For peak performance, maintenance of your fuel injectors should be performed every 15,000 miles or so. Also think about cleaning your fuel injectors when you have a miss, or a loss of performance. Start by using a good injector cleaner added to your gasoline, such as Ethanol Defender. Doing this will help keep your injectors cleaned while driving. Injectors tend to build up deposits in the very small injector discharges.
Don’t use anymore than that. Too much cleaner can cause excessive engine wear over time.
What Do Dirty Injectors Act Like?
- Rough idle
- Poor performance
- Hard to start
- Miles per gallon are down
Can One Injector Be Replaced?
Yes, but when injectors get dirty chances are they all need to be cleaned.
How Many Injectors Does a Typical Car Have?
Depends on engine size. Each cylinder has one injector. 4 cyl has 4, 6 cyl has 6 and 8 cyl has 8.
When Do I Add Injector Cleaner to My Car?
Follow the directions for the brand of cleaner that you have. You want to be careful not to use it too much as it could damage your engine over time.
I have personally had a rough running engine and suspecting the injector added injector cleaner to the gas. I used a full bottle for 3 fill ups and the engine finally started to run smoothly. It was more than recommended, but I wanted to give it a good go before being forced to remove the injectors.
Can an Injector Be Taken Apart?
No, the only removable parts are the o-rings and filters. Injectors are cast as one piece.
Doesn’t Fuel Filters Keep Dirt From Injectors?
Most, but a fuel filter cannot be to dense, or fuel wouldn’t be able to get through. Consequently minute particles do end up in the injector. The key is to have these particles pass right on through, but they can build up and clog an injector.