Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) How often should injectors be cleaned?

[John - K5AWO]

My son installed my new RV275 injectors today and told me that the OEM injectors were badly clogged and crudded over pretty bad. The truck has 121,000 miles on it now. I bought it at 87,000 and so I assume they are OEM?

Are you guys running injector cleaner on a regular schedule or pulling them out for cleaning/testing once in a while?

 

[16919]

I run stanadyne perf. formula in every tank. works for me.

 

[FourBarR]

My truck has 454,000kms. Injectors have never been out or cleaned. Use Howes Meaner and MMO in every tank. Have original injection pump. Works for me.

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Quality of fuel, driving style and use of fuel additives can really make a difference how clean tips stay. I say no matter it wouldn't be a bad idea to take them out by 200k and at least inspect them. When I pulled the injectors on my '01 HO after 50k miles they looked great, no deposits whatsoever, just a little soot (always used additives).

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

Extended idling is bad for the injectors, rings, etc. due to the cool cylinder temperature preventing good atomization and vaporization of the fuel. It will leave deposits under these conditions. After extended miles, the pop-off spring in the injector will lose some tension and that makes the pop off pressures uneven from one injector to another, as these springs don't lose tension in a uniform, predictable way. New injectors, or having a Bosch shop pop test the injectors and re-set (shim the springs) pop off pressures, and clean the injectors will help.

 

[John - K5AWO]

Joseph,

I think you probably hit the nail on the head. Last week my son was sent to a training school up in Los Angeles. The weather was real hot and his wife just took a new job. The doggies don't have a way out of the house yet, so he took them with him and left them in the truck. That meant that it idled for 8 hours on 3 days last week.

It doesn't have the idle up option enabled so the RPMs stayed at about 800 all day long.

Thanks to everyone for their input. I'm going to start the additive routine right now. And suggest that the idling business be put to bed as bad business.

On the positive side, my son called me this afternoon and reported that after replacing some leaking seals on the injector lines (he installed the RV275s), he was able to drive it to work. He reported that it has a lot more low end throttle response than it has ever had before and is very drivable now.

Next week the boost elbow gets put on along with the gauges and that should finish it up.

 

[Boondocker]

So the answer to your question - how often should the injectors be cleaned? - is EVERY DAY! In other words, good quality fuel and your favorite fuel additive.
Extended idling is bad. Probably a good idea to service or replace injectors 100,000 miles or so... especially if you miss changing spark plugs

 

[rweis]

What Boondocker said.



Both cleaning and changing out. By 100k there is newer technology, better spray patterns, and of course maybe "just a little more hp".



I will have some DD2's (extruded honed) with 100k in about a year to either pop test and put on the shelf of do ?? with. Looking forward to Mach 2's (80 hp > 105 hp) and EDM's.



Bob Weis