How much does it cost to get your fuel injection system cleaned? Is it really necessary? What are the procedures involved? Read to get all your questions answered.
Getting the Timing Right
After every 15,000 to 30,000 miles of running, it is necessary that the car’s fuel induction system be serviced and cleaned. The period might vary for every automobile. Check your service manual for the exact frequency of service, that’s specified.
One of the prime factors that decides a car engine’s efficiency and mileage is the status of its fuel injection system. Those showing a lowering in gas mileage, often have an injection system in need of cleaning or repair. Most car owners are unaware of the impact that the injection system has on engine performance. Periodic cleaning of the system can ensure high engine efficiency. The cost involved in the maintenance job is discussed further.
The injection system is located around the car engine and it includes the fuel pump, rail, relay, and sensors like pressure regulators and the fuel induction system, which periodically injects an atomized fuel spray into the engine, during its functioning. An injection system servicing procedure involves cleaning and diagnostic checks of every one of these parts.
The pump injects fuel through connected lines. A visual inspection of these fuel lines is included in the procedure. Ensuring that the right pressure and volume of fuel is supplied and then injected into the engine, according to RPM demand, is another task. The service also involves checking of the engine control unit’s working, in reference to the injection procedure. The injectors get clogged with carbon particles, which slowly reduce their efficiency. Ergo, the servicing primarily involves cleaning up of these injectors. High concentration fuel injector cleaners are used for this purpose.
Symptoms of a bad fuel pressure regulator are checked out. Leaks in fuel lines if any, are repaired. Other than this, various injection parameters, including the volume of air pumped in is checked out and adjusted if necessary. Thus, the cleaning and servicing involves a complete overhaul of each and every part of the injection system.
Full-scale servicing also involves engine tuning. All these small jobs are part of the whole cost. Knocking issues, hard start, and other engine-related issues might also be looked into, by some automobile service centers. Fuel injector cleaning kits are also available, for people who want to carry out the procedure on their own.
Depending on the car model, the recommended timing for injection cleaning may vary. Use of good fuel and regular maintenance may lessen the need for a frequent cleaning job. However, if there is a pronounced drop in the mileage of your car, then it should be carried out immediately. Also, refer car manual for the recommended servicing period.
The service cost may vary according to the car model, service center location, and the job details. The cost of cleaning and servicing the fuel injection system ranges from USD 50 to USD 90. While the basic procedure, that also involves engine servicing to improve efficiency will cost about USD 50 to USD 60, an upgraded procedure, including throttle body servicing, will cost about USD 90. The simplest procedure, which only involves the passage of a cleaner to clear out the carbon deposits in injectors, only costs about USD 9 to USD 10. However, it is highly recommended that you go for a full-scale procedure, to maintain engine efficiency at optimum levels.
Fuel injector cleaning takes up a large share of the overall cost. This may vary according to the details of the procedure carried out. For more accurate estimates, you may check out with local car service centers. Some centers may charge according to the number of injectors that you are getting cleaned. You will see the difference after getting an injection service done, when the engine starts functioning smoothly.
Don’t hesitate in getting such maintenance procedures performed as they save you money in the long run, by improving engine efficiency.