The Protege has about 130k on it and I'm thinking of sending the injectors off to be professionally cleaned. Cost is about $100, give or take. Do you think professional cleaning is worth the expense or should I just run some Seafoam with my next few fill-ups?
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May 23, 2011 9:00 a.m. JeffHarbert Reader
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May 23, 2011 9:02 a.m. Javelin SuperDork
It is worth it. Find a local place though and you can actually watch them do it, and usually for cheaper. If one or more is unable to come up to specs with the others it will also give you chance to buy a new one or have more tested from a JY.
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May 23, 2011 11:22 a.m. JohnyHachi6 New Reader
You can build a DIY setup really cheap that will be just as good. Just get an old intake manifold/fuel rail and hook up a mock fuel system with an old fuel pump and gas can, put your injectors in the manifold then run some parts cleaner through the system (you can just put 12v across the injectors to open them up, unless they're low impedance in which case you need to pop a resistor box in there). Works great. I've cleaned really crappy old injectors with this method and they flow like new afterwards.
If you don't have the parts, you can probably get everything you need from the local pull-a-pat for $50 or less.
If you want to get real fancy you can even hook up some circuitry to pulse the injectors. We used an old MS ecu and a stim board to pulse some really cruddy injectors at Wreck Racing.
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May 23, 2011 11:25 a.m. John Brown SuperDork
We sell ours for $138.00 after tax. I personally think it is worth every penny. My boss freaks out because I don't sell the rest of the programs but I sell fuel and brake services.
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May 23, 2011 11:44 a.m. procainestart Dork
One thing I discovered with sending injectors to an inexpensive cleaner is that they used really cheap replacement rubber seals, which deteriorated pretty quickly, causing all sorts of fun but difficult-to-find vacuum leaks (and, under boost, fuel was getting blown out under the hood!)
They also re-painted the injectors with some cheap-ass paint that disappeared pretty quickly; I would've rather had the original, somewhat worn paint that Bosch sprayed.
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May 23, 2011 2:27 p.m. kabel Dork
RC or Witch Hunter are the two services that come first to mind. I was planning on sending my set from the bmw out to them some time in the near future.
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May 23, 2011 5:54 p.m. dean1484 SuperDork
JohnyHachi6 wrote:
You can build a DIY setup really cheap that will be just as good. .. .. . . . . .
Hummmmm I have all those parts in my basement. What solvent / cleaner would you recommend? Lacker Thinner, Acetone, MEK. Redline EFI cleaner
You can just get a couple resistors from the local electrical store similar to those I used for my MS project using low Independence injectors. I think they were somthing like $5 each new
These are the ones I am using at the moment.
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May 23, 2011 8:52 p.m. JeffHarbert Reader
Thanks for the input, everyone. I think I'll go with a DIY approach like JohnyHachi6 suggested. Thinking of getting some graduated cylinders to measure before and after flow, too.
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May 23, 2011 8:59 p.m. midknight Reader
Anybody got a pic of the DIY settup? This is something I'd love to learn about, but have zero electrical competence. Willing to learn though.
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May 23, 2011 9:31 p.m. novaderrik Dork
you used to be able to buy a can of stuff that you hooked up to the fuel rail. you jsut pulled the fuel pump fuse and let the car idle on that can until it was empty.
one of my neighbors did it to his daughter's late 80's Escort GT and it totally changed the way the car ran. of course, this was like 20 years ago, so the stuff probably got outlawed for being too cheap and easy..
i just run a bottle of Mavel Mystery Oil in an almost empty tank of gas once or twice a year. a big bottle is under $2 at Wal Mart and it must do something because i always gain a couple of mpg after doing it.
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May 23, 2011 10:53 p.m. donalson SuperDork
I was reading somewhere recently (prob turbobricks) to put power to the injectors and spray carb cleaner fluid though the bottom tip of the injector... not as elegant as hooking up the old fuel system... but they said it worked well
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May 24, 2011 11:30 a.m. njansenv HalfDork
donalson wrote:
I was reading somewhere recently (prob turbobricks) to put power to the injectors and spray carb cleaner fluid though the bottom tip of the injector... not as elegant as hooking up the old fuel system... but they said it worked well
I've done it. It worked GREAT.
Wear safety glasses...that E36 M3 hurts when it sprays back at you. -
May 24, 2011 12:02 p.m. mad_machine SuperDork
so basically you just open them up and spray carb cleaner?
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May 24, 2011 2:51 p.m. donalson SuperDork
from what I read yes... but from the spray/piddle end not the fuel rail side...
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May 24, 2011 5:16 p.m. dean1484 SuperDork
donalson wrote:
from what I read yes... but from the spray/piddle end not the fuel rail side...
I think the biggest effect this has is cleaning out the screen / filter at the inlet. If it is clogged this is a very good way of cleaning it out short of taking it apart. It would have a huge impact on the injectors performance if it was clogged or partially obstructed.
As see in this image.
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May 24, 2011 5:18 p.m. pres589 Dork
I thought the filter screen at the inlet on most top fed injectors were easy to replace. But I've never done it; has anyone here?
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May 25, 2011 8:09 a.m. foxtrapper SuperDork
FWIW, I've used Berryman's on carburetors and fuel injectors with excellent results. The can of the stuff you just dump in your tank. On those vehicles that I've obtained with many miles on them, it usually made a substantial change in how they ran.
I've gone behind it a number of times on carburetors, and always found the bowl and lets to be sparkling clean, with no varnish or gum. Chunks of dirt, grit and filings of course do not dissolve.
