Just wondering, does the fuel injector cleaners really work?

[newhyundaier]

I've been adding a bottle of these fuel injector cleaner&upper cylinder lubricator additives once every 5k miles, but don't know if it really works or not. It's becoming a religious practice. . Can someone tell me if this thing really makes a difference? Thanks.

Also wondering if the oil additive like slick-50 work. I've been tempted but haven't really bought any.

[conrow]

Not 100% sure if they work or not i would do a google search on it. I have heard that some fuel and oil additives can mask a spark by leaving an ash coating on the plugs and sometimes causing a dead cylinder or misfire. I dont think i wouhld put it in every 5k but maybe twice a year. As for oil additives i would just use a name brand syntec oil and change every 5k

[jsinton]

Fuel injector cleaner every 5k or so won't hurt anything, but if you don't have a problem then it probably isn't necessary. Slick 50 is a crap shoot and unnecessary if you change your oil on time.

[pare_john]

I find these additives a waste of money and a gimmick

[hoosieraccent]

I use a bottle of Techron a couple times a year just because. I don't use it in my wife's car. Zero problems either way running the same gas.

The only thing I put in the oil is oil, no need for additives. I tried "slick 50" about 13 years ago, it did nothing.

[wallyjay]

I have succesfully used Gumout fuel system cleaner. My mothers car which rarely goes over 40 was running very rough. Two tankfulls with the additive cleaned and smoothed it out like new.
I do not recommend any oil additives to modern engine oil. They are highly engineered products. You are re-engineering the oil by adding something to it. Use a synthetic motor oil for great results.

[Duro5341]

Redline SL-1 fuel system cleaner every 6 months.

This product has the highest concentration of PEA, which is the most effective cleaning agent without damaging seals, sensors, and gaskets within the engine.

Most off the shelf cleaners are nothing more than Naphtha, Methanol Hydrate (alcohol) or Acetone which are ok cleaning agents, however the concentration for them to be effective would have to be so high it would cause other problems within the fuel system (melting gaskets/seals)

Duro

[Dave-S]

On my 2012 Sonata, Hyundai recommends these cleaning additives every 7500 miles if you are not using Tier 1 (name brand) gasoline. Since we tend to buy the lowest price stuff we can find, I add the additive to my car at the recommended intervals. From what I read, the newer Direct Injection engines tend to need the additive more so than the older MPI or TBI cars do in order to keep the injectors in good working order. I figure if it's shown in the maintenance section of your owner's manual, then it really ought to be done.

[Albinus]

Originally Posted by conrow

Not 100% sure if they work or not i would do a google search on it. I have heard that some fuel and oil additives can mask a spark by leaving an ash coating on the plugs and sometimes causing a dead cylinder or misfire. I dont think i wouhld put it in every 5k but maybe twice a year. As for oil additives i would just use a name brand syntec oil and change every 5k

Many additives do. They leave a red coating on the insulator nose that, over time, removes the glazed coating and allows combustion deposits to form a conductive track from the centre to the side electrode. My auto electrician is experiencing plenty of this lately as the limit for benzene in fuel was dropped by law from 5% to 1% lately; causing fuel companies to use alternate additives that cause this problem. A large independent chain here is the main culprit, along with many BP outlets.

I personally use a four litre can of thinners in about 20 litres of fuel about once a year - works wonders, and much more concentrated than that piddly 250mL bottle of STP!