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Low cost pressurized fuel injection cleaner.

10K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  Herman Wiegman 
#1 ·
For reference, this van had sit for over 4 years when I bought it due to the owner not wanting to pay $700(!) to replace the fuel pump. The tank had sit out without the pump in it for that time, and the fuel had pretty much turned to sludge. I found a clean tank, bought a fuel pump, and have been driving it since. It usually has a dead miss in the morning for about 5 miles of driving. If it doesn't clear up on the way to my shop, the next time I get in during the day it's smooth as glass. The SES code is always #3 missing, so I'm pretty certain it's the dreaded poppet sticking. Since this van is destined for a 5.7 of the same vintage (98), I don't really want to upgrade to the newer spider as I'll most certainly need to do the same on the 5.7 once it's in. I did the seafoam treatment, both down her throat and through the gas tank which didn't make any difference. The local Grease Monkey and Precision Tune wants $100 for a pressure cleaning, and of course that's not a guaranteed fix although it's a good bit towards a upgraded spider. So...........

Google turned up quite a few instances of folks using the BWD "Cleen" system to fix a sticking poppet. The smallest kit is $350 but has fittings for pretty much everything under the sun. I bought a can of cleaner ($10 CSF56) and ordered the can adapter from the kit ($25 CST600T) through Oreillys. I had a cheapo fuel injection pressure gauge at the shop with the correct fitting for the fuel rail. I dug through the junk around here and found a regulator off an old oiless air compressor to use as a valve. This was the only part I'm going to change because it was leaking immediately, but not bad enough to abort the mission. Being an air regulator, the chemicals probably attacked the rubber seals in it.

Here is the pressure gauge:


My "adapted" fuel injector cleaning system:


Attached to fuel rail:


This is what the can looks like. It wasn't on the shelf at Oreillys but they had it in the back:


I pulled the fuel pump relay, then let the pressure off and hooked up the can of cleaner. Took off gas cap in case tank had pressure in it. Open the regulator wide open, and started the engine. The van ran a LONG TIME on that can of cleaner. It ran long enough that at one point I shut the engine off to listen for the fuel pump running somehow. Your supposed to let it run until it dies on it's own, then let it set for 10 minutes to soak. At that point relieve what little pressure is left and remove the hose. Put the relay back in, and drive off into the sunset. I'll report back tomorrow if the miss is gone in the morning, but I can already tell it's idling smoother and revs a bit quicker. I don't remember what I paid for the fuel pressure gauge initially, but other than that I've got $35 in this system, and I'll be able to use it again on other vehicles.
 
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#2 ·
:goodpost:
Always nice when a newcomer brings something to the table,
Thanks for the writeup and keep us posted on how this works. I have seldom seen a "fix in a can" that worked well but this shows promise. My '97 could benefit from this if the crud cleaned out does not foul anything else farther down the line. As a kid I'd run water down the carb in most of my cars as a pre-tuneup cleaning knowing the carbon would flow freely out the exhaust. These days with all the pollution crap that can be fouled and a computer that reads feedback and adjusts I'm always a little leery of what can happen.

And speaking of tables I had a look at your site,,,,

you've just been nominated for catering duties at the AstroSafari pig roast and campng jamboree! :dance:
 
#3 ·
Not sure about catering, but I can surely bring a VERY large grill! I'm not the cook of the shop, that would be my business partner Mike. We both do design work, I'm the fabricator, but he's the grill master when it's time to fire up the grill.

The thing that sent me down this path for the injectors is the TSB that Chevy had out on the Vortec. Their fix is basically the same thing as this first, followed by replacing the injector spider if this didn't work. The BWD Cleen system may actually the exact same thing, because there is also a canister that uses shop air instead of aerosol that looks exactly like the kit that GM uses. The plus to that set up is that you can "overpressure" the poppets to get them open if they are stuck hard.

I buttoned everything up yesterday afternoon and got a block from the shop when I realized I'd forgotten to reset and clear the computer codes. Looked at the dash, and the SES light had already went out on it's own. I'd say that's a good omen.

Thanks to the Formula 1 race, I've yet to head out on a drive to check things out. I'll be checking back in shortly.
 
#4 ·
I also use the water down the throat trick, but only very rarely. It is an easy way to steam clean the insides, but I wouldn't be doing it on a regular basis, because of the stuff that can be ruined downstream.

Bob
 
#6 ·
Yes!
This is the kind of answer I was looking for to address my van's rough idle (when warm, not cold), and stumble on acceleration.
A brilliant idea to force a proper cleaning fluid into the fuel system at pressure and letting the engine burn the product while running.

Otherwise, here is a way to clean out the poppet valves manually, once removed from the intake.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Poor-Mans-Repair-Guide-For-ChevyGMC-Vortec-Fuel-I/

Any update on how the van is still running?
Any one else try this method?

[edit]
After some more research I have found the following competent injector cleaners:
Pro Cleen CSF56 (administered via the fuel rail)
Pro Cleen CSF104 (administered via the gas tank)
BG 44k (via gas tank)
Techron (via gas tank)

It seems the gas tank methods are more gradual at cleaning and more at risk of clogging your fuel filter.
The fuel rail administered solutions attack the issue of clogged injectors more directly.

Herminator
 
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