If you watch any commercials on television, you have likely seen several commercials for fuel companies. All of these commercials sell you on why their fuel is so much better than their competitors, and why it is the only fuel you should run in your engine, but does this “having better fuel than the competitor” actually exist? In short, the answer is no, but there are rumors that some companies put additives in their fuel, which can cause you to get less fuel economy, and it can actually damage your engine, but this is not the exact point being made. The point being made is that any fuel can have sediments in it, which can wreak havoc on your engine, especially the fuel injectors.
For this reason, you will want to clean your fuel injectors at least annually, so you can ensure that they remain clean, so you can get the best fuel economy and extend the life of your engine. You have probably heard of fuel injectors, but you are probably unfamiliar with what they actually do, so you should understand a little bit about how they work.
Purpose of Fuel Injectors
Several decades ago, pretty much every vehicle on the road had a carburetor, but these were notorious for having issues, so automotive companies began designing fuel injectors. Fuel injectors are part of the electrical system in your car, and they control how much fuel is delivered to your car’s cylinders, which allow the engine to power the vehicle. The fuel injector has tiny nozzles on the end that it uses to disperse a precise amount of fuel in the cylinders, and they work great when the nozzles are clear. When you get fuel that has sediments in it, however, the fuel injector nozzles will become clogged up, which will cause some problems. First of all, the cylinders will not receive the proper amount of fuel, which can cause the vehicle to not start or the engine to knock. Another issue with this is that if they cylinders are not getting the fuel, it is just being wasted, which you will see as a decrease in fuel economy.
Does Fuel Injector Cleaner Work?
Now that you know what fuel injectors do, and you know that you need to clean them, you are probably wondering if fuel injector cleaner really works. Some people claim that fuel injector clean did not do anything for them, but most people claim that certain brands, such as Lucas, work great, while others do not work at all. The main reason for this is that Lucas’ cleaner actually contains detergents, which will clean your fuel injectors, but other brands just use additives, such as alcohol, which does not do much.
Cleaning your fuel injectors is a task you can do yourself because the products are simply mixed in your fuel tank. You will find that by doing this process at least annually, your gas mileage will return to where it should be, and your engine will last longer. These products are all very affordable, so there is no reason for you not to perform this procedure.