Gas Archives - Automotive Nerd

Premium gas can help to reduce carbon build-up and often contains detergents and additives that may clean up your fuel injectors very slightly, however it is not going to do any proper, significant cleaning on its own. There are all kinds of rumors and wild claims circulated about the benefits that expensive gas might have for your car, so you need to know whether or not it’s worth paying extra for that “premium” label. Read ahead to find out what premium fuel might do for your fuel injectors, and how best to actually make sure they are clean. Will Higher Octane Fuel Clean Injectors? One of the biggest differences between premium unleaded fuel and regular unleaded fuel is the octane rating. Regular fuel usually has an octane rating of around 87, while premium fuel will be at 91 or more. An octane rating measures how well the fuel can withstand compression without detonating. A higher rating means that the fuel can resist combusting/igniting early and/or in an uncontrolled way – a phenomenon commonly known as “knocking”. It is completely unrelated to the cleaning power of the fuel itself. Higher octane fuel is actually designed for high-performance engines because it can be compressed and heated a lot more than regular fuel before it combusts. If your car manufacturer recommends that you use high-octane premium fuel, then it will probably be beneficial, but it’s not going to clean your fuel injectors by itself. What Gas Is Best For Fuel Injectors? While the gas that you put into your car is not going to completely clean your fuel injectors, it can still make a difference – although it might be less than you would imagine for the price that you’re paying. Premium unleaded fuel often claims that it can clean your fuel injectors, but it will likely only have a very minor impact. Really, the additives and detergents included are only going to do a small amount of cleaning and slightly help to reduce carbon build-up. The improvements that you might see have never really been significantly proven and would take a long time to be noticeable at all. Generally speaking, the best fuel for your car is the one that is recommended by the manufacturer. What is actually going to have an impact on your fuel injectors is proper maintenance and your driving conditions. The main factors that cause carbon build-up are: Regular short trips Stop/Start driving Poor internal vehicle maintenance It would be nice to think that paying more at the pump could be a magic fix to make everything run more smoothly, but it’s simply not likely to make an observable difference. What Is the Best Way to Clean Your Fuel Injectors? Click Image for More Info The best way to clean your fuel injectors (or at least the most thorough way) is to use a cleaning kit, or even remove the injectors yourself and give them a full manual clean. It’s a task that does require a little bit of confidence and know-how under the hood, as well as quite a few tools, but it’s not too complicated of a process. It’s easiest to buy a full kit that comes with everything you need, but you can pick up the different cleaners and tools separately as well. To check the current price and availability of Chevron Techron Concentrate Plus Fuel System Cleaner, click here to view the listing on Amazon. In a well-ventilated area, locate your fuel injectors. Disconnect the fuel pump from the injectors. Disconnect the pressure regulator (if required according to your car’s manual). Read the instructions on your cleaning kit and connect it to the fuel port. Remove the fuel tank cap. Turn on the engine and let the cleaning kit run (it will stop on its own after 5-10 minutes, once the fluid has been used up). Remove the kit and re-attach the fuel pump and pressure regulator (if disconnected earlier). Turn on your vehicle and listen out for any unexpected sounds. Once this has been done, everything should be good to go. It is worth being a little cautious and aware of how your car is running for a few days to make sure that nothing unusual has occurred. If you really want to give your injectors a thorough clean, then you can follow the same steps to drain the fuel pressure, but then actually remove the injectors themselves by following the method that’s written in your manual. Once they are removed, you can clean them by hand. Use a soft-bristled brush and a carburetor cleaner on the outside, and use a jumper to open the injector so that you can spray cleaner through each side. What Is the Cheapest Way to Clean Fuel Injectors? If you’re looking for a cheaper, easier way to clean your fuel injectors, then your best option is to get your hands on a fuel injector cleaner. They’re relatively inexpensive to purchase – compared to all of the cleaners and equipment required for a full removal clean - and they’re designed to clear the nozzles and the combustion chamber of carbon deposits. It’s a very simple process that even the most novice car owner can do for themselves, and you can pick up a bottle from almost any auto shop. Start with an empty fuel tank. Read the instructions on your cleaner and add the suggested amount directly into your fuel tank. Fill the tank with the recommended gas for your vehicle. It really is as easy as that. Is a Fuel Injector Cleaner Worth It? Although a fuel injector cleaner does cost a bit of money, it’s always better to invest in maintenance rather than waiting for something to go wrong. Fuel injector cleaner can reduce the wear and damage caused by carbon build-up, but it will also improve the air-to-fuel ratio which should mean better gas mileage as well. Your engine is likely to be more efficient and run more smoothly - and it will reduce future build-up too. At the end of the day, these cleaners cost less than $100, which is certainly not an extravagant investment for the benefits they can provide. Final Thoughts So, can premium gas clean fuel injectors? Perhaps slightly, but that is not the actual purpose of premium fuel, and any cleaning will be very minimal and hardly noticeable. Instead, you should make sure to properly clean your fuel injectors yourself, either with a fuel injector cleaning kit or a bottle of fuel injector cleaner. It’s more effort than just switching fuel types, but it costs less in the long run and will make much more of a difference.