Clogged Fuel Injectors Can Make Your Car Run Poorly and Your Mileage Suffer!

So where do you go from there? First thing I do is connect my On Board Diagnostic code reader and see if there are any underlying mechanical issues that may be causing the engine to run rough. If you do not have a code reader any respectable auto parts shop will have one they can use on your car.

The main idea of them having a reader you can use for free is that you are likely going to feel compelled to purchase parts from them if the reader shows a specific failure. While you are certainly under no obligation to buy the parts from them, it is courtesy to honor them helping you. I feel that the money would be well spent to get your very own code reader. There are many of these on the market and each type offers features that are better suited to a particular situation. Mine can read many of the more common models, and where that fails there is a "Generic" On Board Diagnostic mode that gives basic information on the vehicle in question.

Now back to our story, if you see that there are no specific codes in your car's computer, then it is possibly one of those mystery issues that may cause mechanics to pull our hair out. I have found that occasionally it is a good idea to run some bottled additive through your fuel system which may be useful in clearing out crud that may be stuck in your fuel injectors. Replacing the injectors may be an option, but I assure you they are not cheap and the job is fairly difficult on most cars today. Just getting at the injectors can be half a day spent removing other parts from the engine just to access the injectors.

I have found that the older the vehicle then the harder it is to get the old injectors out. The heat of your engine can cause the small o-ring seal to harden up and it can be rusted on the injector body as well. Some penetrating oil patience and elbow grease are all helpful if you are replacing your injectors. However before you jump to that step it is cheaper and smarter to try other means prior to heading down the path of replacement. How do you know which injector cleaner is going to work for you? Each parts store may offer a different brand, and many are made up with the same basic chemical formula, so I find it easy to ask around and see what other car people have been using.

Choosing one brand over another may just come down to how much you like the the products that a specific company offers. I find that once a brand has done well for me then I tend to stick with them on other products as well. After selecting your injector cleaner there is one rule that must be adhered to and that is the suggested mixture ratio should not be altered. I know it is tempting to think that if a little is good then more must be better, but that is where critical mistakes can be made. There are specific tolerances for every component in your fuel system and adding too much of a good thing can actually break something that yesterday was working just fine.

One example might be that the additive you chose makes the fuel burn hotter in the cylinder, and as a result you could fry a valve or even melt a piston. This would be rare, but adding too much of your favorite fuel injector cleaner might cause severe damage. I know from experience that some fuel pumps are not happy when you process specific additives through them and they can momentarily malfunction if you have too much additive in one tank full of gas. My mother in law had a Plymouth Breeze and the injector additive made the old fuel pump stop working within three miles of pouring it in. Replaced fuel pump and ran same fuel trough it with no trouble.

The number of cylinders in your car may determine how much you can get away with adding. Ii would be more cautious when adding any cleaners to four and six cylinder cars. Seems that the eight cylinder engines can handle a little more additive before things go haywire.

So follow the directions, and also make a note of when you put it in, and jot down how the car ran with the additive in the tank. If you see no improvement then it is likely that something else is causing your engine to run rough, likely a sensor that is going bad. If you think the injectors are going bad, you can find rebuilt ones that are guaranteed to work, and some even have a warranty. The ones I bought for a Ford F-150 worked beautifully as they were an upgraded model injector with an improved flow port and more holes in the nozzle.

So when you are not quite sure your car needs parts replaced to make it run smoother it cannot hurt to try running a bottle of fuel injector cleaner through with your next tank of gas. I personally have had it work on at least 75% of the vehicles that I tried it on.

Thank you for reading my articles here on AC-Yahoo!