Injector cleaners . . .

[jwnall]

Some number of years ago, we stopped in St. Petersburg, FL, after a trip to Cuba and Central America (in the sailboat). The available diesel fuel in Cuba was awful looking gray stuff, at Marina Hemingway, but we filled the tank with it anyway. Sometimes you just have to take what you can get.

So I was determined to get the injectors checked after we got back to the States. Got a diesel mechanic at St. Pete to come out to check things out. He adjusted the clearances (new Yanmar engine) and then drained the Racor fuel filter and poured a can of stuff in there. Started the engine and ran it for a bit. I asked him what he was doing, and he said that he was cleaning the injectors. Fine -- he is the expert, not me.

But now I would like to do the same thing on the old Perkins in the Gulfstar, and am just wondering what he might have used. Any educated guesses??

 

[catalinajack]

Some number of years ago, we stopped in St. Petersburg, FL, after a trip to Cuba and Central America (in the sailboat). The available diesel fuel in Cuba was awful looking gray stuff, at Marina Hemingway, but we filled the tank with it anyway. Sometimes you just have to take what you can get.

So I was determined to get the injectors checked after we got back to the States. Got a diesel mechanic at St. Pete to come out to check things out. He adjusted the clearances (new Yanmar engine) and then drained the Racor fuel filter and poured a can of stuff in there. Started the engine and ran it for a bit. I asked him what he was doing, and he said that he was cleaning the injectors. Fine -- he is the expert, not me.

But now I would like to do the same thing on the old Perkins in the Gulfstar, and am just wondering what he might have used. Any educated guesses??

Seafoam? Just a guess.

 

[DavidM]

He used something that he could charge you for ;-).


David

 

[kulas44]

Standard practice in the commercial sector is to fill the filters with ATF.

 

[chc]

There are a bunch of additives/cleaners on the market; Clean Diesel; FPPF, that claim to boost cetane #'s, remove water, & clean injectors. I suspect that it is like Ford vs Dodge, you pick one & go with it; or the one your mechanic swears by, or the one your crusty old dock neighbor swears by. I think that Practical Sailor did a review on some of these awhile ago. I've had good luck with Clean Diesel from NAPA. 'Course there's always snake oil...

 

[gaston]

In the past I once used a German product called Liquid -Moly diesel purge plus in my Perkins 120HP filled the fuel filter and ran the motor . Only problem was it smoked out the marina

 

[FF]

"Standard practice in the commercial sector is to fill the filters with ATF."

True but mostly because the shop parts desk has ATF , and in most cases diesel is not handy for the mechanic to go and get..

stanadyneadditives.com/

These folks make an injector cleaner that will clear up the problem in an hour underway . If it doesn't its time for an injector rebuild.

Bosch style injection units can be rebuilt for $60- $100 each depending where you are.

Most shops will test them for leakage and opening pressures for free or $5.00 each

 

[psneeld]

all my life I have been using "majic" cleaers for all sorts of things.


Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. Some only work when you heat them, scrub with them, let them sit, let them flow, renew them frequently, use more than recommended, etc...etc...


So how do you know what works and what doesn't?


All I know is that many injectors go thousands of hours without needing cleaning... much of the time they become fouled but cant be cleared through cleaning or become worn/inop for other reasons than just being "dirty".


So what do you do? Even my highly respected friends use some lopsided logic in my mind...so taking their advice to me just doesn't cut it all the time. More research is the only solution.


Ultimately one rolls the dice on what might help and doesn't have any negatives...maybe it doesn't work as advertised...but it shouldn't do any harm.


If there were products out there that worked great, 100% of the time....I would bet many of us would have already heard of them and been convinced.


So far...haven't heard of any.


Even the last time I cleaned my outboard carburetor...it took both a majic cleaner and 3 times through an ultrasonic cleaning tank to resolve the issue.


If anyone thinks spraying something into a motor or running something through the fuel will do the same 100%, 100 percent of the time cleaning...well my boat has had some great work and improvements on it...it's yours for a cool, but cheap $1 million.

 

[FF]

While there are always thoughts of a goop rebuilding your injectors , remember injectors do wear out or fail.

If a running cleaner is no help,

ONLY a test bench can tell if the tip is intact or plugged , or if they dribble , or open at the wrong injection pressure.

 

[Shoalwaters]

There seems to general agreement that injector cleaner is beneficial to gasoline engines. Especially when high performance engines have not been exercised sufficiently. Is there no parallel in the diesel engine world?