Fuel Injector cleaner - why use it before an oil change?

[BigKriss]

It's time for an oil change, in an eariler post Regal 632 recommended putting a fuel injector cleaner juest before I did the oil change, i think becasue it contamainted the oil. I don't know anything about fuel injector cleaners, A local mechanic suggested that you could put it in at any time?

how often should then be used and when?

[Paul in NZ]

One theory is they are very high in detergents(or whatever cleans the crap from the injectors) which cant be good for the oil......hence the suggestion to use it just before an oil change/service.

[niall]

i wouldnt take any of that so seriosly kriss
but yes put it in before oil change

[Bill R.]

in the injector cleaner end up going past the rings and diluting the oil in the crankcase to some degree. alot of components of injector cleaner are designed to burn well , they are designed to clean deposits and since they don't burn so well thats how they end up going past the rings into the crankcase. If you read the instructions for most of the better injector cleaners they tell you right on the can or bottle to run it through on the last tank of gas before you do an oil change.











It's time for an oil change, in an eariler post Regal 632 recommended putting a fuel injector cleaner juest before I did the oil change, i think becasue it contamainted the oil. I don't know anything about fuel injector cleaners, A local mechanic suggested that you could put it in at any time?

how often should then be used and when?

[ryan roopnarine]

One theory is they are very high in detergents(or whatever cleans the crap from the injectors) which cant be good for the oil......hence the suggestion to use it just before an oil change/service.

if you go to www.bobistheoilguy.com, there's a guy there with surname Dyson, i think. he gets paid a few bucks to analyze people's oil analyses when they get them back. he says that there are only about two cleaners that don't affect oil analyses, ie, don't dilute or stay in oil solution to change the properties of the oil, one of which is techron (when used ONCE in the manner prescribed) the other i forget. the fact that they don't impact oil DOESN't mean that they are the most powerful/best made (ie, bg44k does a number on oil), it just means they end up the least in the oil.

[Bill R.]

best solvents and detergents to remove deposits are most likely to end up
in your crankcase, as you indicated with bg44. All the on car injector cleaners that i use advise you to change the oil afterwards. The ones i use most commonly with my fuel injector cleaner are made by bg, otc, and 3m and they all have that on the instructions.








if you go to www.bobistheoilguy.com (http://www.bobistheoilguy.com), there's a guy there with surname Dyson, i think. he gets paid a few bucks to analyze people's oil analyses when they get them back. he says that there are only about two cleaners that don't affect oil analyses, ie, don't dilute or stay in oil solution to change the properties of the oil, one of which is techron (when used ONCE in the manner prescribed) the other i forget. the fact that they don't impact oil DOESN't mean that they are the most powerful/best made (ie, bg44k does a number on oil), it just means they end up the least in the oil.

[BobbyB]

So is it bad for me to be using Shell V-Power all the time?
Supposedly it cleans the engine and fuel injectors and such...

[TC535i]

best solvents and detergents to remove deposits are most likely to end up
in your crankcase, as you indicated with bg44. All the on car injector cleaners that i use advise you to change the oil afterwards. The ones i use most commonly with my fuel injector cleaner are made by bg, otc, and 3m and they all have that on the instructions.

I've been running about 10 oz of Berryman Chemtool in about the last half-tank on my beater Kia before an oil change, and RIGHT before, running about 4-6 oz of it in the motor itself, idle for 5 minutes, and change the oil.

I've never seen blacker oil in my life...! Must be cleaning out some serious sludge...

[Bill R.]

Shell claims (5 times the minimum amount required by the government standards) you're still pretty low and not nearly the amount as when you dump a can of bg44k in the gas tank or when you run a car on straight bg cleaner to clean the injectors.







So is it bad for me to be using Shell V-Power all the time?
Supposedly it cleans the engine and fuel injectors and such...

[genphreak]

There are cleaning agents in the petrol we buy too.

Eventually it contaminates our oil along with many other things. That's one of the main reasons we change our oil. Run your car on 25% cleaner and you'd probably need to change it every time you fill her up :)

I err on the side of caution and only do it before the oil change, or even better- rip the injectors out and clean em by hand- soak them in carburettor or injector cleaner overnight.

It's not that hard to remove them all, just the petrol spills out until the pressure drops off (be sure not to do it hot, spitting petrol is a fire hazard) and don't let it get in your eye as it is want to do when removing the feed lines).

Suggest you get a set of new o-rings beforehand- there are kits with pintle caps on ebay for US$20.

:) GP

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

Most injector cleaners are based on the same additives that are in the big name fuels, and can be used often.

Check out a can of Sea Foam treament, they recommend 1/3 in the tank, 1/3 in the oil and 1/3 down the intake just before an oil change. This is the method in which you are ingesting a cleaner thought the intake directly and adding some to the oil and fuel.

[632 Regal]

This is just crazy! Unless it was on one of my ex wives or their significants vehicles I cant find any use for your recommendation. I read that also and just cant fathom that kind of advertising. I wont try it buy you can.


Most injector cleaners are based on the same additives that are in the big name fuels, and can be used often.

Check out a can of Sea Foam treament, they recommend 1/3 in the tank, 1/3 in the oil and 1/3 down the intake just before an oil change. This is the method in which you are ingesting a cleaner thought the intake directly and adding some to the oil and fuel.

[genphreak]

This is just crazy! Unless it was on one of my ex wives or their significants vehicles I cant find any use for your recommendation. I read that also and just cant fathom that kind of advertising. I wont try it buy you can.

I've no idea about Sea Foam (have u not got a link, BB?) but I'll back up regal632 on this, cleaning agents are about destroying petroleum build-up (ie refined oil and other oil-based additives laden with carbon and other gunk), how they could have a certain detergent target an engine's petrol build-ups without affecting the oil's preperties I can't imagine.

Perhaps the idea is, that if you use cleaner for say one oil cycle (in our case say 5000 miles) that it will reduce build-ups within the engine (which might be worth the increased wear (reduced component life) that the detergent ridden oil will cause over that period?). If the engine runs better after the treatment it would eb a benefit, and this may extend the engine's life itself. I guess it depends how much wear it might cause.

Anyone know a Chemist? I can see it, herein lies the great additives debate encompassing everything from snake-oil to oven cleaners!!! LOL I am sure my powers of deduction only go so far Mr Holmes.

[niall]

It's time for an oil change, in an eariler post Regal 632 recommended putting a fuel injector cleaner juest before I did the oil change, i think becasue it contamainted the oil. I don't know anything about fuel injector cleaners, A local mechanic suggested that you could put it in at any time?

how often should then be used and when?

i asked the head mechanic at work today
and he said there is no real need to change oil
afterwards, if you think about it, how little amount of that
cleaner would actually be unburt, then get past the rings
to contaminate the oil? and even if that was the case, the oil would
already be contaminated from petrol anyway!

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

No worse than shooting a can of throttle body cleaner down the intake, adding a bottle of techroline to the fuel and using a high detergent oil like Mobil 1.

Ka boom!

Dirty oil, cleaner engine (change the oil & filter...keep the engine)

Cleaner Throttle and Intake

Cleaner Injecters

[liquidtiger720]

here is the seafoam talk..BillR has some great insights on it.
http://www.bimmer.info/forum/showthread.php?t=9008&highlight=seafoam

[genphreak]

here is the seafoam talk..BillR has some great insights on it.
http://www.bimmer.info/forum/showthread.php?t=9008&highlight=seafoam
The problem for me is these products are all expensive (here in Oz), so you have to be real keen to just 'try' them out... maybe we should do a poll on which ones are good out of the major soak and can treatment types...

:) GP

[Paul in NZ]

i asked the head mechanic at work today
and he said there is no real need to change oil
afterwards, if you think about it, how little amount of that
cleaner would actually be unburt, then get past the rings
to contaminate the oil? and even if that was the case, the oil would
already be contaminated from petrol anyway!

well that may be so but i for one wont add any more s&^T to my already overworked oil,it will be in the last tank or so for me.

[Bill R.]

customers i'll stick to what the injector cleaner manufacturers state and not have to worry about oil dilution or any contaminants in the crankcase









i asked the head mechanic at work today
and he said there is no real need to change oil
afterwards, if you think about it, how little amount of that
cleaner would actually be unburt, then get past the rings
to contaminate the oil? and even if that was the case, the oil would
already be contaminated from petrol anyway!

[ryan roopnarine]

customers i'll stick to what the injector cleaner manufacturers state and not have to worry about oil dilution or any contaminants in the crankcase


bill, i was wondering if you could do me a REALLY big favor and post the instructions for the installation of the fuel pump retrofit check valve. i bumped the post back onto the current page (may have fallen behind by now) post is titled--1995 525i getting harder to start. the garbage can computer won't let me install tis right now because of a service update i installed. you can email it if more convenient, rroopnar@ufl.edu, up to 3 megs right now, i can clear up more space if you need. thanks.

[Bill R.]

page here (http://www.bmwe34.net/e34main/Trouble/535ihot_start.asp)







bill, i was wondering if you could do me a REALLY big favor and post the instructions for the installation of the fuel pump retrofit check valve. i bumped the post back onto the current page (may have fallen behind by now) post is titled--1995 525i getting harder to start. the garbage can computer won't let me install tis right now because of a service update i installed. you can email it if more convenient, rroopnar@ufl.edu, up to 3 megs right now, i can clear up more space if you need. thanks.

[ryan roopnarine]

page here (http://www.bmwe34.net/e34main/Trouble/535ihot_start.asp)

thanks bill. wouldn't have bothered you if i knew he had a page up already.

[Bill R.]

1
thanks bill. wouldn't have bothered you if i knew he had a page up already.