Walk into any automotive supply store, and you’ll see rows upon rows of bottled products containing all kinds of fluids. Among them, you’ll find products called diesel injector cleaners. Do cars really need these products? Do they actually work?
Yes, diesel injector cleaners work and are most effective when you use them regularly to remove buildups and deposits in diesel injectors. They contain solvents and other chemicals that clean the injectors and lubricate the fuel system's components.
There is much to learn about diesel injector cleaners, and this quick guide will help you do just that. You'll know how these cleaners work, when to use them, and what professional-grade alternatives you can use when they're no longer effective.
What's a Diesel Injector Cleaner, And How Does It Work?
A diesel injector cleaner is exactly what it sounds. It’s a bottled product that you pour into your diesel fuel tank to clean the vehicle’s injectors. These products contain special chemicals to dissolve deposits around the injectors.
This method of diesel injector cleaning appeals to many people because of its benefits. The idea is that by using these products, you can do away with professional fuel injector cleaning costs.
Besides that, these products also promise to provide benefits like the following:
- Improved performance: These cleaners help restore diesel injectors to their optimal state, improving the engine’s overall performance. That includes resolving rough idling, restoring power, and improving acceleration.
- Reduced emissions: That improved performance means the engine can burn fuel correctly, which also results in reduced emissions. That’s quite the opposite of an engine with dirty injectors that will cause more harmful gasses and smoke from the exhaust system.
- Reduced wear: Of course, cleaning the fuel injectors and helping them function optimally reduces overall wear. That means regular cleaning maximises the injectors’ lifespans.
As you read before, these bottled diesel injector cleaners are alternatives to professional diesel fuel injector cleaning services. While both work in similar ways and have similar goals, professional services are much more effective, especially when dealing with stubborn buildups.
Professional diesel injector cleaning involves commercial-grade equipment that either uses soundwaves for ultrasonic cleaning or sprays solvents into the injectors. Both approaches are effective for cleaning away deposits and other buildups.
Of course, those services come at a higher price than a cleaner you can pick off a shelf at your local automotive supply store.
How Often Should You Use Diesel Injector Cleaner?
You can expect each diesel injector in your engine to develop some buildup after 1,000 kilometres of driving. Naturally, that will worsen with time until you thoroughly clean those injectors.
With that in mind, a general rule of thumb is to use a diesel injector cleaner every 4,800 kilometres of driving. If you use your vehicle more aggressively and notice symptoms involving your diesel injectors, you should clean them sooner.
As you read earlier, diesel injector cleaning products are good but are only an alternative to professional cleaning. Getting a professional deep cleaning done after 100,000 kilometres of driving is an excellent idea.
What Are the Types of Diesel Injector Cleaners?
So far, we've been exploring one type of diesel injector cleaner: bottled products containing chemical agents that remove diesel fuel injector buildups. These products are effective at flushing out impurities and removing buildups and deposits.
Aside from that, many products also include conditioning agents that help regulate sulphur content and stabilise the fuel.
We've also briefly mentioned professional diesel injector cleaning methods, which use two types of cleaners, i.e., ultrasonic cleaners and rail-induced cleaners.
Here’s a closer look at both cleaner types.
Ultrasonic Diesel Injector Cleaners
This approach to diesel injector cleaning involves using ultrasonic soundwaves that loosen the buildups on the inside. They’re highly effective at getting rid of all stubborn deposits but lack some of the benefits of chemical agents.
Since this method doesn’t use chemical agents, it only cleans but does not lubricate.
Part of the effectiveness of this approach is the thoroughness of the cleaning process, which is why it takes almost an hour to finish.
As you can imagine, ultrasonic diesel injector cleaning requires specialised equipment you’ll only find at a professional workshop.
Rail-Induced Diesel Injector Cleaners
Another professional approach is to use rail-induced diesel injector cleaners, which also involves using commercial equipment only found in workshops. The equipment flushes the diesel injectors with solvents at high pressure to remove the most stubborn buildup.
This approach requires the most effort, so it’s done only when deep cleaning becomes necessary.
What Is the Best Diesel Injector Cleaner in Australia?
If you want to get your diesel injectors cleaned right now, you’ll likely want to start with a bottled product. It’s cheaper and a more practical solution than spending your hard-earned money on the more intensive professional cleaning methods.
Here are some of the best diesel injector cleaners Australia has to offer to help you with that:
- Liqui Moly: Any diesel injector cleaner Liqui Moly makes will undoubtedly get you the results you expect. The German brand is known for its many different products, including lubricants and other fluids, and its injector cleaners are top-notch as well.
- Valvoline: If you prefer American-made products, Valvoline also has diesel injector cleaners that you can use. Not only do their products get rid of buildups and deposits, but they also offer protection against rust and corrosion.
- Penrite: Of course, some buyers prefer locally-made Aussie products. You can rely on Penrite for that. Their diesel injector cleaner promises cleaning, performance improvements, and better fuel economy with an advanced detergent additive.
- Nulon: Nulon also has a straightforward diesel injector cleaning product that works with common rail and direct injection systems. With this one, you’ll get all the benefits you expect from an injector cleaner.
- SCA: Last but certainly not least, you can rely on SCA’s diesel injector cleaner if you want more value. This product is excellent for cleaning your injectors and improving the engine’s performance.
These are just some of the top diesel fuel injector brands. Still, don’t get too hung up on which one’s the best diesel injector cleaner among them. If you’re using one of the brands listed above regularly, you can be confident that your vehicle's diesel injectors are in good health.
Bottom Line: Does Diesel Injector Cleaner Work?
The bottom line is clear: yes, diesel injector cleaners work. However, they work best when you regularly use them for your vehicle's overall maintenance.
If you've been remiss in this maintenance task and your car’s diesel injectors have become too dirty for those cleaners to handle, it’s best to use professional solutions. Visit your friendly mechanic or shop to inquire about ultrasonic or rail-induced diesel injector cleaning.
If you don't know where to go, you can check out CarpartAU to find diesel injector cleaning products or local workshops that can provide professional cleaning services. You’re just a few clicks away from ensuring your diesel engine is in optimal condition!
By Ray Hasbollah