Injector Cleaners Effectiveness - or How much 'Bulshi' goes with Wasa'

Dad1340 - The internal condition of the engine depends a lot on the work the engine has been doing.
Diesels do best when worked hard, and they deliver best fuel economy at 1/2 to 2/3rds throttle.

There are hundreds of thousands of diesels in urban areas that hardly ever get to proper operating temperature, and rarely run for enough length of time at modest or fast engine speeds, to ensure that they stay clean.

As a result, these diesels become clogged up with soot and carbon and sludge. All engines take 20 mins to reach full operating temperature.

In addition, excessive idling results in regular inadequate fuel combustion, soot buildup, and increased crankcase pollution due to unburnt fuel, or partially-burnt combustion by-products, contaminating the crankcase oil.

Diesels that are given regular long runs at highway speeds, and that aren't idled excessively, stay pretty clean naturally. That's why diesel vehicles with long, fast highway kms, get long engine life.

The current crop of Common Rail injection systems utilise injectors with multiple, very fine orifices, and reduced clearances between the moving components.
In addition, CR systems usually operate with multiple injections for each power stroke, instead of one injection stroke, as in the older, simpler, Bosch-type injection systems.

As a result, CR injection systems need regular injector cleaning. Isuzu are big on injector cleaning, with a factory recommendation to clean their CR injectors every 100,000kms.

So, in essence, if you're doing a lot of reasonable distance highway work at highway speeds with your diesel, you shouldn't need injector cleaner for your older, Bosch-style injections systems.
If you're running a CR fuel system, then regular injector cleaning is definitely recommended.

But, if your diesel is used mostly as Mum's shopping trolley and kids school bus, with 10-15 minute runs - then one thing's for sure - that engine will be suffering from a lot of undesirable buildup of combustion contaminants that will be clogging up oilways, injectors and combustion chambers.

Cheers, Ron.

"Practical Test:
Run up a steep hill and got over it in third in 1986 @ 4,000km
Identical result in 2014 @ 285,000km
(Had the original injectors when sold in 2014)"

Hi

With all due respect that little experiment proves absolutely nothing as you dont have a "control" to compare with. (i.e. same car used in exactly same fashion over same time period without use of IC). Could well have powered over the hill twice as fast - we will never know.

Cheers
Greg

AH well, I'll keep using it. A fella at a servo asked me once "Does that stuff do any good". I said "I dunno, but it makes me feel good"!

Yeah, I use Chemtech in my Chev Silverado's 6.6 Duramax engine. I also have a $800+ additional fuel lift pump/filtration system (FASS 150).

I do that for some piece of mind and to try and keep the injectors and IP in good nick......they'd cost me a kidney to replace!!

However, by FAR and AWAY (in my mind) the more important thing I've done to ensure my engine's longevity is to fit a Provent 200 oil catch can AND block off the EGR valves.

Why? Well, here's the thing: a "normal" modern diesel engine has a GREAT (sarcasm icon please) system of sending oily vapour and sooty rubbish back into the air intake downstream of the air filter. Sooty gases PLUS oily vapour turns into TAR (or what looks and feels like dried tar).

I've seen intake manifolds that are so clogged-up with this "wonderful" gunk, they can hardly breathe.

Cheers,
Roachie

I had one positive experience with injector cleaner in an old tech Nissan TB42s petrol engine. I regularly used carby/throttle body cleaner when I serviced the vehicle. One time this resulted in some gunk being dislodged which blocked the idle jet. One mechanic mate suggested a bottle of injector cleaner and a tank of Shell 98 RON which he reckoned had the best 'cleaners' in it. Worked a treat, within 15 min there was a bit of a cough and splutter in the engine and the blockage was gone. Apart from a carby strip, the alternative solution suggested was to reverse a couple of plug leads and make the vehicle backfire through the carby thereby blasting out the offending particle (may have required the removal of needle as well I can't remember).

Real life experience.

Put a small amount in a spoon. Hold a lighter under it, ( yes, like a junkie ) and watch what the burnt product produces. Some burn clean, ie they will actually clean. Others will produce more carbon than burning straight acetalene.

Then chose what you want to ad to your fuel.

Steve

One of the things that are forgotten is the advancement in fuels. Fuel companies are not concerned with your light vehicle but they are concerned with their product in the big user areas, transport, mining, civil and light shipping. With the advent of high pressure injection systems, they have improved fuels quite a bit, to ensure their products don't cause problems in these areas, which includes keeping injectors clean and lubricating pumps.

There are many common rail engines out there that have some very big K's and hours on them and they haven't had injector problems.

Caltex do market an injector cleaner but they are also working on, road testing and marketing new fuels to stop fouling.

The easiest way to determine what is in injector cleaners, is to look at the MSDS sheet for each one.

The bulk of the ingredients in most are simply naptha products and other petroleum products.

The major constituent of the cleaners is usually simply a petroleum-based solvent chemical that strips deposits such as carbon, gum and varnish from injector and engine components.

"Stoddard solvent" is a common ingredient to all the injector and fuel system cleaners, along with "proprietary additives" in small quantities.

Often, the proprietary additives are not disclosed due to "commercial sensitivity" - but they rarely feature in any quantity, and are rarely toxic - or they would have to be listed in the MSDS sheet.

Stoddard solvent is a mix of aliphatic and alicyclic hydrocarbons, produced as the original dry-cleaning fluid in 1924 in the U.S.

It has been superseded since the late 1950's by an improved dry-cleaning fluid that is less toxic and safer to handle for the benefit of long-term health.

The closest we have today to Stoddard solvent is White Spirit, which is also a very effective solvent and also used to get difficult stains out of clothing.

So, you could drop 100-150ml of White spirit into your fuel tank, and essentially get a very similar result as the "brand name" injector cleaners, at far less cost!

Cheers, Ron.

Wow, I didn't realise how many chemical engineers watch this site. Thanks guys.

Exceptional responses that should be read by all readers.

Brilliant !

Cheers

dad