I really want to use some fuel injector cleaner on my Z, but I remember hearing that I shouldn't. I searched and found 2 threads that were essentially useless on this topic. Does anyone know if it's harmful?

 

For the most part, yes, it is harmful. (Especially on early Z32's with old-style injectors.)

Additionally, are you aware that:
1) your fuel system has a filter
2) gasoline can be used as a cleaning solvent

If your injectors are clogged, they need to be replaced. If they're not clogged, why do you think you need to clean them? Replace your filter and use good gasoline and you'll be fine.

 

The injectors are not clogged, my car is 18 years old and has 20k on it. I figured the injectors probably had a good deal of carbon built up on them due to age.

 

I highly doubt it.

 

agree ^^^ but if you feel it necessary just basically stay away from alcohol based cleaners. i believe seafoam would qualify as one of the "ok" to use

 

2nd. The alcohol is the root of all evil in these products.

 

F**k it. Not worth the risk.

 

Which ironically enough is the one that makes your car belch smoke until it sees fit to finally work it's way out of your fuel system....

I've used STP injector cleaner religously for the last 8 years and havent had a single problem. Even with regular changing of my fuel filter I'll still get what I call "idle stutter" where the RPMs will fluctuate a little as opposed to staying steady. Run a bottle of STP injector cleaner through a tank and it clears right up.

It cant be unrelated.

 

so are we saying that injector cleaner is bad for all cars, or just that it doesn't agree with the Z's? i used some on my car while i had the old injectors in, maybe that's why i needed new ones...

 

Old-style injectors are affected more because of their design.

 

yeah so it's safe on the new style?

 

No injectors were ever designed to have anything flow through them other than gasoline. It may not kill new-style injectors in the same manner that it does old-style, but you will still not catch me putting anything other than gasoline in my gas tank.

 

well i put fuel stabilizer in for going to school. you think that's bad?

 

Why do you think your fuel needs stabilization?

I'll never understand why some people fall for every product on the market. Walk through the aisles of Pep Boys and you'll begin to think your engine needs all sorts of additives to run correctly. "My fuel needs stabilization! My oil needs an additive to prevent sludge! My injectors need to be cleaned! My coolant needs to be wetter! My brain needs to be jumpstarted."

 

i've seen gas go bad after a few months in a lawn mower (surely it would happen in a car too). it goes bad pretty fast lately. i won't have insurance on the car again until next summer. so, to prevent the fuel going bad, i put stabilizer in it. and i've seen that work. we put it in the generator and gas lasts for a year and a half with it.

 

Are you aware that lawnmowers are 2-stroke engines and cars are 4-stroke? Did you know there's a difference in the fuel they use? Gasoline itself will last over a year; start mixing it with oil (which is what 2-strokes run on) and it will go bad more quickly.

And apparently, Specialty Z recommends one specific fuel system cleaner, and I tend to trust their knowledge.
BG 44K
http://www.bgprod.com/products/fuelair.html

 

lawnmowers are 4-stroke....

i've seen it go bad faster then that. i think that modernly the gas doesn't last as long as it used to

 

OLD push mowers are 2 stroke and require a fuel/oil mix, newer riding mowers are 4 stroke and take regular old unleaded. Though I will go along with your claim of modern-day gasoline not lasting as long as before just because it ties in to my conspiricy theory that the gas company also has some influance into how the stop lights are set to go red early in the morning when theres no traffic to boost gas sales. lol

And in response to the argument of "I use gasoline to clean parts" you don't use it to clean parts with carbon build up, you use it mainly as a degreaser. And if your injectors have grease in them, well I got nothing for ya.

 

i have seen two "old two-stroke push mowers" in my life. i have seen TONS of four stroke mowers. push and riding. and it may be said that i've seen a good many mowers in my life, considering that i grew up in a poor family in an area that everyone lives in the woods and everyone has grass, so i've done a bit of lawn care.

 

i freakin own a 2 stoke lol. anything that has a gas oil mix like... hmm... SNOWBLOWERS is a 2 cycle.

 

i know that. i have two-strokes at my house too! a leaf blower and a weed-eater! but they aren't lawnmowers....

 

I have never seen a 2-stroke lawn mower. Please post pics and info.

 

the old lawn-boy brand from the 70's i think is when they were made

http://www.kichline.com/chuck/mowers/lawnboy.jpg

used to have that same one. looks like they've made some a little more recently than that too. quite recently maybe

 

BG 44K. I miss that stuff, used to sell it. But it looks like they're doing additives now too. The crap I ran you hooked up a device directly to the fuel injection and ran the cleaner STRAIGHT through. Had to sit there through the whole process and keep the engine from stalling out since it was running on pure solvent. Never damaged a fuel injector doing it. Great stuff, I'd recommend anything BG makes, especially the engine flush.

 

never seen one? hell the first motor I ever rebuilt was a 2 stroke lawn mower engine.