A mechanic told me that I need to have a fuel.

LUCKY2012

MEMBER
1998 OLDSMOBILE INTRIGUE
167,000 MILES

A mechanic told me that I need to have a fuel injection cleaning done on my vehicle. I wanted to know if the fuel injector cleaners that the auto parts stores have would work and if so, do you have any suggestions as to what kind I should get for my vehicle?

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,871 POSTS

The stuff you buy in a bottle is a concentrated version of what's already in the gasoline you buy. It might be nice for occasional maintenance but it rarely solves an existing problem. The stuff the shops usually use is a high-pressure can of strong detergent. They disable the car's fuel pump, then run the engine on that bottle for about 20 minutes. Some people have good luck with those products but it's effective mostly on GM products. Their injectors are not flow-matched at the assembly line so with high mileage and a little varnish buildup, it is common for them to develop a misfire that the cleaners can partially overcome.