Why should injectors be ultrasonically cleaned and flow tested?

Over years of use, hundreds of warm-up and cool-down cycles, and thousands of gallons of gasoline, injectors can become restricted by deposits.

Deposits cause uneven flow between injectors and incorrect injector spray patterns resulting in insufficient atomization and incomplete combustion.

Off-car ultrasonic cleaning does what no on-car chemical cleaner can do.  Ultrasonic cleaning uses sound waves, in a special cleaning solution, to break up deposits – this is the same method used by jewelers, dentists, and other professionals.

On-car chemical cleaners can do more harm than good.  Several major auto manufacturers now warn against using chemical cleaners in their vehicles. Use of such cleaners may void the factory warranty.

Most on-car chemical cleaners have not been tested for compatibility with fuel tanks, lines, filters, injector alloys, oxygen sensors, or catalytic converters. Damage to all of these expensive components can result from using untested products.

On-car chemical cleaners loosen dirt and contamination from the tank, lines, fuel rail, etc., and move it into the injector where the tiny filter screens and pintle opening trap the contamination.  Most automotive technicians have seen a car with a minor problem instantly transformed into a car that will barely run because of using an on-car chemical cleaning solution.

On-car cleaning provides no way to identify injectors with problems such as broken springs and damaged or leaking pintles. Off-car testing allows us to cycle the injector under an entire range of operating conditions to identify problems.

Cleaning injectors will result in fewer emissions (may help borderline cars pass inspection), better fuel economy, and smoother engine operation.

When should injectors be cleaned and tested?

A good time to test and clean any injector is when it is removed from the engine. This might occur at engine rebuild time. It is risky to re-use an injector  without testing it, since a lean injector can cause engine damage, especially in performance applications.

• When an injector becomes restricted or is causing an engine performance problem
• When a driveability problem is being encountered and the injectors need to be eliminated as a possible cause
• When an injector has been in storage for a period of time. Varnish deposits that form during storage often cause injectors to become either partially clogged or totally inoperative. This is often the case with "junkyard" engines.
• When the vehicle's owner wants to achieve "like new" engine performance