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Fuel injector cleaning

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Technigogo, Mar 24, 2014.

  1. Technigogo

    Technigogo Member

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    My Toyota dealer just tried to sell me on a fuel injector cleaning for $194 on my 2010 Prius 3 with 40,000 miles. I told them "no."

    iPad ? HD
     
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  2. jdk2

    jdk2 Active Member

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    Perfect :)
     
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  3. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    If it had 5 times that mileage, I might have believed them.
     
  4. xpcman

    xpcman Senior Member

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    Mine wanted to service the alternator at the same time.
     
  5. maurices

    maurices Member

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    When presented with (expensive)"service upgrades" during regular service, I think a fair question to ask the service writer is if the service they are suggesting is routinely done if an owner had bought an extended service warranty with the car.
    If is done, the dealership then deams the service or repair as vital in your area.
    If it isn't done, then this suggested service is used as a profit center (which I think definitely is) for the dealership. Let the buyer beware and read Prius Chat.
     
  6. afpri

    afpri Hemi-Hybrid

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    i think i have seen this service done using a pressurized can of cleaner that looks like it gets injected directly into the fuel rail. i want to try that but i'll probably ruin something haha. I'm likely having injector issues so i might just try and replace them. at 207K miles, i doubt the cleaner would restore them and for that money, new injectors would be better, imho. but i'm not a mechanic and i don't know much.
     
  7. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Reply back, sure. Im also in the process of buying ocean properties in Arizona and they’re throwing in the golden gates for free
     
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  8. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    It's better to get a new alternator for the Pruis, nothing to service. :whistle::whistle::whistle::rolleyes::cautious:
     
  9. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    I would have asked “oh great, just where is the alternator and it’s rubber belt?”
     
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  10. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Making "funny" replies to a 5 year old thread kind of loses some of the edge. :whistle:

    As for injector cleaning, before you waste the money on an OLD car, try a double dose of Berrymans B12 Chemtool in a couple of tanks of gas. It is the best fuel system cleaner on the market.
     
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  11. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    I guess the post that first reawakened the thread was a serious one:

    So far, the only sort of head-to-head comparison I've seen was this one here, where, for a car that definitely had injector problems, an add-to-fuel-tank cleaning agent didn't really do squat, but an injectors-removed bench restoration with the appropriate equipment brought them back to as-new performance.

    A spray-into-the-fuel-rail cleaner wasn't included in that comparison, though. I don't know anything about how effective that would be.
     
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  12. afpri

    afpri Hemi-Hybrid

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    cheers. thank you all so much! this is such a good community for car ownership. I still somehow manage to ruin my car. i'm amazing. it's in the shop now. i think i reconnected a coolant line in the wrong place when i was trying to fix the knocking. i cleaned the entire EGR system, intake and manifold and replaced plugs and coils. sometime after that, a little plastic y-piece coming off the radiator reservoir bypass exploded. and before the car went into limp mode, i heard the water pump begging for mercy. so, i'm sure i jacked up something major. may still have a head gasket but cannot tell yet. the most embarrasing thing is that i have caused this with terrible maintenance. i'm going to be ashamed on Monday when the mechanic calls me tells me how stupid i am. but i just want my nice efficient prius back.
     
  13. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    "A person should know his own limitations."
    Dirty Harry
     
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  14. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Dirty Harry wouldn't have said something that, err, inclusive, would he?
     
  15. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    If you put a cleaner in the tank every few thousand miles it will keep it clean.
    If you hook up a can of cleaner to the fuel rail, and disconnect the fuel pump, the can will
    run the engine until it runs out. This will clean the injectors.
    You never really know how well though. Only by removing them and cleaning them on the bench
    will you be able to see the pattern....
    I just put some Marvel Mystery Oil in my tank then filled it up. It does a good job of cleaning,
    at least on my cars.
     
  16. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    I think you are fooling yourself.
    MMO is not intended to be a cleaner/solvent.
    It is an excellent light oil, think penetrating oil, with some slight side cleaning properties in some circumstances.
    If you want to prevent or remove fuel deposits in your injectors, it really is NOT the product of choice.
    It will keep them lubricated though......and might keep deposits from sticking.
    The flip side is: Depending on how much you use, it might contribute to the dreaded "carbon buildup" though.
     
  17. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    If works for ME. It IS the product of choice, for me.
    I've used it in a dozen vehicles. Never had a bad injector.
    I never fool myself. I test, and try different things. Then I see if it works or not.
    Remember, it's not called Marvel MYSTERY Oil for nothing.
    At 121,000 miles, the egr valve, tube, and cooler were not clogged, just sooty.
    And only very little oil in the intake manifold.
     
  18. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Do you really NOT understand that proves NOTHING ?
    Really ??

    It is quite possible, and likely I think, that you would never have had a bad injector without using that product.

    I have been driving for about 55 years, in maybe 30 different vehicles or more, over maybe a few million miles........and have never had a bad injector......without using any additives. Until just recently, when I started putting in a dose of Techron once a year or so. That is what Techron is designed for.

    I respect MMO but only for it's original design purpose and similar uses.......which was an upper cylinder and valve lubricant.
    It is also useful for freeing stuck rings and a penetrating oil in a pinch.

    Marketing claims are not always true.

    But if it makes you feel good, maybe that's the most important thing.
    It certainly is not doing any damage.
     
  19. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    I've got a few million miles of driving also, and only about 46 yeatrs, and had a few bad injectors.
    It usually comes from contaminated fuel. If you keep using good fuel, you probably won't have
    and injectors clogging. Why change your oil before it breaks down? Preventive maintenance.
    And that's why I use it. And I get the bonus of probably helping upper cylinder and valve lubrication,
    and maybe keeping the engine rings from getting stuck, or clogged.

    Since you've never had a clogged injector, WHY use Techron at all? That's wasting money, and time.
    Most fuel includes that now, so no real reason to do so.

    But if it makes you feel good, maybe that's the most important thing.
    It certainly is not doing any damage.

    And how do YOU know you've never had a bad injector? Did you pull each one and check?
    I know I didn't. But a bad injector doesn't always keep an engine from running, it will just run poorly.
    As I have stated in the past, "IT WORKS FOR ME". Just because it didn't work for you, doesn't
    mean it doesn't work.

    How I "feel" doesn't matter. How it works, does.
    EVERY vehicle I have used MMO in, I have felt the improvement at idle, acceleration, and on cruise control.
    Whatever it is doing, it IS doing and doing well. FOR ME!
     
  20. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    I think you are dead wrong about "most fuel" includes cleaning solvents.
    Just EXACTLY what evidence to you have of that ??

    I have in my possession an "alligator repellent".
    It has been used in my family since my great grandmother came to Florida from Georgia about 1863.
    That is.....about 160 years.
    Over those 4 generations, it has never failed to keep the gators out of the house.
    Proof positive that it works. :whistle: