Fuel injector cleaning

Mike E (uk) · Post by **Mike E (uk)** » Wed Oct 03, 2007 10:11 pm

I have just had mine cleaned, posted them on Wednesday afternoon, and they arrived home clean on Friday morning!

I am very happy with the result.

Engine runs smoother and revs more freely now.

Cost about £50 all in. Hopefully will get some saving in fuel too.

http://www.injectorcleaning.co.uk/faq.htm

Mike

m_2975 · Post by **m_2975** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 1:20 am

Hi Mike,

I have booked in to have mine done on my GTI over here but I nearly died when they told me how much. 30quid each!

Have rung around here and that's about the going rate.

Well, I will have them cleaned and see how good they really are. Hopefully there will be a big improvement as at the moment my TZI is almost double as fast as the GTI! Can't have that can we?

You know what...I'm thinking that it would be cheaper for me to send mine to the UK and have them serviced and sent back than have them done locally.

I'm also going to get a price from Bosch for new ones.

Michael

Jaba · Post by **Jaba** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 7:50 am

Looks like a good company Mike.
Only drawback for a lot of BX owners is that they don't do diesel injectors..

DavidRutherford · Post by **DavidRutherford** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 6:11 pm

Diesel injectors can be completely reconditioned with new nozzles for under £20 each if you really want. Any decent diesel specialist will be able to do it.

Not that Diesel injectors clog up that badly anyway. 2 litres of Vegetable oil and 2 litres of Kerosine in a full tank of fuel will pretty much clean them if you're really that worried.

m_2975 · Post by **m_2975** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 10:18 pm

For anyone's reference,

they're 61pounds each brand new from Citroën.

Awaiting the Bosch reply.

Michael

AlanS · Post by **AlanS** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 11:14 pm

I've always done my own and it costs around A$21 for a complete set of kits.

The price you've been quoted is a rip off. New injectors from http://www.injectorsonline.com/indivprod.php?c=1 I think you'll find are A$50 each from what I saw myself the other day.

Alan S

m_2975 · Post by **m_2975** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 11:18 pm

Just got a price from Bosch direct through a mate and they are $100 each.

It's beginning to be a lot more worth while to buy new ones.

I prefer to have them ultrasonically cleaned Alan and not just new baskets and stuff. I felt that $75 each was a total crime! I cancelled having it done.

MULLEY · Post by **MULLEY** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 11:18 pm

How often should petrol & diesel injectors be cleaned or reconditioned?

m_2975 · Post by **m_2975** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 11:22 pm

Don't really know....i'd have thought when there is a problem.

Remember, if it aint broke don't fix it!

Mike E (uk) · Post by **Mike E (uk)** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 11:41 pm

The injectors I had cleaned had done about 122,000 miles since 1992.

As well as cleaning, they replace the internal filters and the end caps.

When you consider how many gallons go through each one over the years,
it is hardly surprising they get dirty. I used Forte injector cleaner through them on the car, but that did not do the job properly.

I think I will get mine cleaned every 5 years from now on.

Mike

AlanS · Post by **AlanS** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 11:54 pm

Recommended is around 100,000 klms, but I tend to do it as a matter of routine maintenance due having bought 2 cars written off after underbonnet fires caused by the "O" rings either splitting or leaking and then the vapour igniting on the red hot exhaust.
I usually look at doing them at around 4 year intervals.
You can go down the ultra sonic route if you want, but unless they have been badly maintained for a long period, it's a bit of an extravagance as manually cleaning only takes a couple of minutes and as we've found by running them through professional testing gear at the race car workshop, if done correctly will give the same result.
Diesels, I'd imagine would benefit more from ultrasonic cleaning than petrol due to the difference in the make up of the fluid that passes through them.

Alan S

MULLEY · Post by **MULLEY** » Fri Oct 05, 2007 12:10 am

m_2975 - good point, only how does anyone know if they are working at optimum or not?? i guess bad mpg & rough running would be clues?

AlanS · Post by **AlanS** » Fri Oct 05, 2007 1:06 am

MULLEY wrote:m_2975 - good point, only how does anyone know if they are working at optimum or not?? i guess bad mpg & rough running would be clues?

Pull them out and take a visual inspection.
I've seen some really crappy ones that had filled the hole up that they fit in so much with carbon that only the tip was protruding.
That was at around 120K klms.

Of course one sure way to see if they need work doing on them is to wait until the flames are licking out from under the bonnet and then you know for sure that at least the "O" rings are past their use by date.

Alan S

m_2975 · Post by **m_2975** » Fri Oct 05, 2007 12:54 pm

Got an update on Injector pricing. 22Pounds (AU$55) each! That's a bargain. Even cheaper then having them cleaned.

Given the design of the BX engine, it's not really that easy for petrol to drip onto the exhaust. It's also quite unlikely that the heat under a BX bonnet is going to combust the petrol vapour.

We're not talking about a CX under the bonnet here.

Michael

Way2go · Post by **Way2go** » Fri Oct 05, 2007 6:06 pm

m_2975 wrote:Got an update on Injector pricing. 22Pounds (AU$55) each! That's a bargain. Even cheaper then having them cleaned.

4x22 = £88 .

Compared to £50 all in? Don’t agree. Not a hard choice to make in BXClub territory.

Benefits of ultrasonic cleaning are definite. Not only does the Lucas Centre I used clean them but they test them as well and measure the throughput and balance across the 4 injectors at all of the input pulse patterns. This is done with the filters and endcaps removed and I was there and saw the results both before and after cleaning. New filters, endcaps and ‘O’ rings are then fitted.

The proof of the pudding, so they say………..My BX Gti was no longer lacking in performance but smooth, fast and as responsive as a Gti should be!