Is injector cleaning service worth a darned?

[bower100]

The way this 185k miles BII runs and since I have no idea if the injectors have ever been cleaned or replaced in it's lifetime,(I'm the last 4k miles owner), I think I shold try something.

Question:
Any one have good results from a injector cleaning service where they unhook the gasline at the fuelrail and hook-up a pressure fed blend of cleaner and gas? (I guess it runs for like 15 minutes).

It's that or just replace the injectors with either reconditioned ones or new, .. ... ones.

Someone posted about a guy on the internet that exchanges yours for ones he reconditioned. (At a great savings compared to new).

Anyone remember the post or have a # I can call?

Thanks guys, dave

[84_4x4]

how does it run? what are some of the problems its having? never know we might be able to help

it may not be an injector problem at all so i wouldn't throw parts at it until your sure you have bad injectors

[bb61]

I had a miss at idle that was getting progressively worse. I changed plugs, wires, and distributor - no help. I took it in and had the system cleaned and it made the miss go away. FWIW.

[Hair]

the injector cleanners that you discribe are very good
do that as the first step or try this first it has worked for me!



"throwing parts at a problem"


the next step
NAPA

Item#: MPF318036

Price: $37.99

or remanufactured

NAPA

Item#: CRB217036

Price: $24.99
Core: $14.75

it sounds like the problem

[bower100]

I researched the internet for remanufactured injectors.... really, there just cleaned in a machine specifically for that, and then new o-rings and end-cap put on 'em.

Anyway, several places do them for $15 each... ship to them, thay send back "done".

Question : it looks like removing them is pretty easy. ... (after taking off the air intake plenum). True?

Anyone ever have trouble lifting the fuelrail free from the injectors .... old/dried o-rings super-stuck in the fuelrail? Is the fuelrail brittle or flimsy .... easy to bend ? (I'm not fumble fingers idiot, but if it's brittle, it'd be nice to be forwarned).

how does it run? what are some of the problems its having? never know we might be able to help

Cranks long time to start. Much easier to start by cranking only a couple seconds, then stop and recrank again.... usually listening for fuel pump to "cycle". (90% of the time, fires right up). ( In severe cold it may fight to get running on second crank).

After cold start, it high ides, (1400-1500 rpm), for minute or so, then drops to 750 or so. (Normal. I think). Infrequently, the high idle roams from 1000 to 1400. Rare though. And even rarer, after idling down to 750, it sometimes almost stalls, but always catches itself before it does and then resumes to hold a steady 750.

Even on warmer days though, it sometimes can be a bitch after it been running and shut off and then minutes later it's tried to start. (I never smell gas....ever, so I think it's always an issue of leanness. Rough estimate, it gets about 11-14 mpg.

Very sluggish power... (don't know what a good running 2.9 feels like anyway), but most anything on the road can out accelerate it from a light.

Shop tested fuelpump pressure at test port on the fuelrail. (I thought it might be giving up). They said it pumped up to 38 psi at "key-on". Book calls for 30-40, and I know that is not a conclusive test. It might not be consistant .....or the pressure regulator system might be acting up at times. (Don't know anything about it).

Plugs, cap, rotor, TFI, pick-up coil all new. (Wires looked good, could'nt see the need). Idle Air Control gizzmo is working good...took it off, cleaned and "book" tested it.

There's no stored error codes in the ECU....clean. (11 - 11 = no codes.)

What else can I tell ya? Oh yeah, I cleaned the engine to firewall ground strap connections...and added a second one to boot. Then included one that also runs back to the battery negative. (If I knew where the ECU was, I'd run a ground right to it's mount too).

Last brain storm ...mayby the cat converter clogged? .... does have 185k miles. (prolly origional one). If I bought a new one, two choices. A $50 new "universal" one or a $90 "like OEM" replacement? Should I avoid the cheapy? .... maybe poor flow performance? I dunno?


There ya go.... thats the whole deal.... biggest bitch...does'nt start right. Second bitch...super sluggish.

[ranger5.0]

Isn't gasoline a natural solvent?

I believe that Fuel injector cleaners are a gimick just like an engine rebuild in a can. Over the years of service, the fuel injector can wear and not provide the optimum spray pattern it was designed to do thus giving the engine a poorer performance.

I believe your problems are elsewhere.

BTW build a test pipe to replace the cat. This will tell you if it is the problem without having to spend the big money on new one hoping it will fix the problem. usually a clogged cat will show poor performance at higher rpms, shouldn't make it hard to start. Could be low compression of a tired motor.

[bower100]

Sorry I forgot to mention that.

I had some concerns but I was pretty pleased when I checked it last summer and found three cylinders @100 psi, two @ 105 and one @ 110 psi .

The clogged cat is suspected only due to poor power.

The injectors , because of the hard starting, the occasional erratic idle and a possible contributor to poor power.

The injector cleaning folks claim injectors accumulate deposits from additives in the gas that are left behind on the injectors pintle and nozzle orifice after the gas evaporates on the injector after you shut off the engine. Just as the intake valves accumulate deposits. ....they do, don't they?

One cleaner service claimed rust to be the single most contrubuting factor of injector failure. Water in your gas that may stop at the injector on engine shut-off. Gas does'nt desolve rust. I guess their cleaning fluids do.

dave.

[ranger5.0]

There is an IAC valve that tends to clog up with sludge when a vehicle gets higher miles on it. Sometimes they are on the airbox and the hose gets clogged. I believe it is mounted the intake next to the throttle body. The IAC is suppose to help with the cold starts.

[bower100]

Yes, that IAC valve was on the suspect list, so I took it off and checked it out. It was not gummed up at all .... just a film of black sooty carbon that washed off easily with contact cleaner. Not knowing what the "book" test was, I just put 0-12 volts to it and it stroked back and forth with no apparent sticking. I did notice it did not need 12 volts to move full stroke...more like 7-8 volts. Led me to believe it only sees a 0-5 volt signal from the ECU anyway.

As for the cat .... my bII ..... the cat inlet is a three bolt flange right at the end of the header collector and the stinkin' inlet is'nt round...it's oval. Then there's a 8" or so pipe section and then another ....I guess ....cat.

Does anyone know...is that right? Are there actually two small cats? Or is one a resonator? The muffler...a standard 14"-15" long one is right after what I decribed above.

dave