Cleaning Your Fuel Injection System

a Fuel Injection System
  • 1-2 hours
  • Beginner
  • 35-50
What You'll Need
Fuel injector cleaning kit
Detailed guide to automobile engines
What You'll Need
Fuel injector cleaning kit
Detailed guide to automobile engines

Cleaning your car's fuel injection system may strike you as a daunting task, particularly if you're not well-versed in the basics of automotive upkeep. Fortunately, with the right set of of tools and a helpful instruction guide at your disposal, you'll be able to clean your car's fuel injection system in just three easy steps. So the next time your car's fuel injection system requires a good cleaning, don't go to a high-priced mechanic—just consult this handy guide. Read on and bid farewell to those costly mechanic fees and learn everything you'll need to know about cleaning fuel injectors.

Step 1 - Confirm that You Have the Proper Tools for the Job

The primary tool you'll require for this job is a cleaning kit made specifically for fuel injectors. While these kits can be fairly expensive, their price tags scarcely begin to compare with the money you'll save on mechanic fees in the long run. Also, a detailed guide to car engines is a highly recommended tool for those of us who are unfamiliar with the inner workings of automobile engines. Incidentally, such a guide may be included with your cleaning kit. Once you've acquired the proper tools, you'll be free to move on.

Step 2 - Open up Your Engine Compartment

Before you can begin the cleaning process, make sure that your engine is turned off. Then, securely prop up your car's hood and open up your engine compartment. After consulting your car engine guide, find the fuel injectors. Once you're positive you've located the fuel injectors, it is safe to proceed on to the next step.

Step 3 - Prepare Your Fuel Injection System for Cleaning

Now that you've located your engine's fuel injectors, it is time to prep them for cleaning. While the cleaning process is underway, it is important to make sure that fuel is not being pumped into your engine. This can be accomplished by using one of two methods: You can either use tubing to connect your engine's fuel inlet to its fuel outlet, or you can simply remove your fuel pump fuse or relay and stop up your engine's fuel return. Once you're certain that fuel is no longer being pumped into your engine, you may continue with the next step.

Step 4 - Begin the Cleaning Process

Having prepped your fuel injectors, it is now time to begin the cleaning process. Start by hooking a pressurized solvent up to your fuel injectors. Next, start your car's engine and run the solvent through the active engine for the amount of time specified by your cleaning kit. Once the engine has been sufficiently cleaned, turn it off and reconnect your engine's fuel line and fuel pump. After everything has been properly reconnected, turn your engine back on. If there is no real improvement in the engine's performance, it most likely requires the attention of a mechanic.

So there you have it. Cleaning your car's fuel injection system doesn't have to be a highly complex, time-consuming nightmare. Taking these three easy-to-follow steps to heart, giving your fuel injectors a vigorous cleaning can be as easy as 1-2-3!