line's fuel system treatment the best. Red Line's Fuel injection cleaner is a total fuel system cleaner and works really well.
Another great way to go is seafoam, which I've written a lot about as well. Seafoam can be added to your gas tank as well as your oil. Check out the link for more info. Some other great injector cleaner is STP injection cleaner. It's reported to have the highest concentration of cleaning agents out of any fuel system cleaner. It's good for really tough clogs, but I still prefer Redline fuel system cleaner for boosting overall fuel economy. The best tip for keeping your injectors clean is to not buy cheap gas, but this is only a preventative measure. My guess is that for people reading this article, it's because your fuel injectors are already partially clogged and are causing problems to your engine performance. If that's the case, then you still have quite a few options. There are many cheap fuel injection cleaners that you can add to your gasoline which will act like drano on a sink pipe and will dissolve many of the clogs in your injectors. One such product is listed to the right. When used semi-regularly (once every few months) it will keep your injectors nice and clean.
But this may not be enough for some engines. Older engines already experiencing heavy problems may need a bigger hand. For this, you may actually need a fuel injection cleaner kit that will allow you to dismantle the fuel injection system and give it a nice clean. However, this is not always possible and some fuel injectors are delicate. Before trying this, I would definitely recommend running a bottle of fuel injection cleaner additive or two through a tank of gas and see if that helps at all. It's cheap and effective.
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I'll have to check Seafoam out. I haven't heard of that before.
I agree with the premise of the article; however, seeking out and using Top Tier Gasolines, IMO, may reduce or eliminate the need for fuel cleaners which is why I no longer purchase 'No Name Brand Cheap Gasoline'.
Yeah, I don't buy the cheap stuff anymore either. Good fuel is the best fuel injection cleaner. But for older cars that may need it, fuel injection cleaner can help overcome some obstacles and help them regain peak efficiency. Thanks for your comments!
Really? Gasoline can clean the fuel injectors? If gasoline can clean the injector so there's no need for the injection cleaners.
That's true in most cases. But for older vehicles that have excess clogging, fuel injector cleaner is the only thing strong enough to break up the clogging and restore engine performance and fuel efficiency.
so suppermarket fuel is a no no?
It really depends on the brand, but yeah, in general you're better going with a bigger name. I prefer Chevron or Shell because of their fuel additives that clean fuel injectors and other systems. Chevron and Shell gas definitely keep an engine running longer.
The information on fuel injection cleaning is very helpful, but would you recommend replacing the fuel injection regulator(s) if you want to avoid adding the bottles of fuel injection cleaners?
I guess it really just depends on how much work you want to do. Most people like the ease of using fuel injector cleaner because it's so fast and simple. Fuel injection regulators can be a bit pricey as well. For general maintenance, adding a bottle of fuel injection cleaner once a year or so should do the trick. But if you want more of an overhaul, changing out the parts of the fuel injection system can boost performance.
Thanks! Would a bottle of the Chevron Techron fuel injection cleaner once a day harm my vehicle?
Yeah, you definitely don't want to use it that often. You shouldn't put more than one bottle in per gas tank, and always right when you fill up the tank so that it dilutes into the rest of the gas. I wouldn't use it more than once a month or so.
Hello Benjimester. I have a 98 for mustang my car has a rough idle and is misfiring is it 2 late for me to use a fuel injection cleaner? It's missing on cyl5 had an oil change that's when it started since then a tune up didn't help and it's still doing the same thing running lean on bank 1 and 2. Checked for vac leaks there where none so now a mechanic thinks it's the injectors. those are very costly so if I dnt have to replace them that would be great.
The short answer is that fuel injector cleaner definitely won't hurt to try. And since it's cheap, I'd definitely run a bottle through your engine and see if it helps anything. If the fuel injectors are too far gone, you might have to have some major work done. But try the injector cleaner with a full tank of gas and see if anything happens. Hopefully it'll do some good. But it sounds like you're having some pretty major problems.
can i use chevron techron system cleaner even though i usually get gas from shell? i mean, can u mix brands? and do they have shell fuel injection cleaner? im new to this i just got an old car and i want to improve my engine power a bit!
another question, can i mix the fuel injection cleaner with any type of gasoline? because i only get 87 the regular one or should i mix it up with premium gas?
The answer to both questions should be yes. Fuel injection cleaner doesn't have any properties in it that will clash with gasoline. And 87 octane is fine. You don't need to get premium if you usually use 87. Just make sure you get a full tank of gas before pouring it in. Don't use it on an empty tank. Injector cleaner is great for older engines and dirty injectors. I hope it gives you a nice boost in power!
I HAVE AN OPEL MERIVA AND 2004 MODEL 1600. IT IS MISFIRING AND I TRIED A FUEL INJECTION CLEANER TWICE AND IT, STILL, DOES THE SAME. IT BECOMES BETTER AFTER HAVING POURED A BOTTLE OF A FUEL INJECTOR CLEANER AND START REPEATING THE SAME THING(MISFIRING) AGAIN LATER, SAY A WEEK.
Emmanuel, fuel injector cleaner doesn't always solve the problem. You could also have a fouled spark plug or other problem. If your car is a 2004 model, then your injectors shouldn't be dirty enough yet to cause misfiring. That's really surprising. I would think that your problem might be elsewhere. Injector cleaning might not be your best bet.
A couple months ago I brought in the car - 2003 Saturn Vue - for routine maintenance and got an estimate back for $310 for replacement fuel filter and fuel injection cleaning. I punted and sure enough I started misfiring last week.
My plan is to get the cleaner recommended in the article tomorrow and use on my next two tanks.
My question is do you recommend I change the fuel filter as well or wait to see if the cleaner takes? The car has 65,000 miles and - in the four years I have owned it - I have not changed the filter and am guessing it is the original one.
Thanks for the helpful article.
I would recommend changing the fuel filter as well. If you think it has buildup in it, and it sounds like it does, then changing it is a good idea. Injector cleaner primarily targets the injectors and won't help clogs in the fuel pump.
You mentioned that the car has 65,000 miles and that you didn't get the routine fuel injection maintenance done. Bit did you get the other work done that usually happens at 60,000 mile tuneup, like spark plug replacement? If you didn't get any of that work done, then you'll probably need more than just fuel injection cleaner. Your spark plugs might need to be replaced as well. The good news is that you can do that pretty easily yourself if you want. The guy at your local auto parts store can probably give you the right plugs and explain how to gap them and install them.
Good luck and let me know how it goes. Thanks for stopping by.
I AM CERTAINLY TRYING SEAFOAM. BETTER THAN A COMPLETE FUEL INJECTOR CLEANING.
Yeah, Seafoam is great. Thanks for reminding me. I wanted to do an article about that as well and had forgotten.
Hi. I just had my Clutch kit replaced and ever since then my car is REALLY lacking power. Mech at first said its the timimg, then the fuel pump, now he says that it is my injectors. I cannot go and replace EVERYTHING in the car and i really need advise. At the moment the car is not starting AT all though it is swinging. All spark plugs are brand new. My car is an Opel astra 160i Estate. Thanks
Well, generally with cars, if you've noticed having a problem ever since you had a specific job done, then usually it means that the problem is related to the work that you had done. If it really is the case that you need injector cleaning, then a bottle of fuel injection cleaner is pretty cheap. It can't hurt to try it out and see if it helps.
Hello there-
Your advice is really great, thank you, in fact I plan on buying Chevron fuel injector cleaner tomorrow and hoping it will help.
I have a quick question though, here's the background.
I own a 99 Escort (MT) and a few weeks ago, the diagnostic code on my check engine light indicated that the fuel is running lean. I changed my fuel filter and added isoheet to the fuel tank, and it ran better for a while. But I fueled up with supermarket gas again.. and my car has been stalling while in the car is in motion in neutral but easy to restart. It recently came up with the same diagnostic code (I think it was 173?).
Also idles at about 500 rpm usually. Does this sound like clogged fuel injectors, and has enough damage been done that I will have to replace them?
And after reading the comments.. I'll stick to buying Chevron or Shell gas now with the additives.
If you replaced the fuel filter and are still having the same problem, then it's probably your fuel injectors. I'd at least try a bottle of fuel injector cleaner since it's cheap and can't hurt anything. However, if it doesn't work, then it might be your gas tank itself. Since you mentioned that you might have bought some gas at less than reputable sources, you might have some things floating around in your gas tank. If you notice the problem getting better or worse depending on how much gas you have inside your tank, then that's a good indicator as well.
Thanks for the advice, I've bought the fuel injector cleaner and will use it next time I fill up (at Chevron or Shell of course) to see if that helps. Is a regular bottle going to dilute okay with a 12.6 gallon fuel tank?
Unless the directions say otherwise, that should be just fine. Most tanks are between 12 and 15 gallons so the injector cleaner is set for that range. Best of luck!
I've used two back-to-back treatments of Chevron fuel injector cleaner before filling my tank, it seems to have helped because I'm idling higher. But the check engine light is still on, do I need to clear it or does that mean my problem isn't fixed yet?
I'm glad to hear that your idling better after the cleaner. About the check engine light, you may have to get it switched off the next time you go in to see the mechanic. Sometimes, check engine lights come on for things like routine maintenance and won't go off until the mechanic resets them. If you're pretty confident that the problem you were having is fixed, then the mechanic should be able to reset the button for you. If the problem isn't fixed then the check engine light should come on again after it's reset. That will be a good measure to see whether or not your problem is gone. Thanks very much for coming back and commenting.
Can cheap fuel injection clener cause problems? I ask because I got some at the dollar store and within two days BOTH cars I used it in failed to start.
I've never used cheap injector cleaner, but from your description it sounds like it did cause some problems. Did you mix the injector cleaner in with a full tank of gas? If you did get some bad injector cleaner, I would think the effects of it would be pretty short lived. Your car should probably bounce back once you fill up the tank again with fresh gas.
I have a 32 gal tank.Specs call for one bottle per 16 gal.should i add two bottles?
Wow, that's a huge tank. If the specs say 16 gal per bottle then I'd add 2 bottles if you're filling up the whole tank. But you could also fill up your tank half way and use 1 bottle. Either way.
Hi there. I.had my engine washed a couple of days ago. The problem is now my engine misfires and the injector fail light comes on every now and again. Do you think injector cleaner would help? Thanks in advance. Great article.
Hmm, it may help, but I'd say that something went wrong with the engine washing. Usually a car is supposed to get better after having work done, not worse.
WOW,"Can cheap fuel injection clener cause problems? I ask because I got some at the dollar store and within two days BOTH cars I used it in failed to start." I did the same stupid thing,,,my GT would stall after using the crap,,,and mpg went from 16 to 12, now three months later it is at 13 mpg....I use only shell, tried the techron but I think I really messed up an injector,,
I've never used the Shell, but you're very right about the cheap stuff being more harm than good. For fuel injection cleaner, I only trust the name brands. It's not worth the risk.
I have a Chevy tahoe 2006. With 73,000 miles. When would it be good to start using the cleaner?
You probably don't need it on such a new vehicle with fairly low miles. Are you already having a rough idle? It won't hurt to give it a try, but it might not do a whole lot.
Im having problems with my Car its a 98' Mazda 626.it keeps jerking on me when i drive it 2 guys so far said its the Fuel injector and it needs to be replace.What do you think,But also my car is pretty old and has 211,000 miles on it it worked great intell a couple of days before.
It's my experience that when cars get that many miles on them, they usually get a combination of ailments that just cause general poor performance and rough idling. When your dealing with a car above 200,000 miles, it's difficult to say whether or not fuel injector cleaner would solve your current problem. The good news however is that fuel injector cleaner is cheap and doesn't make things worse. I always advise people to give it a try if they think it would help. If it doesn't do anything to help then 1) You're only out about 10 bucks and 2) You know your problems lie elsewhere, which is definitely helpful. Hope that helps.
Hey Benjimester,i own a 94 chev truck with about 345 000 kilometers on it.once and a wile i will notice a big lack in power while accelerating then all of a sudden it will backfire through the aircleaner and will have good power again. would injection cleaner work or is it something major? There are also no trouble codes on it .
Hmm, I'd say it's pretty doubtful that injector cleaner would work on a backfire. Backfiring is usually caused by poor engine timing or pre-ignition. It is possible that backfiring can be caused by too much fuel from the injectors, but even then, that probably means that your injectors are faulty, not clogged. You could always try it and see if it works. If it doesn't you're only out about $10.
yeah,i guess i should just stop being cheap and buy some injector cleaner lol,but you say timing? it very well could be that cuz once in a blue moon the engine kicks back on the starter.Thanks for the info man!
Hi, I was reading this article because I'm one of those people that loves to read. I do alot of work on my car myself, including tune ups and detailing, etc. I keep an eye on things with it pretty well but the fuel system is often an overlooked part of the maintaining a car. I haven't changed my fuel filter out in over 30k miles, so I'm replacing it this week.
As for the fuel injector cleaner, I have to ask, do you like Valvoline fuel injector cleaner? My local auto parts store has the buy one get one free special right now and I'm thinking of trying out that brand. I normally put fuel injector cleaner into my gas tank every few months and I'm ready to do it again this weekend. I use Valvoline products for my oil and transmission fluid and like the results. I have an older car but she runs great and performs well.
Sorry for the double post, the page wasn't loading right.
Hey there again. I agree, fuel injectors and fuel filters are usually overlooked in the general maintenance. I haven't tried Valvoline's brand for injector cleaner, but I'm guessing it's pretty good. Valvoline usually makes good quality products. Buy one get one free is always nice too :) Thanks very much for your comments!
Hey, i posted a few comments up and i thought i would give you the results. I checked the timing and it was good so i bought 2 bottles of seafoam and poured one in the intake and all the vacume hoses and the other i poured in the gastank.It worked! it runs prime again.
good article. I have used the Chevron stuff and it did work. Should only need to use cleaners on older cars. Not necessary for nearly new cars.
Tyrel, thanks very much for coming back and giving the results. I really love Seafoam. I was going to write an article on it about all of its awesome uses. It's the best. Thanks very much for the comments.
Car Donations, thanks very much for stopping by. You're right, not so much for the newer models.
added fuel injector cleaner to a full tank of gas on my
2001 ford ranger v6. vehicle almost immediately started
to sputter at near idling speed, yet ran decent at high speeds. Will problem go away with my next fill or should
i try another bottle of injector cleaner. Note truck
will stall if I don't step on gas when in neutral.
Hey, sorry it took me a few days to respond. It's really not supposed to have adverse side effects like that. What brand did you use? I'm assuming the truck didn't do that before? If I were you, I'd use half a bottle per tank. It sounds like the brand you're using isn't burning nicely and is diluting your fuel/air mixture too much. Either that or try a different brand altogether.
Hi! thank you for the great article. I have a 2003 Saturn Vue V6 and while driving the other day, my car stopped running. I pulled over and it started again. 10 min later I was driving and it stalled again. This time, it would not start back up until 15 minutes later?! Do you think I have a clogged fuel filter?. I do use cheap gas and drive my car on "E" a lot.(I know) Thanks for your help
Melissa G
It's definitely possible that you have a clogged fuel filter. Fuel injection cleaner won't really help that though. It unclogs the injectors themselves. You can definitely give fuel injection cleaner a try, but you may need something more. It's possible that you have a clogged air filter or that your spark plugs are going bad. If it's an 03, you may just need an overall tuneup. Have you gotten a tuneup during the life of the vehicle?
When my car starts acting up and stalling out like that, I usually go in for a tuneup. They should give you a new fuel filter, air filter, and spark plugs. You can also ask them to dump some fuel injection cleaner in the tank, but they'll probably charge you a lot for it.
nice article but I was wondering should the gas tank be full before adding fuel injection cleaner?
Yes, definitely. Only use fuel injection cleaner on a full tank.
Hi,
Would you recommend doing a fuel injector cleaning service on a 2007 ACURA TL Type S vehicle? It is currently at about 67000 miles and I pour the fuel injector additives every 5000 miles (after oil change)?
I was just at Firestone and they were telling me that I should have this service done every 15-30k miles, but I was thinking that was bolony...In that they just wanted my money $99.99, but I am considering it, because I have a 50$ off coupon that expires tomorrow, which will bring the cost down by half...
Let me know what you think..
Thank you!
Yeah, I don't usually recommend a fuel injection cleaning service for newer vehicles like that. Gasoline itself is very effective these days at keeping fuel injectors free from clogging and if you're already using the bottles of fuel injector cleaner, then you should be pretty well covered. Unless you're experiencing idling problems, if it were me, I wouldn't pay $50 for injection cleaning on a vehicle that new. That's just me though.
Hi my car was serviced recently spark plugs replaced engine flush and fuel injector done now the car makes funny noises whenever i press down the clucth pedal and when i release the accelerator. I just learned the fuel injector must be done on a full tank and mine was half full. Can that be the reason why the car make noises? What damage is it causing? Please help
Hmm, that's really strange. I would have a hard time believing that fuel injector cleaner could make your clutch make noises. They really have nothing to do with one another. I would probably say that your noises are coming from something else they did. If it were me, I'd take it back in to the shop where you got it serviced and make them take another look at it.
hey, i have 2009 camry, and it just started giving me kind of the same problems. the check engine light is on and would blink everytime my car starts to stall when i would gas hard or over 40mph,or just randomly. it would come back and revagain, but it gets scary when it does that to me. im going to try the f i cleaner,i tune my car regulatory so i dont know why this started happening. my oil is a littlebit more than full, couldthat be a problem?
Hey man. I think you ought to take a look at your fuel pump and fuel filter as well. If you're stalling when too much gas is being applied, that means that not enough gas, then those two components could be causing your problem as well. I'd even check the air filter. It's odd for a 2009 car to be having problems like that. That's a pretty new vehicle. The oil level shouldn't cause those types of problems at all.
You mention in your article that "one such is mentioned to the right". But, I don't see anything to the right. For reputable names, is that STP or Motomaster? What about the more expensive Champion, Prestone or Gumout cleaners? I saw Shell and Chevron fuel injector cleaners mentioned above, but I've never seen those in the store.
I notice Motomaster has an extra strength version that supposedly has 5 treatments in 500ml. Do you think multi-use bottles are fine (they're cheaper)
If I fill up at Texaco or USA with medium grade gas, is that good enough to avoid fuel injector cleaners (btw USA usually is lower in price, but I'm not sure that means lesser quality)? or must I use the most expensive fuel to avoid cleaners? Currently I use regular gas with a cleaner every 4 months.
Thanks for your advice, in advance
Hey there. Sorry about the typo at the end of the article. There used to be a brand there, but I can't find it online for a cheap price anymore.
I've not heard of that extra strength Motomaster before. That sounds powerful. I'm sure it's fine, unless there's a specific warning that says not to use it in certain engines. STP is great, as is Red Line, and Chevron. If you can't find them in the stores, you could always just go on Amazon. Fuel injection cleaner is usually pretty cheap there. I couldn't tell you all the specific differences between them though, except that STP contains jet fuel which is pretty cool, and Chevron has their proprietary Techron formula in it. If I remember correctly, Redline SI-1 is the most powerful out of the box fuel system cleaner. It contains the highest quantity per dollar of polyether amines, which is the cleaning agent.
You definitely don't need to buy the most expensive gas out there all the time. Most gas stations sell pretty good fuel. However, if you're wanting to buy a brand now and again with good additives that keep your parts clean, I'd go with Chevron. Their Techron proprietary formula that's in their gas is actually pretty good. It cleans the engine components and fuel injectors as it runs.
I have a 94 Nissan Altima with 120K miles on it. Two days ago I filled up with gas to the halfway point. Later that night when I started my car, it started jerking. The car starts and is running but it shakes when I am stopped at a traffic light or when I am slowing down. I am not sure what happened because it was just fine before the jerking started. Does it sound like a fuel injector problem or is it my fuel filter? I appreciate any advice you can give me. Thanks!
Hmm, that's not good. Hopefully the gas was okay. It's rare but sometimes gas can have impurities in it. If there was something in the gas that clogged the fuel filter then that could be your problem, like you said. Fuel injectors usually get clogged over time, so you probably wouldn't notice it all of a sudden. If it were me, I'd use a bottle of injector cleaner just for good measure and replace my fuel filter.
I have a 1969 Pontiac GTO Jdge Ram Air IV...The car had been sitting for 25 years and I finally got the urge to start her up! Did an oil change and added a little fuel to the carb and she fired right up. After awhile I noticed the engine miss fires a little so a changed the ignition coil, plugs, and plug wires. I noticed when she is cold the engine takes a while to start as if it isn't getting fuel. If I pump the pedal she will finally start but will want to stall until the engine is warm. I have top hold the pedal down until then. After this she'll run great though. Any thoughts on this?
Hmm, man I wish I knew more about older cars. I haven't done a whole lot of work on older engines. I know that it's not uncommon for older cars to have trouble starting and getting enough fuel until they're warmed up. I used to have an old stakebed truck that I had to hold the petal down for about 2 minutes to keep it from stalling at idle. I considered it pretty common. I don't know of anything specific that you could do to make it better, other than what you've already done. You'd probably have to do a pretty major rebuild of the engine to really get it running more precisely. Sorry I don't have more for ya :(
The best product I have used is CRC Emission Passer. It cleans the entire fuel system in one tank and reduces all of the hydro-carbons, nitro-carbons, carbon monoxides and dioxdes out of the exhaust. With one tank of gas it will smooth out you rough idling.
Greg, thanks very much for passing that along. I'll have to try it out. I've never tried that system before. Sounds like it really gets the job done.
I have a 1999 Ford Expedition with 207,000 miles. I have to get a smog test for my registration. My check engine light has been on for a while and I was doing research about requirements for smog. I am going to take it to Auto Zone for a diagnostic test but am also reading that I should try Fuel Injector cleaner ( I read all the good info on your posts above) and Fuel Treatment System. Can I use both Fuel Injector cleaner and Fuel Treament system at the same time?
Hey Nicole. Yeah, if you do use fuel injection cleaner or fuel treatment system, try and use it a few weeks before your smog test. You don't really need to use both. If you use the fuel treatment system, it'll function as an injector cleaner as well. It tackles more issues though than just injectors. Red Line and Lucas Oil both make good fuel system treatment systems.
Also, do you know if you're burning oil at all? On a car with over 200,000 miles, you might have some rubber seals that are worn out and are leaking oil into the fuel mixture. If that's the case, engine oil stop leak is cheap also and can help recondition the seals to prevent oil being burned up in the fuel mixture. Just another tip that might help you pass smog.
I have a 2004 Nissan sentry an I am about to get a tuneup the guy said I needed a fuel injection cleaning its$ 69.99 now befor I pay this I was wondering if the stuff you poor in the gas tank the same thing at a cheeped price.
Hey Larissa, most likely what they'll use is pretty similar to the $15 stuff you can buy online. I can't say for sure though.
i have nissan altima GXE 99 model . it is loosing power while driving and has rough idling and misfires as per one mechanic said . I recently replaced spark plug .also engine is eating up engine oil . i have to add 10W-30 engine oil every 2 weeks to make it on level. Also i have noticed black clogging on the exhaust .please advise what to do ?
Well, for the engine oil leaks, the only thing you can really do is to try engine oil stop leak. You pour it into your oil and it softens the rubber seals and makes them expand. That helps to stop oil from leaking into the engine and burning up. You can also try going to a heavier oil. 10W-30 is good, but the next time you go into your auto parts store, ask them what they have that's heavier and won't flow and leak as much. A heavier oil shouldn't leak into your combustion chamber as easily.
If you haven't already tried the fuel injection cleaner, then you might want to pour a bottle of that in with a full gas tank. To solve all of your idling problems and misfiring though, you'll probably need a full tuneup.
hi, i have a 2000 SUZUKI GRAND VITARA 3 months ago the mechanic installed a 2005 XL engine in it now at times it backfires and stutters (like jerks) at slow speeds, when accellerates it drives fine, but it don't do it often, i changed spark plugs,fuel filter, clean the fuel tank, it starts at first swing, could it be my injector? one guy said it sounds like the gas is too much or too less mixing with the oxygen
Hmm, I'm not sure. That could be a number of different things. But if it's backfiring, then something's definitely wrong. I suppose it could be that the injector is letting too much spray for the fuel/air mixture. But fuel injected cars don't easily backfire. If I had to guess, I'd say it's probably poor timing, and the mixture is preigniting in the chamber before it's ready. That'll cause the stutters and jerks that you're describing as well.
Hi! I just read through the entire thread and think I still have a question to ask: Once the fuel injector cleaner is added, how long can I expect to wait for the engine to run more smoothly (IE: without stalling)? When I first encountered my problem, my engine stalled four times and then eventually quit and wouldn't restart. I discovered that my rad needed coolant and dealt with that and the guy at the garage said I probably also needed my injectors cleaned. So off I went to the gas station, filled up my tank and put in a bottle of injector cleaner. I was barely able to make it home and this afternoon I tried taking the car out for a spin. It stalled twice but I didn't have my foot on the gas pedal either time. If I keep my foot on the gas, it doesn't stall but I did run into a problem with it idling in reverse with my foot on the brake... namely, the idle was rough enough that the car felt like it was bouncing. I was told my 82 Mercedes 230E (with 235,000km) had the fuel injectors replaced in January 2011 (I have only owned it 4 months and am learning about all the "secrets" this car has)so I guess I'm also looking for a little confirmation that my problem is fuel-injector related. So far, it sounds like it is. I live in Costa Rica and the fuel here is known to not be the best. I've been buying regular but switched on this last fill to super (with the bottle of injector cleaner)... sorry for the short novel here... I'm just afraid I'll stall out and won't be able to get home again... Thanks in advance for your advice :o)
Wow, Costa Rica. Welcome to the post! What you're describing definitely sounds like it could be clogged injectors, but there are a number of other possible problems it could be as well. If the gasoline in Costa Rica isn't the best, then you might have some water in your gas tank, which can cause a lot of the problems that you're describing. Also, your fuel filter might be clogged because of impurities in the gas, which can also cause stalling and rough idling.
It sounds like you already added the fuel injection cleaner. If your injectors are clogged, it probably will take most of the tank of gas for the cleaner to get rid of the clogging, unfortunately :( You might just have to keep driving and take your chances with the stalling to see if the injector cleaner helps anything. But if you're having those other problems also, like water in the gas tank and a clogged fuel filter, you'll need to fix those as well. Seafoam, which I linked to in the article, is a great, cheap way to get rid of water in the gas tank. The fuel filter can either be cleaned or replaced. You might want to check your air filter also and shake it out if it's dirty. That'll help a little bit as well. Good luck! Let me know if the injector cleaner helps.
my car is a pontiac grand am GT and it will turn over and start up as soon as i give it gas but wen i stop giving it gas it will die. so im wanting to put sum fuel injection in there but will that even help if i cant drive the car
Yeah, the injector cleaner will only work if you're able to drive the car while it's in the gas tank. So you might want to find a freeway or something where there isn't a lot of stop and go.
I have a 2002 Honda Accord with 170,000 miles on it. The last few days it has been reving up really high when I hit the gas and then will dip low and begin to shake. This only lasts a few minutes, but is happening every time I stop/start. Is this fuel injector problem or spark plug problem?
Hmm, that's interesting. So you're saying that it revs up without you giving it a whole lot of gas? If that's the case, then it almost sounds like you're having throttle issues. But it's hard to say without being able to see the problem in action. When was your last tuneup? You could always try the injector cleaner and see if it helps the car not shake anymore. At 170,000 miles, chances are that your injectors are at least a little bit clogged. But I don't know what would cause it to rev up high first.
I don't have those product in my country, how would i know if i'm using the right product and how often should i use injector cleaner?
That's a tough one. If you don't have injector cleaner there, you'd have to get it from somewhere else. There's no substitute that I've ever heard of. Luckily, you don't need to use it very often. Only once a year maybe.
I have a 1997 honda accord. It dont have much power when getting on highway but it idles fine and runs great. What do you think about the 3M fuel injector cleaning kit.
Hey Mike, well I haven't used the 3M kit before, but in reading about it, it looks like a solid product at a cheap price. In your situation, you're smart to go with a more comprehensive solution than just a bottle of injector cleaner. And for just $35, it's definitely worth a shot. If you do use, let me know how it works would you? Thanks.
Hello, I'm so very glad I've found your site! I drive a 97 Ford Aerostar, love this van! But it acts like I'm running out of gas even when I have a full tank. It never stalls and has power but then it goes into fits like it's running out of gas. I have had a complete tune up, I've used Fuel Injector cleaners, twice in a row for two tanks of gas and that worked! But then it came back say a month and a half later...the South Denver guys can't figure it our because it won't act up for them...do you have an idea? I really can't afford to change out the injectors and my check engine light WON'T come on! errr
Frustrated in Englewood
Hey there. I'm glad you found us too :) Still rockin the old Aerostar, huh? Nice. That does sound like a frustrating situation. When does it go into fits? Is it while you're moving or is it when you're stopped at a light? It sounds like you might have a loose electrical connection or something. If you're moving when the problem happens, then that would make sense if your electrical lines have a loose connection and are bouncing around a bit. Have they checked the coil by the way? That doesn't usually get worked on during a tuneup and can cause the type of problem you're describing.
It goes into fits while moving. Sometimes it's rough when I start her up but she smoothes out after a minute or so. I can't lose this van...I feel safe in it with my family. I will bring up the coil issue and the loose electical somethin somethin. Thank you for your thoughts! You have a great site and once again, phewww. glad I found you.
I just changed the belt on a 2003 Saturn vue and when I tried to start it backfired what could that be ??
Backfiring is usually caused by poor engine timing. Preignition happens in the combustion chamber at the wrong time and that causes a backfire. But it can also be caused by a number of other things, so you really need to take it to a shop to get it properly figured out.
I have a 2002 Lincoln navigator and recently (last week) it has started to run rough and idle low and sometimes will shake. All the spark plugs, ignition coils and fuel and air filters were changed in March 2011 and we took it to autozone to get diagnostics today as check engine light came on yesterday and it said cylinder 2 misfire detected so again hubby changed out the spark plug and coil in that cylinder . It also said EXPLANATION ...The powertrain control module monitors the crankshaft speed and has detected a misfire condition
PROBABLE CAUSE
Ignition system fault-spark plug, ignition wires,coil
aa2 Vacuum leak
aa3 Injector fault
aa4 high or low fuel pressure.
We also got Lucas fuel injector cleaner and put it in on a full tank today, the check engine light is now off but it is running better but still now how it should. Is there anything u can recommend as we have had nothing but bad luck with the dealerships here .Thanks in advance Abbey
Abbey, unfortunately, it sounds like you're doing about everything you can. You've changed out all the right things. It sounds like you're definitely having some major issues that can't be solved just by a tuneup. Misfires are never good, and can be caused by a number of things. You've already changed the spark, which is one of the major causes. It could also be from really poor fuel/air mixture, which you're helping by using the fuel injection cleaner. Other than that, it can be caused by poor compression, which is another whole ball game unfortunately. I think you'll probably have to take it into a mechanic for this one :(
Hi Ben
I've got a Hyundai Accent and gradually over the last few weeks the car seems to have gotton worse, and on the last two fill ups of fuel it started to stall and wont idle correctly and shakes like crazy. I put fuel injector cleaning fluid in the tank and that seemed to help. I still had little or very poor acceleration for no apparent reason, say, when pulling out from traffic lights or side roads, and then not every time, and it was back firing a couple of times too.
Yesterday I filled up with fuel and the car immediately started to shake and stalled, I had trouble keeping it running. I've been told many times, oh it's dirty fuel but I know that it probably isn't that because of how its been getting worse everytime I fill up. The cars now so bad after yesterday it's at the garage. The mechanic said it was the fuel pump which they've now changed and they rang last night to say it hasn't made any difference. I get the impression they don't know what's causing this.
From reading some of the above posts i'm thinking it might be the fuel injectors but not knowing much about cars, I don't really know for sure.
Any ideas?
- Mandy
oh I also forgot to mention, that as the fuel starts to go down in the fuel tank, the better the car runs. By the time it's down to about half full, its almost running smoothly. Although....it will still do the little or no unexpected acceleration thing.
- thanks, Mandy
Hey Mandy, if you've noticed a slow decline in engine performance like that, then it's probably the case that your car needs a general tuneup. The only thing that's disconcerting is the fact that you mentioned backfiring. That's not a good situation, and is usually caused by bad timing. It's good that they changed the fuel pump, but bad that it didn't do much to help. You may be due for a timing belt change and a change to your spark plugs and air filter. You may also need a cleaning of your throttle system and intake. There's just a lot of different things that can contribute to a slow decline in engine performance and idling. Hopefully the mechanic will be able to find out more.
Thanks Ben. Well they've diagnosed it as the purge valve being faulty and they've changed it. I picked it up tonight and it seems to be ok. I'll know for sure when I fill up again I suppose. They seem to think it's fixed the job though, I shall wait and see!
Hey Mandy, that's good news. I haven't heard of that going bad before but that's great that they were able to fix it. Sorry I wasn't able to be more help. It's hard without being able to actually take a look under the hood.
Thanks Ben. Just to come back and let you know they were right and it must have been the purge valve because I filled up with petrol today and voila! the car is totally ok now.
Thanks for trying to help. :)
Very cool. Glad they got it fixed for you. Hopefully it wasn't too expensive.
What if I put it in before filling up?
I'd try and get gas in the tank as soon as possible. After that, you should be fine. Fuel injector cleaner is meant to be diluted in a full tank, and if you don't, depending on the type of cleaner, they can definitely cause some problems. You might stall out or foul up your spark plugs, among other things.
My engine light has been on for a while I have a 2006 Saturn ion 2. My problem is when I pump gas it won't start unless I rev up the engine for about 3 min then it rides and starts fine just idles a litle high sometimes. My question is could that be because I need to have my fuel injectors clean or could it be another problem?
Hmm, I would think that's probably a different problem than dirty fuel injectors. 2006 is a pretty new vehicle, and it would be tough to believe that the injectors are already so clogged that you're having those types of problems. There's probably something broken in there somewhere.
Hey Ben,
My 2004 ford mustang 106,xxx miles on it has just recently started sputtering when I'm in reverse? Any ideas on what could be causing it ?and How can I fix it.. Thanks ;)
Hey Ashley,
Only in reverse? That's really strange. Is it an automatic or stick? Is it hard to put into reverse or does it go in gear smoothly?
Auto, and sometimes it seems to act funny between 30-40 mph. It's goes into gear smoothly. Plus since I got it brand new on 04 haven't had any work done on it, just breaks tires oil etc but never changed spark plugs haven't had a tune up, just an FYI !
Hey again,
Well, 100,000 miles is about the time that cars start to break down a bit, especially if you haven't been doing any regular maintenance. I can't tell you for sure what's wrong without being able to drive it and look under the hood, but from your description, it sounds like your problems might be stemming from needing a general tuneup. 100,000 miles is a really long time to go without changing spark plugs, and without replacing fluids and things like that. It would probably be a really good idea to take it in and have them service your spark plugs, change your various fluids, change the necessary filters, and check your belts(including the timing belt). I wouldn't be surprised if that didn't solve the problems you're experiencing.
If you do decide to go that route though, you ought to call up your mechanic and tell them what you want done and ask what they charge. Don't let them overcharge you. Try and keep it under $300 or so for the whole general tuneup.
I'm having a problem with my 1997 Silverado pickup. It has the 454 engine. The check engine light comes on periodically only when I pull my 5th wheel up a hill. I can pull it up and down the freeway all day long with no problem if the road is flat. The check code is for a cylinder #5 misfire. I had the plugs, wires, dist cap etc replaced about 5,000 miles ago and the check engine light problem started about 3,000 miles ago. I have not taken the truck in to a mechanic because when I talk to them, they say it will be very difficult to find the problem because it does not happen all the time. They said to try putting in a bottle of Techron which I did but that did not help. I discovered recently there were a number of exhaust leaks in the exhaust system and I had those repaired a few days ago. But I have not tried to pull the 5th wheel yet. Any ideas what might be causing this problem.
That's weird that you'd be experiencing a misfire during that kind of situation, only when the road isn't flat. It's good that you fixed the exhaust leaks. Random misfiring can sometimes be caused by a defective Exhaust Gas Recirculation valve that is leaking exhaust into the intake manifold. Man, I'm gonna have to think about this one. I really can't come up with much off the top of my head. Sorry.
Hello, love this thread, very informative...was wondering if you have ever used the brand "Lucas" they make a fuel system treatment as well as oil treatment and transmission fix. I have used the transmission fix on an automatic trans that would not down shift while decelerating, put in the Lucas and it ran like new again, was wondering if their fuel system treatment would be as good. Thanks!! sorry for the double post, after reading this hub I decided to sign up under a differnet name and wanted to link the question to me!
Shindokwan, thanks man. Yeah, I like Lucas a lot. They're a good brand. I like their engine oil stop leak system a lot too. If you can get it at a good price, I think you'll be pretty happy with the performance. I deleted the first comment and left this one. So it's all good.
hey ben,
i have a 2010 dodge charger with 50,000 miles on it and for some reason the check engine light comes on and the car starts to shake. I took it to autozone the first time it happened and the code came out to be a cylinder 6 misfire. When i took it to the mechanic he told me it was just a misread. I noticed the same thing happened again when I filled my gas tank. It will stay on until some of the gas has burned. I filled gas since then again today and the samething happened. I checked both times if the gas cap was loose but it wasn't. What do you think is causing this ?
Does the car shake when you're stopped at idle I'm assuming? There's probably something broken somewhere. A car that new with that few miles on it should not be having those types of problems. Unfortunately, there's a lot that could be going wrong, and your mechanic will probably have to do a bit of diagnostics to find it. A misfire in one of the cylinders could definitely be causing the car to shake like that. I wonder why your mechanic thought it was a misread. It's really hard for me to say without being able to take a look at the car.
it shakes even while im driving it, i thought it was a bad spark plug or coil but when the mechanic checked it out he said they didnt need to be replaced and thats why it was a misread. what i'm trying to figure out is if something needed to be replaced wouldnt that happen all the time not just when i fill gas
Maya, yeah that's the strange part. If you had a faulty spark plug or coil, you would definitely have problems all the time, and not just when your gas tank is full. Does your Charger take premium gas? You might try getting your gas somewhere else the next couple of times you fill up. It almost sounds as if there could be some condensation in the gas you're getting. Water in the gas tank can cause problems like that.
That's so odd, especially that it shakes when you're driving it. The only time I've heard of a car shaking while driving is when the spark plugs are firing out of sequence and the engine jumps around a bit. When the plugs fire in the right sequence, the explosions are balanced so that the engine is relatively immobile. But if they fire in the wrong sequence, the engine can go a bit crazy. But I'm sure that's not the case with your car, especially since it only happens when you fill up the tank.
Hello. I have a 2001 Mazda mpv that I bought with 172,000 kms. The dealer replaced the plugs and coil before the sale. The van now has 242k and has started to develop rough acceleration. It runs okay at speed but has bad gas mileage. Would injector cleaner be a good place to start? Also, when adding the cleaner, do you pore it in the tank first then add the fuel?
Injector cleaner definitely can't hurt, and it's usually a good place to start because it's so inexpensive. If it doesn't work, at least it's only a $10 mistake. On a vehicle with that many km, it probably won't solve all your problems, but hopefully it can help with the rough acceleration. Pour it in after you fill the tank of gas. That's the best practice.
You guys are so powerful, thanks, i have a golf 3 GTI 2.0 16 valves, no power its not perfoming, i have lost a lot of money on it, changed distributor twise, changed plug 100 time, and HT cables, honestly i haven't tried the injector clear, but i suppose it will help me since im experiencing most of the problems written about here, im so confident that it shall work for me, thanks very very much
Thanks very much for stopping by. I really hope the injector cleaner works for you! It sucks to not have power, especially on a nice car.
I have a 2008 Mazda 3 with approx 66,000 miles on it and the last month or so I've noticed the when the car is in idle, it has been sounding a little more rough than usual. I know it needs an oil change and I am def guilty for using cheap gas. But maybe about an hour or so ago, I was out running some errands and the car was in "drive," but I was at a stop and all of a sudden my gas light is on saying that I am running on empty. Just 10 min before that I had a half tank of gas. This is the first time that has happened. Can a clogged or dirty fuel injector give a misread on the fuel gage? I have never tried using a fuel injector cleaner before. I really appreciate your advice and your article. Thank you!
I have Dodge Dakota (2003) and I f
Hey Vanessa, unfortunately it sounds like fuel injector cleaner won't solve all the problems you're having. Clogged injectors shouldn't cause the gas gage to misread like that, because by the time the fuel makes it to the injectors, it's already well past the gage sensor. You can try injector cleaner though to see if it helps with your idling problems, but on a car as new as a 2008, I can't imagine your injectors are clogged enough that you're already having idling problems. It sounds like you've got something else going on.
John, it looks like your comment got cut off somehow.
Do you know what might cause the gage to misread like that? Could it possibly be something as easy as an electrical problem?
If you know you have gas in the tank, then I would think it would have to be a sensor problem. You probably have a faulty unit, because it's not like the car is very old. Gages and sensors will go bad eventually, but not on a car that new. If I were you, I'd see if it continues to happen, and see if there are any correlations between the gage misreading and what you're doing at the time. See if it only misreads while you're stopped, or only misreads when you're going downhill, things like that. That way you'll know more.
helo iam new to enter on this page and my problem is iam having toyota petrol van as the petrol price going up i hav decited to replace my engine with a diesel engine so i hav bought a engine which was dismentle from a same type of van and the new engine is turbo charged intercooler so some of our region mechanics says if i replace that engine it wil consume more diesel than the current petrol engine because its turbo intercooler feature so please give me a answer for me to take a wise decision thankyou
and another quation is that today mmostly talking about that oil engines can run on water that is hydrogen and what ur comment on this
About your first question, that's very possible that your new engine could use up a bit more fuel than the old engine. It's hard to say for sure without knowing the specifications of each engine. About your second question, there are definitely cars that run partially on hydrogen. There's a device called an Electronic Fuel Injection Enhancer (EFIE) that can deliver HHO into your fuel mixture. They're pretty cool.
Hi I have a 00 Honda accord v6 an when I start it the idle will go up to the number 3 then shut off, then I would have to start it up again give it gas an put it n drive then it'll drive I have the idle fix cause it was idle low I also put fuel injector cleaner n it, it was working fine for two weeks then when I drive down the highway it did it again what could it be do I need to change the injector or a tune up cause I went to two shops an they don't see the problem but never check the injector of spark plugs what should I do??
Thank you for your reply. My both engine specifications petrol :7K 1780 cylinder capacity. Diesel :3C turbo intercooler 2200 cylinder capacity. And please explain me what is happening with the feature intercooler and my question on hydrogen fual is, is it possible to generate hydrogen directly from water I meant is there any units available to install directly to vehicles and pour water and make hydrogen if so please address me a unit thank you.
Hey Nicole, I have a 00 Honda Accord myself. How many miles are on yours? It's very possible that you could be due for a big tuneup. Little things like the air filter and the spark plugs often go unchanged and can cause some serious performance problems. The problem is that getting a tuneup done at a shop can be a bit expensive. They might charge you $100 just to change your spark plugs, when you could do it yourself for about $30 in about 15 minutes.
The nice thing about getting a full tuneup though is that if you're still experiencing problems after that, then you know it's something bigger, that it's not just some simple problem like your air filter being clogged. If it were me, I'd probably do a pretty major tuneup.
what about my question
Sorry. Had a busy day and only had time to do the first one in the morning. Didn't mean to neglect you like that :) I just wasn't sure how to answer the first part of your question since I'm used to American motors. So I did some research and I'm afraid I still am not really able to explain the whole system of the intercooler supercharged diesel. That's a bit outside my range of expertise.
The hydrogen however, I can explain. There are a couple of brands of hydrogen systems that will generate your hydrogen in the form of HHO, or hydroxy gas, and then deliver it straight into the fuel injectors. They won't replace your need for fuel, but will raise your gas mileage by about 50%. So they're pretty handy. And they're pretty easy to install as well. They produce the hydrogen on demand, meaning that the hydrogen gas is produced right as you're driving along, and delivered immediately into the fuel injection system. Here's a link to one on Amazon for you to check out.
http://www.amazon.com/Dual-Edge-Sensor-Enhancer-Wa
Sorry I couldn't answer your first question better.
ok thank you. I read about that hydrogen unit but after it burns the hydrogen inside the engine it turns to water again so water inside the engine wil be an affect? I wil rust. Can u pls explain
Hmm, I'm not sure about the rust. It turns back into water after combustion and then gets pushed through the exhaust system after that. Water already sometimes gets in your exhaust system though from various things, and your exhaust system can already start rusting and falling apart from it. So I wouldn't think that the hydrogen would add too much more rust danger. But I'm really not sure.
hey guys one tip i have heard is Do NOT clean your injectors, EVER, even if the parts get cleaned, the chemicals inside the "cleaner" eat up the seals on the injectors themselves, and can cause injector leaks.
there may be manual ways of cleaning them but keep in mind that there is a REASON you have not heard more about these injector cleaners, and its not suppression from the auto industry on Doityourselfers.
Thanks that's maybe the problem tune up cause I have around 180,000 miles had it for 9mos without a tune up
Hey Bill, I hadn't heard that before. That's a little difficult for me to believe, seeing as how some injector cleaners use the same scrubbing additives in gasoline itself to clean the injectors, just at a higher concentration. Take Chevron's injector cleaner for example. Chevron gas itself contains Techron, which is a scrubbing additive. The fuel injector cleaner is basically just a higher concentration formula.
I own a 2003 F-150 Harley Davidson and always use premium gas but with 177k miles its stalling at redlights and misfires a great deal while in idle. I remember my father always using STP products and that was what I was told to purchase when I went to Autozone for help. I am leary to use it b/c several people have told me that STP ruins the supercharged engine in the Harley edition Ford truck. Is that true or just a rumor? Am I safe to add this STP Complete Fuel System Cleaner before my next tank filling?
Hmm, I'm not sure about STP ruining the supercharged engine. I hadn't heard that before. But at 177k miles and with misfiring, I think you're going to need something more than just fuel injection cleaner anyway. Depending on your level of expertise and time, you might want to clean more than just the injectors.
Okay, so hit me I was a stupid girl, no need to tell me that. Anyway, my timing belt on my 2004 Kia Rio (80,000) miles snapped. I got it replaced (spent a while in the driveway while I paid my parents back). Then I got it back and put in some STP cleaner. But a few weeks later when I realized that it had not been a full system cleaner, I used that one. The day after I put in the second one, the check engine light comes on. The car is running well except for I hear an odd noise in the back, like I ran over something, even though I know I didn't. Do I need to get it professionally cleaned to undo any damange? I went back to the place I got the timing belt done, they removed the light and it came back on the same night. I got an oil change today, about 1,000 miles overdue. My dad said that it wasn't needed, that they had changed the oil during the repair (which is why I didn't get it done when I got the car back) but a closer inspection of the reciept shows no mention of an oil change, so I got it today. The car was running perfectly right up until that second bottle of Chevron cleaner. I will never again use stuff like that unless its 6 months apart, I learned my lesson. Honestly.
Hey Rosalynne. If I'm understanding you correctly, you're saying that you used 2 different bottles of fuel injector cleaner spread 2 weeks apart? If that's the case, then I'm surprised that you're experiencing problems like that. You're right, it's wise to space them out more than just a couple of weeks, but they shouldn't be causing noises, as long as you don't put more than one bottle of injector cleaner inside one full tank of gas.
If I could take a guess, I would say that the noise you experienced was from the exhaust manifold, from too rich of a fuel mixture. Fuel injection cleaner burns differently from normal gas because it has a different chemical composition. So I'm guessing that the injector cleaner caused an extra little bang as it moved from your combustion chamber into your exhaust manifold. It doesn't sound like you're experiencing anything permanently damaging. I think you were wise to get your oil changed, just in case. If it were me, I'd keep driving it and see if the problem might just go away on its own.
I have a 2001 ford expedition and I had to press the gas a little for it to start. now after that my truck has started shacking it comes and goes while I'm moving and stoped. will fuel injector cleaner help with this problem
also my truck engine light is not on
Hey Amy, it definitely might. If your problems are stemming from clogs in your injectors, then the fuel injector cleaner should do the trick. But there are a number of other systems that could be causing problems like this. If your air filter is really dirty, for example, and you aren't getting enough oxygen into your fuel mixture, that can also cause the same problems. Fuel injection cleaner is a good thing to try first because it's so cheap. If it doesn't solve your problems, then you might need a full tuneup. Best of luck. Let me know what happens.
thank you! my air filter was just changed 2 weeks ago. I just put it in so I will see what happens.
No problem Amy. Usually for rough idling like you're experiencing, there are a lot of different factors that all contribute to it. So every little thing you can do should improve your fuel economy and help your car stop shaking.
I've been using Lucas Fuel Injector treatment (32oz. bottle), but I'm not sure if I'm overdoing it. Should I use one bottle a yr and pour it all in on the first of the yr, or half the bottle in January and the other half in July? Thanks
You should probably use the whole bottle in one shot. That's how it was designed to be used, so it'll probably be more effective in that capacity. Once a year is probably a little much though. I use it every 60,000 miles, which for me is about 2 and a half years.
hi,i own a chevy beat of 2010.and the car shakes a lot on road much more than any other normal car..i got the shock absorber changed (back side both).but then to the problem persist!
can you please help me!!
Hey Andy. Well trucks in general shake more than normal cars. If you have off road tires and tight suspension, it'll definitely bounce and shake while driving down the road. If you got the shocks changed and it's still shaking a lot, you could simple things like getting your tires balanced and making sure the alignment is proper. Other than that, since it's such a new vehicle, I wouldn't think that there's anything broken with it that would cause it to shake like that.
thank you!!my car is now comparitively vibrating less!!
Sweet. Thanks for coming back and letting me know.
my car is jetta 5 and is cutting out after every while this after i poured poor petrol
That's not good. Could be water in the gas tank, or impurities clogging the fuel filter or injectors. Seafoam would probably work best. It'll take care of water and impurities.
I drive a 1998 ford ranger with about 235k miles. after my last oil change i noticed It had a bit of a hiccup when driving. I didn't notice it in 1st or 2nd gear but more in 3rd and 4th and seem to be more frequent if the RPMs were lower similar to what happens if your trying to go too slow up a hil in too high of a gear. recently the check engine light came on at startup so I naturally took it to the mechanic. He said the #2 cylinder had misfired and since it was at the mechanic i had him replace the fuel filter. Now the truck is running much worse, like having water in the fuel system or something. I used a HEET dry gas at my last fill up and i use seafoam every 2months or so. based on some of your previous advice i'm wondering if it's sediment in the gas tank, a fuel pump, or a plugged injector. I buy gas with detergents and cleansers in it also. What do you suggest I do from here?
Hi I got a 2000 Audi a6 2.7. And it began to misfire paid $600 and the guy didn't fix it. I took els where and they told me its the injectors. Do you think that redline would help or should I pay $600 more to have them changed. Thanks
Hey guys. Sorry it took me a couple of days to get back to you.
Squish, from what you're describing, I'm thinking you should take a harder look at the cylinder #2 misfire. That is probably a big part of what's causing your problems. A consistent misfire will definitely cause the symptoms you're describing, of shaking while driving. You might just have a bad spark plug, and it might be really easy to fix. One thing you might try is to turn on your car and let it warm up and then have a friend press the gas peddle a bit while the truck is in park. If you stand behind the truck and see what the exhaust smells like, you'll be able to see if there's unburnt fuel coming out of the tail pipe. If your cylinder #2 is misfiring, then a lot of unburnt gas will be coming out of your exhaust, which you should be able to smell just by standing behind the car. If you smell the gas, then you might first change your spark plugs and see if it fixes the misfire. If not, then you might need some major work done unfortunately.
David, if it were me, I'd definitely try the injector cleaner before having the injectors cleaned. It might do the trick for you and it only costs $15.
I have a 1998 Chevy Tahoe. Yesterday while driving my car just died....It acted like I ran out of gas, even though I had half a tank. I tried to start it up and it tries to start but once again acts like it's out of gas so it doesn't start. I am a woman and don't want to get take over by a mechanic since I honestly have no idea what the heck is going on. I don't think I can use the cleaner your talking about since I can't even start my car. Any idea what it might be? PLEASE HELP :)
yep, definately an unburnt fuel smell to the exhaust. Hope it's a spark plug or wire. I cleaned the MAF and IAC just to make sure also.
Amber, sorry it took me a few days to get back to you. The holidays were busy around here. If your car just died while you were driving it, you probably have a bad alternator. The alternator is like a mini generator that sits in the car and charges the battery while you're driving. If your alternator goes bad, there isn't any electricity to power the spark for combustion and the car will just die on you like you're talking about while driving. An alternator should cost about $250, and the labor will vary depending on where the alternator is located. It could be a bad coil as well, which is often cheap to replace.
Squish, I really hope it's just a bad spark plug.
Hello, we have a 98 chevy c1500 driving home last night the check engine light came on. Then it started running rough and sound like it was loping . Trying to get an idea of what it might be ? Thank you,
I have a 2002 dodge ram 1500 with about 58000 miles. I had to have the computer chip replaced along with an injector and plug wire after the wire was chewed by a mouse. Now, 5 months later, my check engine light is always on and it lacks power like it is running down a cylinder. The dealer that did the work says it showed misfires on several cylinders. They recommended using premium gas and adding heet. I have been using premium gas and isoheet which says it contains fuel injector cleaner for about a week or two. The engine light went off once, but has been on regularly. Can I add seafoam or a different fuel injector cleaner to the gas tank if I still have the isoheet in there? The tank is about 1/2 to 3/4 full. Any other ideas I could try?
Sandie, sorry it took me a couple days to get back to you. I'm still catching up from the holidays. From your description, it sounds as though you had some type of part go faulty on you. If it were clogged injectors or a faulty fuel filter, it would almost always be a slow gradual clogging that would slowly begin to negatively affect performance. Did you notice a loss in power as well? Is it more difficult to accelerate? Also, is there any smell of unburnt fuel in the exhaust? That'll help you to narrow it down.
Hey Dave, I probably wouldn't mix fuel injection cleaners together in the same tank of gasoline. If you're having those types of problems, you might want to go for a full fuel system cleaner, like the one offered by Redline, or if you're feeling up to it, you could try using Seafoam in the intake manifold. It's tough to say though because your problems could be still stemming from the mouse event, and not from clogging. If you're having multiple misfires though, I'd have a hard time believing that it's from gunk and clogging on a newer vehicle like that.
Are you sure that you're getting proper compression? Multiple misfires like that makes me think that your timing might be slightly off. Either that, or you have multiple fouled spark plugs. Did your mechanic analyze the misfire codes?
A local mechanic thinks I need an ignition coil for cylinder four; the cylinder that I had the other work done on. I am having the coil replaced since my insurance is paying for it from the previous case. Hopefully this will cure it. I will find out in about a week. I don`t think it is a gas issue. I didn`t mention earlier that all the spark plugs are recently new.
Thank you for your help.
Wuz up, I have a 99 Pontiac grand am an every time I put gas n it it seems to run out fast... I changed the air filter an it still hv the same problem.. Any idea on what's wrong...
Hey Dave, that's probably a good way to go. That's brutal that one little mouse could have such far reaching effects.
Keith, you probably just have poor fuel economy. That can come from a variety of places, including clogged fuel injectors, clogged air filter, and more. You might try and do a routine tuneup. Those usually boost your fuel economy by quite a bit.
Hi there! My 1996 subaru impreza began sputtering when i speed up and isn't as easy to go up hill. I did a little research and thought i needed to use fuel injector fluid, which i did. I drove about 10 miles, shut the car off, and when i tried to turn it on..it wouldnt start! What did i do? Thanks!
hi i have a 2000 volkswagen jetta and when i started it the other day the idle was very low and seemed as if it was going to die and thoughts?
Hey Abbey, that's not a good situation. Sorry it took me awhile to respond. You've probably already brought the car to the mechanic by now. There are a couple of things that you can try. One is to open the hood of the car and remove the air filter and leave the cover open. That'll make it so that you have the maximum amount of air flow to your combustion chamber which will hopefully help you to start the car up and burn out some of your fuel injection cleaner. If that works and the car is on and running, rev the engine for awhile and see what you can detect. See what kinds of scents and smoke are coming out of the tailpipe. If you have the scent of unburnt fuel, then you might have a fouled spark plug on your hands that you'll have to replace. If you have a lot of dirty smoke coming out of the tailpipe, then you probably are burning oil, which can also cause a fouled spark plug. Hopefully keeping the engine revved for a bit will help the injector cleaner to break up potential clogs. At least if you get the car running, you can take it to the mechanic and not have to have it towed.
Maybs -- You probably have a clog somewhere. That's usually what causes low idle. But it could be a number of things. It could be the air filter, the fuel filter, fuel injectors, or even a dirty throttle body. You may do well to get a general tuneup where they change your spark plugs, distributor cap, air filter, and clean your injection system. You might also see how expensive it is to have your throttle body cleaned.
How long does it take for a bottle of fuel injector to actually clean out your injectors before you see a noticeable difference?
Hey Jaye. You'll notice a change in idle pretty quick. And by the time you use the whole tank of gas that the injector cleaner is in, your clogs should be mostly broken up, depending on how bad the clogs are.
First I wanted to say thank you for taking the time to answer questions like these. The world needs more people like you! My question pertains to my 2004 dodge neon. It has about 136,000 miles on it. When I stop at red lights my car whole car will shake/ idle and my lights flicker unless I turn my a/c on. It doesn't act up if I give it a little gas while I'm waiting. It only happens when the vehicle is in drive. I had my fuel filters/air filters and oil changed yesterday and today at Wal-Mart I was getting new tires and decided to try out their 20$ fuel injection cleaning. I haven't gotten a chance to drive the vehicle yet but do you think this might solve the issue I'm having or might there be something else that's wrong with the vehicle?
Chad, you're welcome! What you're experiencing is pretty common in aging vehicles. I bet you'll notice a difference after all the work you did. Rough idling is usually a combo of a variety of small factors, and isn't usually indicative of any major problem in the car. Hopefully by the time you read this, your car will be much smoother on the idle. If not, let me know and we can troubleshoot.
Hi. I have a 2001 taurus with 135k miles. The engine light came on andi went to autozone they read the codes at 171 and 174. The idle was a little rough leading up to the light coming on. A friend recommended that we get the fuel filter replaced and put a bottle of fuel injection cleaner in. The morning before i dropped the car off at the shop it started sputtering at stoplights and then actually stalled at the light right before i dropped the car off. When i picked the car up i noticed better performance when driving but the sputtering came back on my way home and it stalled at a red light. I did add in the cleaner on my way home. My question is when should i expext the sputtering and stalling to get better? If it continues through 1 tank of gas should i try another. The brand i used was gummout
Hey, I have a 2000 grand am last few weeks I notices that when I am driving I would lose about 500 rpms and ideas what is causing this problem. And can I use fule cleaner on a full take of gas or should I wait till its empty
I have a 2007 tahoe with 79,500 miles on it. It has lost about 4-5 mpg. I was averaging around 16-17 mpg and now I am at 12. I went and had it checked out and the guys just replaced the spark plugs, said oil and filters looked fine. The mpg has not gotten any better. I was going to buy some seafoam and try that. Any idea on what could be causing the drop in mpg?
cont use any addatives at all you will harm the fuel pump...just go to your local mechanic, once every cpl years and have him blast clean the injectors i have a 2003 ford ranger edge and ive done this regularly ad it runs smooth as silk those cleaners are a waste of money
What's up guys. Let's do this one at a time.
Tracy -- If it's still stalling after the tank is empty, then your problem isn't the fuel injectors. You don't want to just keep dumping injector cleaner in there. There are a number of other things that can cause stalling and poor engine performance, even simple things like a dirty air filter. Have you had a tuneup recently? I just ask because you're at about the mileage where you might benefit from a major tuneup.
Jesse, are you losing the 500rpms at idle, or just sudden loss of power while moving? If it's at idle, then you probably could benefit from some injector cleaner. And to answer your second question, you should wait until you have a full tank of gas before pouring the injector cleaner into the tank.
Hey Megan, losing fuel economy is pretty standard for aging vehicles. That's good that you had the spark plugs changed. The next time you get an oil change, you could ask the guys at the shop to do a couple of jobs for you that will help boost your fuel economy. One is to change the air filter if you haven't had it changed in awhile. Two is to have them clean your intake manifold. That will usually give you an extra couple of miles per gallon back and they do it at a lot of the major oil change places like Valvoline. And it usually only costs about $75.
Hey Joseph, yeah blast cleaning the injectors works well too. But additives are a normal part of gasoline. They're in there all the time. Having a few more every once in awhile doesn't really hurt.
Hi. I hada tune up last march when the engine light was flashing and i had a bad coil replaced. I know I'm due for an oil change.
The thing is, we don't really want to put a whole lot of money into the car since we plan on buying an "almost new" car come april or may. I have an appointment tomorrow to have a mechanic look and tell me what's wrong and how much it will cost to fix it.
Hey thanks for the help so far its Jesse again, I am losing the 500rpms well driving any ideas what could be causing this??
Can topping up with gas from different places cause my check engine light to come on and cause the car to stall when idling? My wife was getting low on gas so she got $20 worth to hold her over (to expensive to fill up) until she could fill up. So there is gas in the tank from 3 different places. The check engine light came on. I took the car to advanced auto parts and had them check the codes. They said it could be an oxygen sensor problem. Then a few days after that is when the car would idle low and stall at a stop light. I have to put it in park and rev the engine until the light changes. A friend told me to run out the tank then add a bottle of Heet and put in Lucas fuel injector cleaner and then see if that helps. The car is a 2004 Mercury Monterey with about 75,000 miles.
Hi benjamin just want to ask what would be the problem of my car if the idle is low cause everytime i slow down it vibrates n like tsug tsug sounds
Hey, Benjimester. I'm about ready to go on a roadtrip and was going to use some fuel injector. On the back of the bottle, it says to use no more than 22 gallons of gas. Being 12 or 15g tank, is it safe to add the whole bottle, or do I need to put it in differently?
Hey guys. Sorry I keep getting behind in the comments. I was out of town again.
Gus -- Having gas from different places shouldn't cause problems, but it sounds like you might have gotten some bad gas from one of them. Your friend's suggestion sounds like a good idea.
Yila -- Vibration happens when your engine gets starved of fuel. It shakes before it eventually stalls. It's not good to run your engine like that so you may want to think about using some injector cleaner and check your air filter as well.
Casey -- Yeah it's safe, although a 12 gallon tank is pretty small. But if you're worried, just pour in 3/4th of the bottle. It should still do the job.
looking at pickup truck for sale - here is what the guy says : The motor did turn over last time i started it. It makes a lot of noise so it will need to be rebuilt or exchanged with a working motor. I was doing an oil change, to which the engine ran perfectly, and put some seafoam in the block to clean it, after a few minutes it started making all kinds of noise so i shut it off. Started it again and it is still noisy. I haven't ran it again so i didn't damage it any worse than it was.
do you think the seafoam caused this ? ant easy answers ? Thanks
It's possible if he used too much. Then definitely. If it were me, I'd drain all the oil out and start over again. That way, if he did accidentally add too much seafoam, it'll fix the mistake and you can start over. But it sounds like the engine is pretty beat up already and needs to be rebuilt.
Hi Benjimester-
I have a 2001 Ford Focus with about 137,000 miles. The engine was replaced about a year and a half ago with one from a junkyard. The odometer on the junkyard car had over 200,000 miles but my mechanic wasn't sure if the engine had been rebuilt or if those were original miles.
My car has been starting fine after it rests overnight, but occasionally if I drive it to run a quick errand the engine seems to misfire when I try to start it again. It will take a split second longer for the car to start and then shake quite a bit for about 15 seconds before everything comes back to normal. It seems like every time this has happened the fuel tank has been around 1/4 full so I'm not sure if that is related or just coincidence. This weekend I made a few stops within an hour or so on a full tank of gas and it started fine every time.
Spark plugs, coil pack, and battery are new within the last year. There is a small crack in the EGR tube that is going to be fixed soon.
Do you think this problem is related to the fuel system?
Thanks!
Hi benjimester ask you again i brought my car to the mechanic n they change the fuel filter but it get worse it misfire especially when i ease on the gas and try to speed up again whats causing this will it lead to bigger problem if i ran it coz i only have 1 car
Hey Gaby, it definitely could be related to the fuel system. Any form of clogging, whether it's in the fuel injectors or the fuel pump will definitely cause the symptoms you're describing. The only odd thing is that it doesn't happen right when you start the car up. That's fairly odd because cars run better after they've had the chance to warm up a bit. I suppose it's possible that the extra pressure of having a full tank of gas as opposed to an empty tank, forces the fuel to flow better. That would be my guess. If that's the case, then it's not probably clogged injectors so much as a clogged fuel pump of fuel filter.
Hey Ylla, it's tough to say what's causing that without being able to actually look at the car. Misfiring is generally caused by either 1) a lack of spark from the spark plug, 2) poor timing, which causes the explosion either too early or too late, or 3) a lack of the proper amount and ratio of fuel in the combustion chamber. So if you're experiencing misfiring, you'll either have to change your spark plugs, get your timing looked at, or make sure their aren't any clogs to your fuel system or air filter.
Hey man, i have a 94 dodge dakota v6 and i am having a problem of the pedal being pressed halfway down and getting some back firing and it is also acting like it is losing fuel pressure. It worked for the first time it had started and it went away and came back about a week later. a guy i have talked to said it sounds like i have jumped time on it. again it only backfires and misses when the pedal is halfway down i can floor it and it would be fine
sorry, seafoam worked the first time. and... i also heard you can add seafoam into your intake. would you recomenned that?
Hey Tom, yeah seafoam can be added directly to your intake manifold, but it takes a little bit of know how to do it. You have to run it in through the vacuum line. It's definitely a worthwhile procedure to do if you're up for it. Backfiring can be a tricky thing. It's pretty common for backfiring to only happen in certain instances like what you're describing with the pedal half way down. There could be a couple of things going on. Since the truck is fairly old, you definitely might have some timing/compression issues, like your friend mentioned. If things are just clogged, then cleaning the intake manifold will definitely help, as will checking your spark plugs, coil, air filter, etc to see if anything needs to be changed.
i read through the article and i think i have to try this injector cleaner. but before that i would like to know little more.. you are saying that new vehicles should not have this problems. well i have a 2011 toyota camry le has only 34,000 miles on it..it was perfect but then after two weeks from my purchase i noticed that car is idling low around 500-600. and also it would not accelerate as fast as it used to. and stepping on gas gotten more harder.. and car seems to hesitate to accelerate on 1 to 3rd gear. and it feels like my car is dragging something heavy. my car was a rental car and right when i bought it i filled it up with 91 octane from shell and i filled it twice. when i saw that my car was losing power i switched it to 87 and still have that problem.. does it sounds like a fuel injector problem?
Yeah newer vehicles shouldn't have injector clogging problems. It takes quite awhile to build up. That being said however, fuel injection cleaner is cheap, and doesn't hurt the vehicle. So you might just want to try it and see if anything gets better. But from what you're describing, it sounds more like your lack of power is coming from perhaps misfiring from a faulty spark plug or something similar. If you have a bad spark plug, then one of your cylinders won't be operational and you'll be suffering from lack of power for sure.
Here's what you might try. Turn on your car and stand behind in while it's running in idle. If you smell the scent of unburnt fuel coming out of the exhaust, then most likely your problems is stemming from one of the cylinders not firing. At that point, I'd change the spark plugs and perhaps do a full tuneup. If you don't smell the unburnt fuel, at that point, I'd try a bottle of fuel injection cleaner to see if it helps anything. Best of luck.
I have 2008 buick enclave. Engine light was on and DIC read: traction control off service stabilitrak. Ended up having the fuel injector serviced along w/throttle body, airplenum and intake. Also had mass air flow sensor replaced under warranty. Oil chabged was performed and new air filter put in. What to do now to keep this from happening again??
Hopefully it won't happen again. You should check to see if other owners are having recurring similar problems with that year and model. But with the amount of things you had worked on and replaced, I would think you solved the problem. Keep your fingers crossed though.
I have a 2004 Sonata, every time I fill it up with gasoline, the car takes like 10 mins to work. I keep trying to switch it on but with no use, it only happens when i put gas in the car. I tried putting a bottle of fuel injector but didn't seem to do anything, Any suggestions?
I have a 2001 pontiac montana and I had a tune up done to it yesterday and for some reason now everytime I come to a stop it shakes a bit like it wants to turn off. Could it be a fuel injector problem or can it be something with the tune up because it started to shake everytime I stopped almost right after the tune up??
Yaz, So it only happens on a full tank? That is odd. That's the reverse of what usually happens. When you say it takes 10 minutes to work, can you describe what you mean a little bit more. Does it not even turn on for 10 minutes or just run rough for the first 10 minutes? You might try filling up with premium next time and see if there's any difference. If it runs better on premium, that'll indicate that your fuel/air mixture is too lean for some reason when on a full tank, though we still don't know exactly why. But it'll be a step in the right direction.
Charles, it sounds like something didn't go quite right with the tuneup. What work did they do exactly? You definitely shouldn't be experiencing rougher idle and poorer fuel economy after a tuneup. Depending on what they did, there are cases where spark plugs can get fouled during or directly after a tuneup. There are a couple of reasons why this might happen, but we won't get into those reasons. If I were to take a guess, I would say that your spark plugs were either gapped improperly, installed improperly, or got fouled right away. Turn on the car and stand behind it while it's in park and see if you can smell any unburnt fuel coming out of the tail pipe. That'll be a clue as to whether or not your spark plugs are in good working order.
I'm not sure actually. I've not done that before. Too much would probably cause negative symptoms though, as the cleaner doesn't burn the exact same as gasoline. I'm not sure how much you put in exactly, but the ratio is generally 1 bottle of fuel injection cleaner per tank of gas.
Hi, hello... You're gonna scream at me when i tell you this. But I have a 2007 V6 Mustang. I recently changed the spark plugs and wires for the 1st time. The car had 129,000 miles on it. I went with the Bosch Platinum+4 plugs, and I was given the Duralast wire set (part# 4735 at AutoZone). Since then, I've noticed that my car idles a little ruff. It was fine before. I use Chevron 97% of the time, and Shell the remainder of time. But I've never changed out my fuel filter.
In your opinion, would you say that perhaps it's something in my plugs/wire marriage? Reason that I ask, is that my wires get extremely hot. Or if I should swap out my fuel filter. Thank you.
Hi, Im driving a Volvo S40 with 140000 km, I changed the filters but the rpms doesnt go above 3000 and if it does the car then vibrates, it also stalls at stops and jerks when I take off, what could be wrong and will injector cleaner help?
Hey Rudez, haha not screamin. It's not your fault that they may have given you a bad pairing. It's possible that your fuel filter could be plugged, but I think it would be a pretty big coincidence if the fuel filter started acting up right at the same time that you changed your plugs. It's weird though for the guys at Autozone to give you wires that wouldn't match the plugs. If it were me, I'd check the plugs themselves to make sure they're functioning properly. Plugs have been known to go bad during installation. Sometimes there's oil in the spark plug tube, or if the plug gets knocked around a bit, the gap can change. If they're fine and working properly, I'd swap out the wires for new ones and make sure you get wires matched for the Bosch plugs. That should be an easy enough and cheap enough swap. There's nothing wrong with changing your fuel filter either. Can't hurt. It just seems like since your problems arose after the spark plug installation, I'd check that out first before moving on.
Hey Norman, it could definitely be clogged injectors. It could also be a dirty Mass Air Flow sensor or a clogged fuel pump as well. Since the fuel that runs the car is made up of both gasoline and oxygen, you need to make sure you're getting enough of both in the combustion chamber. If it were me, I'd use both fuel injection cleaner as well as Mass Air Flow sensor cleaner. I'll bet you'll notice a huge improvement.
Hey man, i took my truck for injection cleansing a few hours ago, my question is, how long does it take to notice a change? my truck had a misfiring because the previous owner used cheap gas, i have one month with this vehicle.
Hi I have a 1999 ford expedition that is cutting off when the gas level gets to 1/4 tank and I have had the fuel pump changed and now it shakes really bad when pressing on gas after cranking or moving from stop I thought it was misfiring b/c that's what my usual mechanic said then I had diagnostics ran at autozone and my jam (keep alive memory) has low voltage plus it is burning oil up but no leaks unless in fuel. Would fuel injector cleaner help at 184,000 miles?
Tavo, the change should be immediate. If the injectors are clean, then the spray should be fully functional. I'd give it 50 miles of grace period just in case, but if it takes longer than that, then you probably have something else going on.
Wanda, it sounds like you have multiple problems going on. If you're leaking a lot of oil into your combustion chamber then you very well might have 1 or more fouled plugs which is where your misfire is most likely coming from. To deal with that, talk to your mechanic/oil change person about switching to a heavier oil like SAE 30 during the warmer summer months and maybe 10w40 in the winter. Since your truck is an older Ford, it should do well with an oil like that.
You can definitely try fuel injection cleaner. Chances are, you have some clogs in your injectors. The other things that might help would be to check your air filter to make sure it's not super dirty and to buy some Mass Air Flow sensor cleaner. It's pretty easy to use. I've linked to an article that I wrote about the MAF sensor that you can read for instructions.
Ok so I have a 2000 dodge dakota sport v6 with 150,000 miles on it. Here recently while I've been driving it jerks and when i'm at a stop light it idles rough like it almost wants to die but doesnt. I used chevron here recently it stopped for a week but started doing it again. I'm afraid its the fuel filter but i've been told with this year of truck the fuel filter is in the tank inside of the line. Any ideas? Would it be bad to try another bottle of chevron?
I forgot to say that I use only 5w30 oil already.
I didn't get the MAF link
Andrea, if you've already used a bottle of fuel injection cleaner, then it's probable that something else is going wrong. You could try another one, but it might not do any good. If your fuel pump's clogged and it's inside the tank, then there's probably not much you can do short of replacing the whole tank. But there are a number of other things that might be going wrong as well. Your air filter or Mass Air Flow sensor could be dirty, possibly both. A spark plug might be misfiring. Or it could be your fuel filter, like you said.
Did the rough idle start pretty much all at once, or has it been gradually getting worse? If it happened pretty much all at once, then that's a good indication that there's a spark plug that's misfiring. This can either happen from the spark plug itself going bad, or from a crack in the distributor cap that sends the spark its electricity. If the problem has been growing more gradually, then it's most likely one of the other issues.
Hey Wanda, the MAF link is inside the article itself, 3rd paragraph down. You ought to explore the option of switching to a heavier weight oil. Your mechanic/oil change person should be able to give you some options for that based on where you live. Some colder climate areas require different oil than warmer regions. So I can't tell you specifically what oil you should use. But a 1999 Ford at 184,000 miles is definitely a candidate for a heavier weight oil like SAE 30 or 10w40.
If you read the article on MAF cleaner and decide that you don't feel comfortable doing the procedure yourself, you can always buy a bottle of the cleaner and bring it in with you to the mechanic and see what they'll charge you to do the procedure. It shouldn't be more than $50 or $75 in labor I wouldn't think. If you do both those things, as well as a bottle of fuel injection cleaner, I think you'll notice quite a bit of difference.
Everything started all at once, the rough idle and jerking when driving. I didn't even think to check the spark plugs. When I start it I can drive it to wherever with no problems then sometimes when i go to leave and come back home it starts. Theres no check engine light on or anything.
Check to see if there's the smell of unburnt gasoline in your exhaust fumes. Start your car and let it warm up a bit and then stand behind it and see if you can detect any unburnt gasoline smell in the exhaust. If it won't idle without someone stepping on the gas a little bit, then you'll need someone to step on the gas a bit while you try and detect the scent. If you have a misfiring spark plug, then you'll not be burning all of the gas that goes into your engine and some of it will be pushed out of the exhaust. That can help to determine whether or not you have a misfiring spark plug.
When Is The best time to put the fuel injection cleaner inside the tank or is doesn't matter
You should only put the injector cleaner inside the tank when you have a full tank of gas.
Hi, I've corsa GSI 1.6, the idle is 1.4rmp is it normal or it could be there is something wrong? Also if the idle is too high is the car eating the petrol? Please let me know thanks
Hey Jan, yeah that's pretty high for an idle and yes, the higher the idle, the more fuel you're expending just sitting there. The idle is basically just the momentum it takes to keep the engine running even when the car isn't moving. Anything more than that is just wasted energy.
Hi, I have a 99 Cal. Catera and I'm having problems with when I'm driving it's starts out slow then wait to pick up speed can u pls tell me what that can be and what will help. Thanks
I need a little bit more information. Are you saying that you don't have much power when you first start moving but once you get moving to a good speed then you don't have a problem anymore? Or do you have a lack of power at all speeds?
I have a 2001 GMC 2500HD it shakes off the start and that is it, Had my guy hook up computer and tells me there is nothing wrong with the trans. It did have a couple of miss fires so I also changed the pulgs and wires...I then put some high octain fuel in it but still shaking when I take off hard...Could it be the injectors
Definitely could be the injectors. Could also be a dirty air filter, clogged fuel pump, or dirty MAF sensor. But fuel injection cleaner is the cheapest and easiest thing to use, so it's a great place to start.
Hi! I have a 2001 Ford Expedition. It has been starting and then sputtering and then shutting off. We changed the battery (it started once after doing this) we changed the fuel filter, same thing started right up and then the next day it starts sputters and shuts off...we have fuel injection in the gas (full tank)however, hasn't gone through...any suggestions? TY
Did this happen all at once, or did it get worse over the course of a few months? If it happened all at once, then you might be dealing with a misfiring cylinder or two, which is most often caused by spark plugs going bad or a cracked distributor cap. If the problem came about slowly, then hopefully the fuel injection cleaner will help. Other things that might help will be checking your air filter to see if it's dirty, and using some Mass Air Flow Sensor cleaner. I've written an article about how to clean your MAF sensor, which I've linked to in this article as well. How many miles does the car have on it? You may be due for a general tuneup, which can solve spark plug problems and other things that cause poor performance.
i have a 1995 gmc sonoma pick up and a few days ago i started to notice a strong smell of gasoline this after i degresed the engine with purple power..after looking for the source of the smell i notice a leak from one of my fuel injectors i replace the o-rings and still leaked so i replaced them again and i checked the retainer and its fine holding the injectors in place but the same one injector still leaking! could it be the injector body? i noticed a hair line crack right below where it plugs in. does this happen? any ideas?
That sucks. Sorry to hear that. I've not heard of a crack happening there before, but if you found one, then it definitely seems like that's the source of your problem. That's an odd place to get a crack, but it is what it is. You'll probably have to replace the system unfortunately, or if you know a welder, remove the system and have them try and repair the crack for you, and then reinstall it.
I put Lucas injector cleaner in my car, i have a 99 Pontiac grand am. That was two days and two tanks of gas ago and my car is running funny. The whole car shakes and takes a while to take off when i stop and all day today as been shutting off every time i stop. What does this mean?
Hi i have a 2001 audi a4 1.8t. About a month ago one of my fuel injectors went out (#2) i got it replaced at an audi shop with a used injector. Its been a little under a month and my car just started to misfire and lose power like before. Im wondering if its the same injector or a different one. I use seafoam in both my gas and oil at times but still find it weird it went out again so soon after being replaced. Also, i always use premium fuel, syn oil and changed spark plugs within the past month. Any suggestions?
Cortney, what was the car acting like before you used the Lucas injector cleaner? What you're describing is a pretty rough idle. Either the engine isn't getting enough gasoline or oxygen, possibly both. If the Lucas injector cleaner didn't solve your problems, then it's probably another system that's failing like your spark plugs, MAF sensor, or air filter.
Mike, it's difficult to say. It definitely could be the same injector, because it was a used one. It might have been near it's last leg when they put it in. But you might have also lost a spark plug. It's impossible to say really without taking it back to the shop. You may be able to get them to do some free work for you by complaining that the part they installed was faulty, that the car is having the exact same problem as before.
i have a 89 Chevy s10 4.3 v6 it runs good while driving but when i come to a stop it's like it's flooding and just dies has took spells of doing this in the past and then straighten up but now it's staying like this would you have any ideal of what might be causing the problem. thanks.
Does it die immediately or does it shake for a few seconds and then die? Also, can you keep it from dying by keeping your foot pressed slightly down on the gas?
hi, yes it does shake for a few seconds.and yes i can keep it from dying by having my foot slightly on the gas.
Well, it's most likely a system or two clogging up on you. The most common causes are clogged fuel injectors, dirty MAF sensor, dirty air filter, fouled spark plug/plugs, or a clogged fuel filter or pump. Your engine either isn't getting enough fuel or enough oxygen, and so your idle isn't enough to keep the engine alive while you're sitting still. If it were me, I'd use some fuel injection cleaner and some MAF sensor cleaner. They're both super cheap and usually pretty effective. I'd also stand behind your car while it's running and see if you can detect the scent of unburnt fuel in the exhaust. If you can't keep it from dying while it's just sitting there, you might need to have a friend press on the gas a little bit. It there's unburnt fuel in your exhaust, then that's an indication that one of your spark plugs isn't firing. And that can be the cause of your problems too. Best of luck man.
i have looked down in it and the injectors are spraying to much fuel do you know what would cause it to do that.
I have a 1997 Honda Accord and it recently started to feel like it's going to die out after I first start driving. It idles a little rough too. After it warms up it's OK. When it acts up, I let my foot off of the gas pedal then tap the pedal lightly a few times to keep it going. I tried a bottle of fuel injector cleaner in the gas tank but it didn't help. Is there something else I can try?
Jeffery, it sounds like they're just going bad. What you're describing has definitely been known to happen. If they're not clogged but are spraying too much, then they either need to be worked on by a mechanic or else just replaced. The spray required is pretty precise, and injectors definitely sometimes go bad like this. If it were me, I'd probably take them out and give them a thorough cleaning before just replacing them outright. If you have too rich of a fuel/air mixture, then it'll definitely cause poor fuel economy and rough idle.
Alan, if you've tried fuel injection cleaner and it didn't help, the your problem is most likely with a dirty MAF sensor or fouled spark plug that's leading to a misfire. In the article above I linked to 2 other articles that I've written about both those subjects. I'd check those out and see what you think.
Hi, can I put fuel injector cleaner in fractions, not full bottle content? Let's say, I gas up 1/4 of my full tank's volume, then I put 1/4 volume of the fuel injector cleaner?
Will it be alright to fill it in fractions? Will it hurt the effectiveness of the cleaner? Or better to fill in whole bottle's content with fuel tank in full?
The reason I'm asking this is that I do short trips only and don't usually fill my tank full because of the weather here in the Philippines which will quickly evaporate the gasoline.
Thanks!
Hey James. Yeah, you can definitely add it in fractions. It shouldn't hurt the effectiveness because the ratio will still be the same. I've not heard of people doing that before though, so I'm not positive it'll still be 100% effective to do that way. If your trips are really short and your engine doesn't have time to run at operating temperature for very long, it might be hard for the injection cleaner to break down any serious clogs.
have a 2004 mg zr 1.4, was having problems starting and once started would tick over very lumpy, changed the fuel injectors and the car started straight away and ticked over spot on, took for a drive(4 miles) then it started ticking over lumpy again, stopped the engine and now wont start again.would water cause this, would water not pass through the injectors, have put in injector cleaner with no effect.
Hi Benjimaster! I have a 2001 Ford Explorer and for a while whenever we (my husband and I) would fill it with gas it would start to run rough when accelerating on the highway and/ when going up a hill. The check engine light would flash on and off. My husband would step on the gas and the truck would run even more rough but then it would seem to stop and the check engine light would go off. Or it would stop when we went down hill. Then it stoppped doing this for a while and it started doing it last night on our way home while our gas tank was at 1/4 of a tank or less. I won't go into details but in the past 2 weeks due to medical issues and the truck needed a new battery (didn't know you needed to make sure that battery has water in it) we've already spent over $750 and can't afford to take it to a mechanic, but we rely on it for transportation. Could it be possible that all we need is a new fuel filter and possibly the fuel injector cleaner? I thank you in advance and hope to hear from you really soon!
Hi Benjimaster. I know you haven't had a chance to answer my question yet. BUt while I'm waiting I'm going to try adding Seafoam to my gas tank. I figure it can't hurt. But I thought I would let you know right now Napa Auto parts, if you order online and pick up at their store a can of Seafoam is about $6.50! So I'm getting 2 of them today! I live in the San Diego area so I don't know if it's just my area or everywhere but I thought you might like to know.
Hey guys, sorry it took me so long. I've been super busy these days :(
Kevin -- Water can cause symptoms like that, but they shouldn't persist. If you've already changed the injectors and added a bottle of cleaner, it sounds like this has been happening for a little while now. If I were to take a guess, I'd say it sounds more like fouled spark plugs to me. Is there anything in your exhaust, a smoke of some color, or the scent of unburnt fuel?
Hey Kara, sorry again it took so long to get back to you. That's great that Napa has such a great sale. That's super cheap for Seafoam. I love the stuff. Can use it all over the engine compartment. It sounds probably like you're dealing with a clog of some kind. If you're accelerating or going up a hill, there's more strain on your vehicle, meaning that it needs more fuel. So if it starts to run rough at that point, then you're probably dealing with a clog somewhere that isn't getting enough fuel or air to the combustion chamber to meet the demand for power.
If the seafoam doesn't fix the problem, then your clog must be somewhere else. The most common clogs form in your fuel injectors, MAF sensor, fuel filter, air filter, and fuel pump. I've written a couple of articles on how to fix clogs in some of those systems. It's also possible that one or more of your spark plugs is fouled, but that you only notice it when you need extra power. I'd encourage you to read my article on spark plug problems as well. Hope some of this is helpful. Good luck!
Your article is very informative and well detailed. Today's gasoline has Deposit Control Additives in it(Nitrogen) which helps keep engines cleaner. I use High Octane rated 91 to 93 as I have a 1990 ZR-1 high compression engine which keeps it clean. But recently I have noticed while driving in city at low speeds when giving it gas car starts to jerk back and forth as if not getting enough gas. But on the highway doesn't have a problem. Figure it could be either a fuel problem Fuel Pump) or a spark plug problem. I would appreciate your advice on what I should check first that may be causing the problem. Thank You
Hey Ron, sorry it took me so long to get back to you. It really could be a number of things unfortunately. If you're only lacking a little bit of power at slow speeds, then odds are that one of your systems is a bit clogged, whether it be the MAF sensor, fuel injectors, fuel pump, air filter, etc. It's hard to diagnose a slight lack in power like that. Often, the best thing you can do is to get a general tuneup, where they replace your air filter, clean your MAF sensor, and check the spark plugs. You can dump a bottle of fuel injection cleaner in at the same time if you want also, and just try and kick all the problems at the same time.
I have a 2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD. Recently it has started to stall when I reverse slow (like under 10-15mph) The other day it stalled out on me when i was pulling into a parking spot. Thats the first time going forward it has done that. My husband is gone for business and of course can not help me. I know nothing about vehicles. the battery was dead the other morning when I came out to start it (think this was due to the kids leaving a door opened all night). I got it jump started by a friend and they told me that it was idiling very low, that it wasnt getting enough power and that's why I was having the issue stalling in reverse. When it's in gear and I am drinving, there is absolutely no issues. I am thinking this fuel injector cleaner might sound like a solution or at least something to try. What do you think?
lefseriver 2 years ago
Thanks for this story. We just had to get an injector replaced on our truck. It was only firing on seven of eight cylinders. Then Bill, the mechanic recommended Seafoam. We tried it for the car and truck and it seemed to work. Our car is running better with over 190,000 miles on it.