Sunday, Mar 13, 2016 at 12:43
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.
AnswerID:
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