Your engine’s fuel injectors deliver fuel into the combustion chamber in synch with the motion of the pistons. But, the diameter of an injector orifice is tiny, even smaller than the diameter of human hair. Therefore, it’s common for carbonaceous deposits on injectors to impede fuel flow and starve your engine of fuel, dramatically reducing performance. The good news, your injectors can be cleaned to restore horsepower and torque.
So, you want to know how to clean your fuel injectors?
Video transcript: How to Do a Fuel Injector Flow Test
Featuring John Gardner, ASE Master Certified technician, automotive technology instructor and host of Motorhead Garage, with AMSOIL Director of Product Marketing Len Groom (author profile).
John Gardner: Well, here are four injectors with four different spray patterns. This one’s dripping, that one’s spraying a stream, that one’s offset, and that one looks pretty good. I don’t know which one you want, but I know which one I’d pick. Welcome to this AMSOIL Tech Tip. It’s all about injectors and how they flow, and I’ve got a cool demo here. Let me fire this thing up. This is going to run the injector system: you’ve got inputs, a computer and outputs running these injectors.
Len, I can feel these injectors. I know they’re pulsing; I know the computer’s pulsing them. But I don’t have a clear intake on a car, so I really can’t see what’s going through them. I think a flow test is in order.
Len Groom: I agree.
John Gardner: To do that, we’ve got a pressure gauge hooked up, and I’ve got the fuel pressure jacked up. What I’m going to do is unplug this first one. When I unplug it, you’ve got a computer simulator over there that’s going to open and close this injector. Go ahead and hit it. Here we go: about 34.
Len Groom: 34.
John Gardner: Yeah, and you just compare that to all the injectors. We’ll bring the fuel pressure back up and try another one. About 34. It’s flowing the same. Now, if this one wasn’t flowing at all, or was flowing less, you’d know you’ve got a restriction. If we’ve got a clogged injector, how can AMSOIL help us?
Len Groom: AMSOIL fuel injector cleaners, specifically our AMSOIL P.i. Performance Improver and our AMSOIL Upper Cylinder Lubricant. Those are the two key products for a gasoline system. You want to keep the injectors clean, and you want to make sure the entire system is free of deposits. That’s what you do with P.i., every 4,000 miles. Upper Cylinder Lubricant goes in every tank, so you’re treating your fuel all the time. The key is a clean system, clean injectors and a good spray pattern.
John Gardner: Speaking of spray patterns, I think we learned we want ours to look like that, and that’s what yours is going to look like when you use AMSOIL. Check out all their fuel-injection products and so much more at amsoil.com.
Pay the pros
One method is to take your vehicle to a mechanic and have them clean your injectors for you. However, as you might guess, this is not the cheapest approach, and it comes with the hassle of scheduling service and living without your vehicle while it’s at the shop.
Do it yourself
You could take on the project yourself. You can easily find instructions online on how to remove fuel injectors from the engine, clean them and reinstall them. The process can be done with the right tools and knowledge, but there is an easier way.
Use a fuel additive
Using the right fuel additive to clean fuel injectors is a simple approach that’s also inexpensive and just as effective. However, as this post explains, this technique requires a fuel additive with enough strength to get the job done.
AMSOIL P.i.® Performance Improver
AMSOIL P.i. Performance Improver gasoline additive contains concentrated detergents that aggressively clean stubborn, power-robbing deposits from injectors, valves and the combustion chamber. It’s effective in port and direct-injection systems and cleans the entire fuel system in one tank.
AMSOIL P.i. restores GDI fuel injectors up to a 100% flow rate¹ and restores up to 14% horsepower.² P.i. also fights intake valve and combustion chamber deposits to help restore power, control knock and reduce the need for higher-octane fuels. Use AMSOIL P.i. every 4,000 miles to thoroughly clean the injectors, valves and combustion chamber.
AMSOIL Upper Cylinder Lubricant
Your engine’s top-end is sparsely lubricated and prone to the development of deposits and corrosion, an issue compounded by ethanol in fuel. While P.i. Performance Improver is designed to attack and remove stubborn deposits, Upper Cylinder Lubricant helps preserve injector and combustion-chamber cleanliness between P.i. treatments. Use AMSOIL Upper Cylinder Lubricant in every tank of fuel to help maintain peak performance.
AMSOIL Upper Cylinder Lubricant also delivers 18% more lubricity than Lucas* and 20% more than Sea Foam* for better retention of horsepower and fuel economy.³
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Brad Nelson is an AMSOIL Technical Writer II who develops content about lubricant technology, product performance and vehicle maintenance. He works with engineers and product specialists to translate testing, application requirements and approved performance claims into clear customer guidance. Nelson’s work includes AMSOIL Blog articles, AMSOIL Magazine features and technical explanations concerning motor oils, gear lubricants, vehicle systems and maintenance practices.
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