What exactly does a dealership or shop do when they offer a fuel injector cleaning? Is this something that can be done by a DIY'er in the garage or is there more involved in it then just dumping a can of fuel system cleaner into the fuel system? I also have almost always used 91 octane in my truck so I may not even need this service done. No rough idle or anything. Just trying to improve them MPG's a little.

 

i wish it was that easy but they actually get right to the injectors, they hook up what looks to be huge syringes to each fuel injector and (inject) a solvent or cleaner strait through the fuel injector. at firestone it costs around $70 for the service, but after i had my truck done it ran like new, and i had more horsepower than ever!

i would definately let them do it, it will save you time and its a reasonable price

 

I'd try the Lucus fuel injector cleaner that you add to the tank. I've always used it and never had a problem. It isn't alcohol based either so it won't dry out any seals.

 

Just had my Expedition done at the dealer and she runs like new and the injector noise is gone as well.

 

Interesting information!
So other than straight up dealership or local garage methods, the LUCAS brand seems to work the best?

I was looking into the over-the-counter fuel injector cleaning products as well, for a better/more efficent running engine.
Tony.

 

A small bottle of additive is not going to have the same effect as a full on injector clean from the dealership. The additive, if anything, is just going to help prolong the injectors, whereas the full injector clean will blast them clean of anything and everything.

 

At first I was skeptical of having my dealer perform this service. But the truck ran a lot better afterwards and I will be having it done again.

 

nnero,
that sounds great! Do you have a 5.4L 3v as well?
My truck is going to the dealership this coming monday for some service, would you 100% recommend the fuel injector cleaning?
ps. how much did that process cost for you?
Tony.

 

Yes, I have the 5.4L engine as well. I would reccomend having this service done when you have the fuel filter replaced. It cost somewhere around $150 for the fuel injection service, new fuel filter and all labor.

 

Unless your truck in tuned for 91 octane fuel, you are not getting any benefit out of using any fuel higher than 87 octane. Unless you are having problems, I would try running two tankfulls of gas with Lucas cleaner in it before getting the service. You got nothing to loose..

 

Just had the 'Fuel System Flush' done at the dealer. Supposedly it includes cleaning the injectors, 'engine decarb' and throttle body cleaning. Not sure what the engine decarb is but truck seems to idle smoother and the Edge CS says I'm getting about 1 mpg better on the street (45-50mph). I could relate that more to the throttle body cleaning than the injectors but maybe it helped. Cost me $144. They tried to tell me I should change my fuel filter again even though I did it about 16k miles ago. Seems like every time I go to the dealer they cut the service intervals in half.

 

LMAO! Sounds like Post Office math. Leave the office with 10 hours of work and they expect you back in 8. I guess it's a money maker.

 

How often do you need to clean your injectors. Is it every 30,000 miles.

 

I have been using Sta-Bil 'Marine' stabilizer/cleaner for many years in my vehicles and yard engines. I've never had any fuel system trouble with any of them, including my F-150 which may sit for two weeks at a time. I only have 19,500 miles on it. My theory is you start using it new, and even though it is only a mild solvent, the fuel system never gets dirty. If you don't do anything like that, you'll need the fuel system service every so often. I recently switched to the '360' for Ethanol fuels. We have to use E10 here and it's been that way for a long time.
I think my way is better, because the fuel systems seem to stay in new condition along with the catalytic converters - they stay 'sweet', never with the rotten egg smell.
Another thing; on the use of 'premium' fuel or 'mid-grade', premium usually has a better additive package with more cleaning power, so although your vehicle which runs on regular may not need it to function, using it from time to time seems like a good thing to me. I can attest to the fact that our 2015 Honda Odyssey gets about 2 MPG more on Shell mid-grade than it does on generic regular. Is that important? Is it a big deal? Not really, but an engine with no mechanical or software modifications that gets 2 more mpg than usual is creating less carbon fouling in the engine and producing less emissions per mile.

 

I run a can of sea foam every other fill up its good stuff cost about 7.00.. You can run it in anything with a motor