How to Clean Fuel Injectors

When faced with intense engine problems people generally never think that something as simple as dirty fuel injectors could have been the root of their problem. The reality is however that dirty fuel injectors can in fact cause clogging and it is at that point that all your car troubles are born. You can know when your injectors needs to be cleaned if your engine is experiencing symptoms of lean misfire, rough idle, hesitation and stumbling on light acceleration, a loss of power, higher hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions. Your fuel injector can be cleaned via two methods, either while they are still in the car or by taking them completely out of the car. The most popular method is the in – car cleaning which in most cases is very sufficient. Fortunately this is reality easy and using this simple guide I will show you how.

Required Tools

  • Fuel Injector Cleaning Kit


  1. With the engine turned off open the engine compartment and locate the fuel injectors. If you are not familiar with the engine set up, use your manual to help you find them.
  2. Remove the tubing connecting the fuel inlet to the fuel outlet or remove the fuel pump and stop the fuel return to ensure that no fuel is being pumped into the engine when started.
  3. Connect a pressurized solvent to the fuel injector and start the engine.
  4. Allow the pressurized solvent to run through the engine.
  5. Turn off the engine and proceed to remove the cleaning supplies.
  6. Reconnect your car parts so that they look exactly how they were before then restart your engine to check if the performance has improved, if not run the process once more.

Tips and Warnings

  • If upon running the performance check twice you see no further improvements your fuel injector will require off – car cleaning. To have this done it is recommended that you take your vehicle to professional as this requires expensive equipment. The whole process, however, should not take more than an hour and will cost you between $30 to $50 to complete.
  • Ensure that your protective gear is worn at all times as the solvents used can be quite acidic.
  • Exercise caution when removing fuel lines as they are pressurized.
  • Never attempt to clean your fuel injectors within less than 100 mile radius of any sparks or flames as the solvent has been proven to be more flammable than gas.
  • Avoid using cheap or unknown gases as there are many companies out there using unsafe alternatives in order to cut back on the amount of detergent they buy.