fuel additives

Does Your Car Need Injector Cleaning?

You may have been involved in an incident such as this one. You noticed that your vehicle was not performing as well as it used to, or that your mileage was running low, so you decide to get it checked out. To your surprise, the expert servicing your vehicle tells you that your injector needs cleaning. So, do you go ahead with the service or not? How do you know when your injector needs cleaning?

Typically, injectors do not need cleaning unless they are clogged. Any other time a technician recommends one could just be a revenue generator. Read on to learn when and how your car could get clogged injectors, and how to deal with them when they occur.

Signs and Causes of Clogged Injectors

Injectors are the parts of your vehicle’s interior that are responsible for supplying the engine with fine gas to convert into mechanical energy. When fuel-injectors are working optimally, the engine performance is great and its gas economy is high. The vehicle is efficient in its use of fuel to perform.

However, it is when injectors become clogged that car owners notice performance problems with their cars. For instance, when your injectors are clogged, you may notice that your vehicle is emitting more heavily than before, or that it had drivability issues like poor acceleration. Additionally, you may observe any of the following – the car has a rough idle, stalling or lower gas mileage. These problems are a manifestation of clogged injectors.

Injectors become clogged for a number of reasons, the most common one being prolonged vehicle idling. When a car is left idling for long, the condensation at the bottom end of its internal system. This condensation leads to the accumulation of guck within the projector thereby effectively clogging it. Also, the use of low-end gasoline (which has minimal traces of the detergents needed to remove this carbon, varnish and condensation accumulation) results in clogged fuel-injectors.

Cleaning is not the only way to fix Injector Clogging

When your car has clogged fuel-injectors, thorough cleaning is one way to fix them. If you go for cleaning, choose a shop with a service that involves taking the fuel-injectors out and cleaning them with specialized machines. There are shops which offer cleaning services where the injector is cleaned while still mounted on the engine.

However, this is not the only recourse when dealing with clogged injectors. Buying high-quality gasoline for your car also lessens and prevents injector clogging because it prevents the accumulation of dirt within the fuel system. Alternatively, if buying premium gas presents a challenge, invest in a fuel system cleaner. You can get cleaners over the counter in numerous shops. Cleaners will help you achieve the same results as premium gas – ridding the system of unwanted accumulation and preventing injector clogging.

Even with these remedies, you should take precautions to prevent injector clogging in the first place. Do not let your car idle because doing that causes more harm than good. More importantly, take your vehicle for regular maintenance checks.