# Fuel Injector Cleaner



## ltlebug (Jan 12, 2012)

I have a 2012 turbo with 47,000 miles on it. What would be a good fuel injector cleaner for my engine? Thank you so much for your input!


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## Vwguy026 (May 1, 2013)

I usually use STP fuel system cleaner when I get an oil change never had any issues


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## IndyTTom (Oct 23, 2007)

ltlebug said:


> I have a 2012 turbo with 47,000 miles on it. What would be a good fuel injector cleaner for my engine? Thank you so much for your input!


The only one I would use and recommend is SEAFOAM. It's the Best Fuel System Cleaner, and even Crankcase cleaner/lubricant you can buy. I use half a can a couple of days before changing my oil. 
You can find it at any Autoparts store. Like Autozone or Advance etc. Also Walmart has it sometimes a bit cheaper. It's about 10 bucks a bottle but you can find it on Sale for $7.99


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## drtechy (Jun 3, 2009)

Hmm I've never used any, maybe I should look into it lol

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## TragicallyHip (Jan 25, 2011)

drtechy said:


> Hmm I've never used any, maybe I should look into it lol


Rev hang solved!


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## ltlebug (Jan 12, 2012)

Vwguy026 said:


> I usually use STP fuel system cleaner when I get an oil change never had any issues






IndyTTom said:


> The only one I would use and recommend is SEAFOAM. It's the Best Fuel System Cleaner, and even Crankcase cleaner/lubricant you can buy. I use half a can a couple of days before changing my oil.
> You can find it at any Autoparts store. Like Autozone or Advance etc. Also Walmart has it sometimes a bit cheaper. It's about 10 bucks a bottle but you can find it on Sale for $7.99


Thank you both for responding and your suggestions. I did notice you both recommend using the cleaner around an oil change, is there a special reason for that? Should I wait till my oil change next month then?


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## drtechy (Jun 3, 2009)

TragicallyHip said:


> Rev hang solved!


Lmao yea right, I wish it were that simple

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## IndyTTom (Oct 23, 2007)

ltlebug said:


> Thank you both for responding and your suggestions. I did notice you both recommend using the cleaner around an oil change, is there a special reason for that? Should I wait till my oil change next month then?


I wouldn't wait. It doesn't hurt putting in a can of Fuel System cleaner. If you do make sure you do it when you fill up your car. Pour in the fuel system cleaner (Seafoam or Techron or whatever you decide) and then fill up your tank. 
That way the Cleaner mixes with your fuel properly. If you want to add half a can of SeaFoam to the Crank case a few days prior to your oil change you can. I personally have done it to my older cars more so then the Beetle. It does clean the crankcase and
in severe cases dissolves sludge. A friend of mine had a Passat 1.8T and she never hardly changed the oil. At one point the car hardly turned over and I took a look at it. That thing was about 2 quarts low and totally full of sludge. I told her she ruined the car
and should check her oil level at least once a week. I poured in a full can of SEAFOAM and let that stuff circle through her system for a day before changing the oil. It actually did help and her car started a lot easier. Changed the oil with Mobil One 0W40 and also
half a can of Seafoam and the car ran great afterwards. She ended up trading the car in a month later for a New Beetle convertible. I just hope she isn't abusing that car as badly as she has her Passat.


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## IndyTTom (Oct 23, 2007)

drtechy said:


> Hmm I've never used any, maybe I should look into it lol
> 
> posted using tapatalk


Yup, you should  Seafoam is a true Miracle Fluid that is known to cure Rev Hang.  Or does it cure Hang Overs? Hmm..


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## ltlebug (Jan 12, 2012)

IndyTTom said:


> I wouldn't wait. It doesn't hurt putting in a can of Fuel System cleaner. If you do make sure you do it when you fill up your car. Pour in the fuel system cleaner (Seafoam or Techron or whatever you decide) and then fill up your tank.
> That way the Cleaner mixes with your fuel properly. If you want to add half a can of SeaFoam to the Crank case a few days prior to your oil change you can. I personally have done it to my older cars more so then the Beetle. It does clean the crankcase and
> in severe cases dissolves sludge. A friend of mine had a Passat 1.8T and she never hardly changed the oil. At one point the car hardly turned over and I took a look at it. That thing was about 2 quarts low and totally full of sludge. I told her she ruined the car
> and should check her oil level at least once a week. I poured in a full can of SEAFOAM and let that stuff circle through her system for a day before changing the oil. It actually did help and her car started a lot easier. Changed the oil with Mobil One 0W40 and also
> half a can of Seafoam and the car ran great afterwards. She ended up trading the car in a month later for a New Beetle convertible. I just hope she isn't abusing that car as badly as she has her Passat.


I really hope your friend is not abusing the convertible beetle  I change my oil every 5,000 miles. I try to maintain my beetle as much as I can, since I drive a lot. Also, I already had carbon build-up on the valves at 32,000 miles! VW agreed to pay 75% of the cost of cleaning it out. Tonight I will add the fuel injector cleaner since I need to fill up and will also get the seafoam. Thank you so much for your input. Very helpful!!!!


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## drtechy (Jun 3, 2009)

IndyTTom said:


> Yup, you should  Seafoam is a true Miracle Fluid that is known to cure Rev Hang.  Or does it cure Hang Overs? Hmm..


IDK, I've done it in past vehicles and it's never made a difference, kinda why I haven't bothered on this car. I guess I'll go ahead and do it at some point lol


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## PooLeArMor (Aug 13, 2008)

i read on the golfmkv.com that the fuel injector wont clean anthing on our engine beacuse it is DI...


i used SEAFOAM on my MKV GTI on every 10000 miles. and its fun to see all the white smoke coming out.


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## Cadenza_7o (Jan 23, 2001)

PooLeArMor said:


> i read on the golfmkv.com that the fuel injector wont clean anthing on our engine beacuse it is DI...
> 
> 
> i used SEAFOAM on my MKV GTI on every 10000 miles. and its fun to see all the white smoke coming out.


Ding Ding Ding ^^^

FI additives will only clean the injectors in Direct Injection motors. Carbon deposits on the valves are untouched, which is an issue with pretty much all DI motors. 

If you really want to do a proper job, the intake manifold must be removed and the carbon deposits blasted off the valves. This is the reason why automakers are moving to dual injection (port and DI) to solve this issue. 






Not sure if VW/Audi has a dedicated blaster like Mini/BMW...


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## IndyTTom (Oct 23, 2007)

I think the main reason for "Fuel Injection Cleaners" is to clean the Fuel Injectors, hence the name.


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## drtechy (Jun 3, 2009)

IndyTTom said:


> I think the main reason for "Fuel Injection Cleaners" is to clean the Fuel Injectors, hence the name.


Noooo could it truly be? lmao

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## Vwguy026 (May 1, 2013)

"Fuel System Cleaner"....

Cleans fuel injectors, intake valves and ports
Keeps combustion chamber clean
Maximizes fuel economy
Prevent future deposit buildup
Restore lost horsepower
Safe for use in turbo & supercharged vehicles
Helps reduce emissions
Will not void OEM/manufacturer's warranty


Just saying


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## IndyTTom (Oct 23, 2007)

Vwguy026 said:


> "Fuel System Cleaner"....
> 
> Cleans fuel injectors, intake valves and ports
> Keeps combustion chamber clean
> ...


Ours is a GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection) engine which doesn't respond to regular Fuel System Cleaners. http://www.roadandtrack.com/motorhead-university/sponsored-content-gasoline-direct-injection-101 
Gumout Regane claims that it is designed for GDI engines and should work with our motors. http://gumout.com/ourProducts/ReganeFSC.asp


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## Cadenza_7o (Jan 23, 2001)

That's complete BS with Gumout Regane advertising it can clean the valves when by design the injectors are located in the combustion chambers. Unless the additive is applied onto the valves by other means, they stay dry of fuel and whatever is added to the fuel.


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## IndyTTom (Oct 23, 2007)

Cadenza_7o said:


> That's complete BS with Gumout Regane advertising it can clean the valves when by design the injectors are located in the combustion chambers. Unless the additive is applied onto the valves by other means, they stay dry of fuel and whatever is added to the fuel.


True, no fuel additive can clean the valves on a GDI engine. It's physically impossible. The fuel system cleaner will clean the fuel lines, fuel pump and injectors on a Direct Injection engine but that is about it. The intake valves will never see the
benefit due to this new design. There are some that claim if you spray a cleaner through the throttle body it will help clean the intake valves. Not sure if I trust that theory or not. Here is a Cleaner by CRC that claims it can clean your intake valves
on the new type GDI engine. 
http://crcindustries.com/auto/intake-valve-cleaner.php


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## ltlebug (Jan 12, 2012)

On Friday, I put a full bottle of STP fuel injector cleaner (black bottle) and filled my car all the way and hit the road to Columbus (~95 highway miles each way). Wow! The mileage I was getting. Never hit these numbers before. Here is a photo where car said i still had 435 miles to the tank, but I had already driven 77 miles! As you can see from my speed, I do not go the speed limit and I am considered a little bit of an aggressive driver  By the end of my trip, after driving some city miles in Columbus, I still had more than half a tank with 250 miles left according to car to the tank and driven 235 miles (the engine light and battery and others are on because I turned engine off, then remembered to take a picture.) 

http://s1148.photobucket.com/user/Ltlebug/media/20140502_171729.jpg.html

http://s1148.photobucket.com/user/Ltlebug/media/20140502_215122.jpg.html





Cadenza_7o said:


> Ding Ding Ding ^^^
> 
> FI additives will only clean the injectors in Direct Injection motors. Carbon deposits on the valves are untouched, which is an issue with pretty much all DI motors.
> 
> ...



Thank you for sharing the videos. They were very informative


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## Cadenza_7o (Jan 23, 2001)

ltlebug -

The mpg on one tank doesn't mean anything. A trend is necessary to really see if the additives work and to average out driving style, fuel quality variation, etc. Almost everytime I put Techron or Redline in my all of my cars, that tank usually got better mpg. But the following refills w/o the additive, the mpg went back to normal pretty much right away. This could mean that the engine and the fuel delivery system were already running at their max efficiency and the temporary improvement in mpg was the result of possible octane boost in the chemistry of the additives. 

The most recent example is my Mini Cooper S when it got 31.26 mpg for the first time ever over 60k driven. The 2 tanks that came after were 30.06 and 29.86. The average mpg for this year (6800 miles & approx 228 gallons) is 29.80 mpg. All numbers are calculated manually. 

As for the valves, here is the statement from VW/Audi... 

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/1414716/1


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## ltlebug (Jan 12, 2012)

Cadenza_7o said:


> ltlebug -
> 
> The mpg on one tank doesn't mean anything. A trend is necessary to really see if the additives work and to average out driving style, fuel quality variation, etc. Almost everytime I put Techron or Redline in my all of my cars, that tank usually got better mpg. But the following refills w/o the additive, the mpg went back to normal pretty much right away. This could mean that the engine and the fuel delivery system were already running at their max efficiency and the temporary improvement in mpg was the result of possible octane boost in the chemistry of the additives.
> 
> ...



I know the great mpg would be short lived, but it was exciting to have even for just one tank...had to share  I understand that the valve issue is not related to fuel injector cleaner, but I mentioned it to give a history and notice to others that the issue of carbon build-up occurs at lower mileage than I expected or others may expect in these beetles. In hindsight, maybe I should have started a separate thread where I mention the carbon buildup issue.


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## lmgarza85 (Mar 27, 2014)

What about the Seafoam that spays into the throttle body? Do you guys think that would help with carbon build up?


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## drtechy (Jun 3, 2009)

lmgarza85 said:


> What about the Seafoam that spays into the throttle body? Do you guys think that would help with carbon build up?


There was a thread that showed before and after on the fsi motor with seafoam. Wasn't very impressive to be honest. I'll try and find it. The ONLY way to truly clean them is to remove the manifold and clean the valves directly. 

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## IndyTTom (Oct 23, 2007)

drtechy said:


> There was a thread that showed before and after on the fsi motor with seafoam. Wasn't very impressive to be honest. I'll try and find it. The ONLY way to truly clean them is to remove the manifold and clean the valves directly.
> 
> posted using tapatalk


I like Seafoam for just about anything. It's the best hands down solvent and Liquid Wrench there is. Spray it on some rusted bolts let it sit for a couple of minutes and those things break free easily. 
However, I don't think any cleaner, solvent or Miracle Fluid will clean the valves on a Direct Injection (GDI) engine. The best precaution is to always use Premium Fuel from a reputable station and change the oil
on a regular basis.


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## lmgarza85 (Mar 27, 2014)

IndyTTom said:


> I like Seafoam for just about anything. It's the best hands down solvent and Liquid Wrench there is. Spray it on some rusted bolts let it sit for a couple of minutes and those things break free easily.
> However, I don't think any cleaner, solvent or Miracle Fluid will clean the valves on a Direct Injection (GDI) engine. The best precaution is to always use Premium Fuel from a reputable station and change the oil
> on a regular basis.


I'm not so sure, I used only 93 octane (and no cheap brands either) on my GTI with the TSI in it, and when they changed the broken intake manifold at around 45,000 miles, the valves looked horrible. I had them cleaned out since they already had the manifold off. 
Maybe spraying Seafoam in the manifold can keep everything clean if it's used more like preventive maintenance, rather than trying to clean the valves once they're thick with carbon. Thoughts?


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## IndyTTom (Oct 23, 2007)

lmgarza85 said:


> I'm not so sure, I used only 93 octane (and no cheap brands either) on my GTI with the TSI in it, and when they changed the broken intake manifold at around 45,000 miles, the valves looked horrible. I had them cleaned out since they already had the manifold off.
> Maybe spraying Seafoam in the manifold can keep everything clean if it's used more like preventive maintenance, rather than trying to clean the valves once they're thick with carbon. Thoughts?


I think that is the problem with these new GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection) engines. With the Injectors injecting fuel directly into the combustion chamber it bypasses the valves and the gasoline additives can not clean them. 
Not sure how spraying Seafoam or another cleaner into the Throttle body can help but Perhaps it does. I know Seafoam Deep Creap does get into a lot of nook and crannies. I once left an expensive set of scissors laying outside in a damp garage. When I found them 
they were full of rust and I couldn't even open them. I soaked them in Seafoam overnight and it removed all the rust. I wiped them off and they were as good as new. So I know this stuff works very well. Again, I don't know if it will do any good with the GDI motors. 
I wish they would come up with a solution for this problem. Getting the Valves cleaned or taking off your Manifold every time you want to clean them just isn't cost effective.


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## lmgarza85 (Mar 27, 2014)

This thread got me curious, so I looked for a half bottle of Seafom spray I had put away somewhere and got to work yesterday afternoon. I followed the instructions to the T, not expecting much, and all I have to say is wow. For 15 minutes worth of work it made a huge difference. My car has close to 42,000 miles on it and now it's running allot smoother. Not even a new oil change makes this much difference. I get noticeably better response and my engine would sputter to a halt when I would turn it off, now it just shuts off with no movement or drama. The biggest relief is that about a week ago "rev hang" (is that a thing or did we just coin the phrase on the fly?) started to become very noticeable. When I would put it in neutral the revs would stop at 2,000 for a almost 5 seconds!!!!. Needles to say, after reading about Dr. Techy's problems I was starting to get worried. I think I was still in the denial phase, but for now, it looks like it took care of that. The can felt a little less than half full so maybe I didn't get the complete benefit of a full dose, but either way I'm sold.


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## IndyTTom (Oct 23, 2007)

lmgarza85 said:


> This thread got me curious, so I looked for a half bottle of Seafom spray I had put away somewhere and got to work yesterday afternoon. I followed the instructions to the T, not expecting much, and all I have to say is wow. For 15 minutes worth of work it made a huge difference. My car has close to 42,000 miles on it and now it's running allot smoother. Not even a new oil change makes this much difference. I get noticeably better response and my engine would sputter to a halt when I would turn it off, now it just shuts off with no movement or drama. The biggest relief is that about a week ago "rev hang" (is that a thing or did we just coin the phrase on the fly?) started to become very noticeable. When I would put it in neutral the revs would stop at 2,000 for a almost 5 seconds!!!!. Needles to say, after reading about Dr. Techy's problems I was starting to get worried. I think I was still in the denial phase, but for now, it looks like it took care of that. The can felt a little less than half full so maybe I didn't get the complete benefit of a full dose, but either way I'm sold.


Just curious, where did you spray the Seafoam Spray? Into the Throttle body? Sorry about the Rev Hang. So far so good. No Rev hang yet on my car. If that starts happening I will probably trade my car for a Mustang


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## lmgarza85 (Mar 27, 2014)

IndyTTom said:


> Just curious, where did you spray the Seafoam Spray? Into the Throttle body? Sorry about the Rev Hang. So far so good. No Rev hang yet on my car. If that starts happening I will probably trade my car for a Mustang


I just unhooked the throttle hose that comes from the pancake pipe and put the little hook guide that comes with the Seafoam in there. The straw was sticking out about 1 inch from the guide so it would not touch the flap. I then tightened the hose a little and turned on the engine to get get it to operating temp. After that I revved up the engine to 2,000 using a 2x4 and started spraying. I sprayed what was left of the can and then turned the engine off. It says to let it sit for 5 minutes so I took the guide of and tightened everything back up while that was happening. After you let it sit, you're supposed to drive it pretty hard to help clear everything out, and there will be allot of thick smoke. While you rev up the engine, the Seafoam gets on the valves through the manifold. It's very important that the car is warmed up before the Seafoam goes in the engine, and also important that it sits to give it a chance to work itself in.


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## Vwintraining (Dec 20, 2016)

Has anyone tried Liqui Moly Jectron? I've been reading some very positive reviews about it. And I also know it's $7 at a local import parts store. I have a 2013 GTI with just under 42,000 miles on it. Unfortunately for me, Oregon gas sucks. 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## schagaphonic (Aug 24, 2008)

I've used several different brands as a bit of preventative medicine, keeping things clean, running one can about every 3 mos.
Recently bought a 6-pack of the LM Jectron cleaner. I've only run one can and as usual, I got a nice mpg boost for that one tank
and beyond that, I cannot detect much difference, just keeping engine running smoothly. Good price break on Amazon.


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## E36BMW (Nov 11, 1999)

Techron, once a year.


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## drag79stang (Jul 30, 2016)

*I wonder.*

I've only got a little over 11k on a brand new VW replacement motor, but want to nip that ugly buildup in the bud right away.

I installed a CTS catch can system on the car, but unfortunately, can't run that in the winter, so a good 6 months of short mileage driving will probably make a mess
of the valves/intake area.

In the meantime tho, I've also installed a Snow Performance water/meth setup. I'm hoping THAT has a cleaning 'benefit' during its usage, before the onslaught of winter, and detune.


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## TSI-DRIVER (Jan 18, 2015)

Sorry to bump an old thread but liqui moly jectron does work, I used it before a oil change and I noticed A Marginal difference in mpg and performance, I do know that when I changed my oil it was darker than I've ever seen it and I change it at 7k miles. It was not brown but dark black. My lumpy idle is from carbon at 94k miles but the fuel injector cleaner worked well. If I remember my exhaust tips were darker as well. On a side note I've just started using Pennzoil euro platinum full synthetic 0w40 and my car is smoother and cold starts are better than with 5w40.


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