Fuel Injector Cleaner. Should I?

Since I bought my 2001 Outback Limited in December, it's been working great and I have been doing many precautionary things to ensure it continues to work great. One of these is considering using fuel injector cleaner. Being that I don't know the previous owner and if they used any of this, does it hurt whatsoever to use Gumouts Fuel Injector cleaner on a Subaru?

Also I noticed Gumout suggests using their fuel injector cleaner every 3000 miles where as STP suggested using their fuel injector cleaner once every 6 months. Whats the difference for this? Does fuel injector cleaner *really* clean off the intake valves, improve the delivery of fuel to the chamber, etc?

Brad

Reply to
Bradley Walker
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I most often use fuel injector cleaner in response to an engine being a little "ragged." It's most noticeable at low engine speeds and especially with manual trannies. The clutch seems to get real touchy, not the rhythmic judder of a grabbing clutch but rather pulling the engine speed down a lot and needing to feather the clutch to take off. It also can clean out the check valve that holds pressure in the fuel rail, so the car starts on the first crank instead of the second... but it isn't a cure-all.

My take on it is that it is a cheap thing to try that can't hurt, might help, and is more valuable if you use cheap gas (like I do). A couple or three times a year is enough. The better brands, like Chevron and Shell, have enough detergents to do the job. And some cars don't care about cheap gas, either.

Mike

Reply to
Michael Pardee

I doubt that product, used as directed would hurt anything. I usually use Techron in my cars every coupla years. I've heard good reports on RXP as well as Sea Foam.

ymmv

Carl

Reply to
Carl 1 Lucky Texan

Given the fact that all gasolines now detergent additives, there is no need to add any yourself on a regular basis. Unless you have symptoms that lead you to believe that the injectors are dirty you can save your money. If it makes you feel better, an occasional container of Techron in the tank shouldn't hurt but probably won't help much either. Concentrated detergents can dilute the oil, so if you're going to use them it's best to do so right before an oil change.

Reply to
mulder

Hi,

My experience with Gumout years ago, when everything was carbed, was good. I don't remember what their recommendation for was for use, but I got my "ideas" from my grandfather, whose VW mechanic (early '60s Bug guy, not the new stuff) suggested twice a year, or 5000 mile intervals.

Over the years, as we've gone to computerized injected systems, Gumout's added products to their line, but none seem to be as effective as the original to me. That could be purely subjective, though. Same w/ STP brand.

A few years back, a parts guy suggested I try Berryman's B-12 Chemtool. I tried it, following instructions (16 oz to 16-20 gal of gas) and it did a LOT better job IMO. Later, I tried using 4 oz/tank w/ each tank, and while the results don't seem as dramatic, I feel "a little all the time is better than a lot once in a while." Recently, they came out with a "Premium" version that's apparently concentrated a bit more (16 oz to

35 gal is the recommendation) but costs the same. I started using 2 oz/tank in one of my vehicles, and the results seem better than the 4 oz of the "regular." Again, this could all be subjective!

Since you don't know the history of fuel system cleaning on your car, I'd suggest you try the Berryman's in small doses so you don't "shock" the system in case of a big buildup of goo. You can always dump in a whole can later...

Another product that's frequently suggested is Chevron's Techron. Same stuff they put in their gas, but you can buy it by the bottle. It's about twice the price of the others in my area, but lots of people swear by it, and Chevron's one of the first "Top Tier" gasoline sellers here in the US, so I guess the auto mfrs like their product, too!

Some would suggest you put the cleaner in, run it thru a tank or so, then replace the fuel filter. Thought is there may be lots of gum in the tank and lines that gets dissolved and will clog the filter. It makes a good story, but I don't know if there's any truth to it...

Good luck,

Rick

Reply to
Rick Courtright

Hi,

I've tried RXP in the past. It seems to do a great job of decarbonizing the combustion chamber and surrounding areas (valves, tops of pistons and such) but I don't think it's so much of a fuel system cleaner as Techron and others. I could be wrong.

Rick

Reply to
Rick Courtright

I won't dispute that. They kinda promote it as a do-all additive. Normally, I think mechanic-in-a-can remedies are a waste. Techron and a coupla others may be an exception. I think gas dryers work if there's a little water in the gas. And I certainly would TRY some bottled stuff before spending huge dollars on a repair - but I try to have realistic expectations. ;^)

Carl

Reply to
Carl 1 Lucky Texan

Hi,

I'm on the fence here: like the pudgy person who buys into each new "wonder" diet, I try these things out of curiosity, wondering if MAYBE one will perform as advertised. I think most of them probably do ONE thing well, the rest is hype. Trick is finding which thing they do, and which one does that job best. It keeps the mfrs in ready cash, no?

In reality, I'd say as a preventive measure, most of these things don't hurt, but as a curative item, well, that's probably not likely!

Rick

Reply to
Rick Courtright

RXP rules!!!! Cleans your engine and will help you pass the emissions tests

Reply to
bigjim

Just use premium gas. It has injector cleansers in it. But if you still want to use an ejector cleaner the only I trust is one made by clean-flow.

good luck, Bill

Reply to
Bill Dickie

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