Using injector cleaner
 

I just got back from Auto Zone to buy some injector cleaner and the clerk to told me another way to use it besides in the gas tank. He said that you can disconnect the vacuum hose from the master cylinder, get the car to about 1K rpms, and slowly add the cleaner into the hose. He said it will suck the cleaner into the engine and clean just about everything but the injectors. He said that just about the only thing that you do clean, when you add it to the gas tank, is the injectors. Anyone else ever used the injector cleaner this way? Does it work better? He said it will smoke like hell, but that it was normal. Thanks

Never heard of that b4.

Why do u need to clean anything but the injectors? I thought the injector is really the only thing to clean. You can just rev your engine to 9K once in a while to clean it.

correct me if Im wrong.

:O

It's the throttle body aka carburator that you add the cleaner to not the master cylinder.

That's for brakes.

Yes, I know the master cylinder is for the brakes. But the person at the store says that there is a vacuum hose attached to or near the master cylinder that leads to the intake of the engine. This is where he said to add it, not into the master cylinder with the brake fluid.

I think he's talking about cleaning the throttle body. Throttle bodies do get dirty over time. To clean mine, i just take off all the hosing from the airbox to the throttle body. Then I get a small brush, firm toothbrush or wirebrush works best, and i spray Carb Cleaner and clean like crazy. then i wipe out all the black gunk with a rag. Then i have some one start up the car and i spray carb cleaner into the throttle body as I rev the engine. Once the smoke coming out the tailpipe stops being black and is just white, then youre pretty much done.

Using injector cleaner
 

ExcelonGT is right about the throttle body. It would be the best way to clean everything but the injectors. It won't hurt your engine to spray a little cleaner through a vacuum port but I wouldn’t get too carried away with it. Too much could flood it and that would not be a fun afternoon.

That being said, just rev it man. Really, it’s free and fun at the same time. How many things in life are that simple? :)

I have heard of guys cleanning there fuel system this way(brake booster area hose). Talked to the BG dude, advised not to do this. Possible hydro-lock? But anyway doing this from the TB, wont this throw a cell?

No it shouldn't through a CEL. The worst it would do is cause the engine to quit running. Because our throttle is computer controlled without actual linkage the ECU will simply try to correct the over rich problem until it can not compensate any longer and quits. You should not be able to cause a hydro lock situation unless your literaly pouring liquid down the throttle body long after it quit. Really, just rev it. If you manage to build up enough carbo to foul something up, it will be the second or third intake runner valve. Those have to be taken off to be cleaned. If you get that far, you might as well replace them.

Rev it.

no u can theres a master cylinder but a vacuum hose thats connected to the intake manifold.........ive seen it done, hell ive done it...........or what u can do is for example on the bottom of the intake especially with the revi, where that red nipple u sealed up on the bottom of the intake pipe, that is ur manifold vacuum vent, hook the cleaner into it, correction dont do it at 1k rpms too slow itll take forever........ due it 1500-2000 rpms, wont throw a code, unless the person pushin on the gas cant seem to a hold a decently steady rpm...........

so, let me get this straight cuz i've never done this beore... few questions...
can we use ANY fuel injection cleaner? or should i look for a specific one for this type of application? pour the WHOLE bottle or how much of it?
also, any vaccuum hose attached to the intake is fine, right?
thanks

Would you guys really pour snake oil into the inlet of a good car?

I've run enough old cars, and tried enough of those things to be pretty skeptical. The most traumatic experience was with a '59 Oldsmobile my brother had in the mid-60s. Ran fine, didn't use oil, but there was a little bit of tappet noise. A pump jockey recommended one of those pour-into-the-carb cleaners. We did so. The engine belched out smoke, for a bit. Then it continued to emit a bit of smoke...for the rest of its life, as it burned a quart every couple of hundred miles. Looks like the snake oil cleaned out whatever sludge was helping the rings do their job.

Pouring stuff through the induction system wouldn't have done squat to fix a sticking lifter, either. Just like pouring injector cleaner into the inlet won't clean the injectors. I could see it diluting the oil that's lubing the seals, though.

I also had some equally rewarding adventures with auto transmission snake oils.

If an injector really is dirty, there are professional cleaning methods. As far as running cleaner through them, gasoline generally has a cleaner built in. (Remember the Mobile commercials with the washing machine in the "o"?) FI cleaner is just another dose of the stuff that gas would usually come with.

Ken

I've read that nearly all the "snake oil" out there is really unnecessary for a well maintained engine, with the exception of one: Techron Fuel Injector Cleaner. I know some gasoline brands (Chevron, obviously) already contain injector cleaners, but I don't think all brands do.

The thing I wonder about is if it's ok to use it (as directed, to clean the injectors) in a rotary engine. Since no one here has mentioned to avoid it, I'm assuming it's okay.

Any good quality gasoline brand will, shell, chevron, bp/amoco, speedway...

has anyone heard of a product called Sea Foam?

http://www.seafoamsales.com/motorTuneUpTechGas.htm

Yes, good stuf. But right now I'm using the lucas injector cleanner(w/top end lube)

sea foam is actually the only stuff i had heard of being added through the vacuum hose. i think it is actually part of the directions on the bottle? ive got a couple of friends that swear by the stuff. never used it myself.

i poured 1/3 of the bottle into the gas tank & 1/3 into the oil this morning... gonna pour the last 1/3 through a vacuum hose in just a bit... didn't have anyone to rev the engine up for me while i poured it in...
i'll let you all know how it goes...

ok... bad news
went ahead & poured in through the vacuum hose but noticed it was leaking right out the opening on my k&n typhoon. started the car & drove off, but once i hit 7k rpm the car stuttered & the check engine light came on. now i gotta figure out what the hell i'm gonna tell my dealer...

which vacuum hose did you pull to do it?

I used the oil vac hose (pcv)...
didn't do a thing... just leaked right down into the filter... had the engine revving b/w 2k & 2.5k
what the hell should i do now?

u know... i wanna comment on something, though...
before i did this, i had run all day on 1/3 of the sea foam in the gas tank & 1/3 in the oil... my engine had never started up & idled so smoothly...

drive the car. not much you can or should do. you put it into the wrong point. the pcv will just put it into the intake track and once it hits that there is no more vacuum to suck it into the engine. That is why you are supposed to use the vacuum hose on the brake booster.


edit: there is not a strong(concentrated) enough vacuum to suck it into the engine. Strong enough to pull the air into the ports...but not the liquid.

You used the wrong hose.....the vaccum line is connected to the firewall right behind the brake liquid container. You pull it out and use it.

That being said you car should be ok wait for a while and let the car sit overnight and then start it the next day it may be hard so crank it a good bit and give gas..

It'll idle ruff but eventually smooth out.


BTW Seafoam is great stuff...

where is the brake booster vacuum hose? on the firewall... right behind the brake fluid container?? is there enough vacuum there?

This is how i did for my 04 GTP,,,yes its behind the brake fuild container...there is a rubber hose that connects to the firewall on one end and the other end goes into the throttle body.

You have to disconnect that hose and cover it with your thumb...once you have a person in the car and its warm....let go of yer thumb and put in the Seafoam while the person in the car makes sure the car doesn't die from chugging. After finishing with the seafoam let the car die and wait for half hour or so before starting it.

When you do start it, it maybe hard and will idle ruff bt will smoothen out slowly

Hope this helps

In your case what I am thinking happened is that the Seafoam was sitting in your intake...and when you finally began driving it..it went in the throttle body and made it chugg and then stalled. SO in other words nothing bad happened..

Just wait for sometime and then start the car..bt make sure the car starts the first time since its a Rotary and Flodding issues blah blah