How To Clean Fuel Injectors Yourself

Fuel injectors are sensitive things and to many "old school" mechanics, they're a mystery. They aren't that complicated, however, and often many simple problems with your fuel delivery can be solved by just cleaning the injectors.

Additives

Fuel additives are by far the easiest way to clean injectors. They come in many varieties and stripes, but all do basically the same thing: add light "scrubbers" to the mix that help break up carbon deposits on injector heads.

They are added to the fuel and burned along with it. Most manufacturers recommend that their additives be put into a full tank of fuel at every oil change interval.

Physically Cleaning the Injectors

This is a little more advanced, but any DIY mechanic with a basic set of tools and a bit of knowledge can do it. If your engine configuration allows relatively easy access to the injector rails, you can remove and clean your injectors.

Note that some systems are buried under the air intake manifolds and may require a lot more work (and possibly replacement seals or parts) to access.

The number one thing to remember while removing fuel injectors is that they are very fragile. So handle them very carefully and use only cleansers meant specifically for cleaning injectors.

The first step is to remove them, which usually requires only bleeding the fuel system, loosening or removing a few bolts on each rail, disconnecting the fuel line, and pulling straight upwards (no side-side movements or you may snap the injector heads). Replacement is the reverse.

There are commercial fuel injector cleaning and rebuild/repair kits that you can consider. It's a good idea to get the rebuild kit to replace plastic parts and some gaskets while you're doing the cleaning.

Cleaning usually just requires that you soak the injectors in the solution for a few hours. Never "scrub" the injector heads or you can quickly find yourself buying expensive replacements.