Too much fuel system cleaner

[sciguyjim]

Hi, just thought I'd share some info I have with anyone who's interested:

They say that today's gasolines are clean enough and have enough detergents that extra cleaners aren't necessary. I think cleaners have their place but don't think if a little is good a lot is better. Some of the cleaners out there are harmless but the ones that clean best have stronger ingredients which can dissolve some plastic parts. Some of the best engine detergents in use today can dissolve the nylon sock on the fuel pickup in the gastank. The resulting gunk can then get circulated through your entire fuel system requiring major cleaning of the fuel lines, gas tank, and fuel injectors. The gunk is not soluble in the usual cleaners so no amount of cleaning will remove it. It is soluble in water so that's what you would have to use to clean out the system. If you use pure gasoline the gunk will remain in the gas tank but if you fill up just once with gas containing alcohol the gunk will be circulated through the entire fuel system. New injectors can begin to get plugged in just a few minutes. Not all products warn against overuse in the instructions so use them properly. Also, it would be best not to use them if you are not going to be using the car much because they can eat away at the plastic parts the whole time the car is not being used. I've compared many brands and half can do damage if used too much. Unfortunately, as I said, these are usually the ones that are best at dissolving any gunk in your system. I can share my list of safe & unsafe brands with anyone who's interested, just email me at [email protected]

[MercCougarXR7]

I noticed this topic got a lot of views, so I'll give my opinion on it. Fuel injector cleaners that go into the tank for the most part suck. The best way to clean injectors/combustion chamber is to disconnect your fuel lines at the injector rails, and hook up one of those bottles of injector cleaner. This is the only stuff that I've ever seen make a difference from before to after performance.

[sciguyjim]

Thanks for the input. Cleaners put into the tank have to work slowly because of the potential for attacking plastic parts. The ones that can be applied directly can be much stronger.