# fuel injectors



## Mo Cruze (Aug 29, 2014)

i have a 2013..no problems with them yet..13,900 miles.. how did you know you needed new ones?


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

You're the first person I know of who has had to replace the injectors.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Why?


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## ehousel (Nov 1, 2013)

gm warns against non top tier detergent gasoline for various reasons. one reason is fowling injectors. working at a gm dealership I see dirty injectors most common. I have only seen one that had a bad solenoid and was just spraying fuel


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

ehousel said:


> gm warns against non top tier detergent gasoline for various reasons. one reason is fowling injectors. working at a gm dealership I see dirty injectors most common. I have only seen one that had a bad solenoid and was just spraying fuel


I have seen the same. However, I strongly believe that top tier fuel will assist in reducing the deposits and clogging effects of non-top tier fuel, but will not alleviate it entirely. The occasional use of fuel additives is still advised.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

One reason a number of different vehicles had all the injectors replaced with associated hardware is due to a recall notice due to the possibility of an engine fire. We had such a recall notice on our 86 Nissan Maxima, even though this car was far out of warranty.

No such recall notice on the Cruze as of yet, so not the reason. Also a lot of Cadillac's in the early 2000's were recalled for the same reason. So your post does generate concerns why your injectors were replaced, and I assume all four.

Were you having gas leaks, rough running engine, was your check engine lamp on? Were you called to have your injectors replaced, or did you bring your Cruze into your dealer with engine running problems? As you can see, you have fellow Cruze owners guessing as to why your injectors were replaced.

Would be highly helpful if you gave the rest of the story as to how all this came about.

In my own case with a brake pedal going clear to the floor, analysis of the problem of all things was an inoperative vacuum pump. Are you kidding, not complaining about a hard brake pedal, but one going to the floor, what does the vacuum pump have to do with this? But they replaced it anyway and insisted the brakes were okay while the pedal was still going clear to the floor! Felt like I was dealing with a bunch of idiots, and turns out I was. 

Provide more information as to why. Or just this last week, a battery with zero parasitic current draw going dead in a couple of weeks. Its good, it passes the CCA test after fully charged. Can't believe my ears, thank God, found a dealer with some brains.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

XtremeRevolution said:


> I have seen the same. However, I strongly believe that top tier fuel will assist in reducing the deposits and clogging effects of non-top tier fuel, but will not alleviate it entirely. The occasional use of fuel additives is still advised.


I have seen at least one report that indicated not all top tier are equal in the amount of detergent they have. Sure they all have slightly more than required by the EPA, but some brands are way better than others. The report below indicates higher octane premium has more detergents as well, no matter the brand.

With this much difference between brands and even fuel grades, It makes allot of sense to run a bottle of quality cleaner every now and then. 

Detergent in gas helps the engine run cleaner and smoother so just how much is in there? - WXYZ.com


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

spacedout said:


> I have seen at least one report that indicated not all top tier are equal in the amount of detergent they have. Sure they all have slightly more than required by the EPA, but some brands are way better than others. The report below indicates higher octane premium has more detergents as well, no matter the brand.
> 
> With this much difference between brands and even fuel grades, It makes allot of sense to run a bottle of quality cleaner every now and then.
> 
> Detergent in gas helps the engine run cleaner and smoother so just how much is in there? - WXYZ.com


Ha, again pure speculation as to why the OP's injectors were replaced. But also a true statement regarding exactly what top tier gas is. Would love to see statistics from the EPA why we need 155 different blends of gas in terms of protecting the environment. One key reason as to why we have to pay a small fortune for fuel. Pipeline jam ups.


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## iggy (Feb 14, 2013)

Ok... so apparently I'm just doing the worst thing possible, rarely caring which station I stop at... I go to the cheapest. Usually, lately , that's the same place ( Costco ). 

I'm skeptical by nature... but why would having 'more' stuff left over after evaporating fuel , be a good thing? In the test that WXYZ reported on , that is apparently how they determined how much 'detergent' was in their samples. 

Meanwhile... well I have had multiple cars drive over 250,000 miles without caring where I stop to get gas, and without every having used a fuel additive. I guess I'll continue to take my chances and stop at the station that's near by and low priced when I need fuel.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

iggy said:


> Ok... so apparently I'm just doing the worst thing possible, rarely caring which station I stop at... I go to the cheapest. Usually, lately , that's the same place ( Costco ).
> 
> I'm skeptical by nature... but why would having 'more' stuff left over after evaporating fuel , be a good thing? In the test that WXYZ reported on , that is apparently how they determined how much 'detergent' was in their samples.
> 
> Meanwhile... well I have had multiple cars drive over 250,000 miles without caring where I stop to get gas, and without every having used a fuel additive. I guess I'll continue to take my chances and stop at the station that's near by and low priced when I need fuel.


I use Safeway. Even Top Tier brands, if the station is a low volume station, will have problems. The safest way to go in my opinion is to find a high volume station that has to have the underground tanks refilled at least weekly.


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## Vetterin (Mar 27, 2011)

borstm16 said:


> I have a 2013 Cruze and had to have all the fuel injectors replaced about 4 months after owning the vehicle. Has this happened to anyone else?


NO!


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Costco recently gained recognition as a Top Tier brand. That said, at least at the one around the corner from me, neither of our cars seem to like it. The Cruze is laggy and jumpy on their 93 octane, and the other car doesn't seem to like their 87 either. Both have returned some of their worst MPG tanks on that. 

Which is a shame, because regular at Costco just fell under $3/gal.


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## Mo Cruze (Aug 29, 2014)

I have a question. You know when you go to like jiffylube or whereever and they want to clean you fuel injectors? Can it cause any harm? I know they disconnect your fuel line or something and connect it to there bottle of fuel cleaner i think. Ive done it once before a long time ago and then a bunch of smoke starts pouring out of your exhaust and the car almost stalls. And they say the more it smokes the more dirty your injectors were??? Am i right? And is it safe?

2nd question is it the same things as putting in a bottle of Techron? or is the one from the shop more of a deeper cleaning? i bought my car used with 11,000miles and now has almost 14,000. Whoever had the car before me didnt take care of it very well. I had alot of work to do to make it nice again. Seats were filthy, scratches in paint and chips. Slit in leather seat. They only dorve the car for 10 months SMH. Only got 23 miles to the gallon for the life of the car. Im getting 28. Just want to make sure this car runs good for a long time and want to do the right things to maintain it.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

iggy said:


> Meanwhile... well I have had multiple cars drive over 250,000 miles without caring where I stop to get gas, and without every having used a fuel additive. I guess I'll continue to take my chances and stop at the station that's near by and low priced when I need fuel.


Did you drive those cars from zero to 250,000 miles? Is their power and fuel economy exactly the same as when they were new? Do they consume any oil relative to when they were new? Do they sound exactly the same as when they were new? 

I've torn apart my fair share of motors and seen just what fuel does to pistons, valves, and injectors. I've seen the problems that incomplete fuel burn causes, which people will readily blame on something else. If you just want the engine to "run" even if that means running it into the ground, then there's no need to do anything, but those who want their vehicles to run optimally over their intended service life will find that running top end cleaner additives in the gas tank will be worth their while regardless of what fuel they pump. 



Mo Cruze said:


> I have a question. You know when you go to like jiffylube or whereever and they want to clean you fuel injectors? Can it cause any harm? I know they disconnect your fuel line or something and connect it to there bottle of fuel cleaner i think. Ive done it once before a long time ago and then a bunch of smoke starts pouring out of your exhaust and the car almost stalls. And they say the more it smokes the more dirty your injectors were??? Am i right? And is it safe?
> 
> 2nd question is it the same things as putting in a bottle of Techron? or is the one from the shop more of a deeper cleaning? i bought my car used with 11,000miles and now has almost 14,000. Whoever had the car before me didnt take care of it very well. I had alot of work to do to make it nice again. Seats were filthy, scratches in paint and chips. Slit in leather seat. They only dorve the car for 10 months SMH. Only got 23 miles to the gallon for the life of the car. Im getting 28. Just want to make sure this car runs good for a long time and want to do the right things to maintain it.


The shop will simply run a top end cleaner through the injectors. The difference is that they can get it clean by the time you pick up the car an hour or so later, whereas you will have to wait however long it takes and run through a tank of gas with a fuel additive to get the same results. Some people need to pass emissions or want an instant result, so they will have a shop perform the service. 

When it comes to top end cleaners, you get what you pay for. Some are better than others.


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## iggy (Feb 14, 2013)

I put the second half of those miles on. During the time I drove them, the gas mileage never changed that I could tell. Oil consumption didn't change either... well one of them leaked so badly it'd be down a quart in every 5000 miles but that's a different matter. Was it exactly the same? how would I know, it was close enough that I couldn't tell , that's all I know.



XtremeRevolution said:


> Did you drive those cars from zero to 250,000 miles? Is their power and fuel economy exactly the same as when they were new? Do they consume any oil relative to when they were new? Do they sound exactly the same as when they were new?
> 
> I've torn apart my fair share of motors and seen just what fuel does to pistons, valves, and injectors. I've seen the problems that incomplete fuel burn causes, which people will readily blame on something else. If you just want the engine to "run" even if that means running it into the ground, then there's no need to do anything, but those who want their vehicles to run optimally over their intended service life will find that running top end cleaner additives in the gas tank will be worth their while regardless of what fuel they pump.
> 
> ...


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Seafoam is the best in my experience, toss in a can before each oil change when due and burn it down to a quarter of a tank. Besides only using Mobil top tier gasoline, ethanol free. You are getting as good as 28 mpg, I am averaging at least 40 mpg, combined city and highway driving.

Problems is a old as gas itself, HC's, hydrocarbons. Its the carbon that's a problem, very little heating value, and leaves a mess all over. Builds up on the center electrode insulator on the spark plugs fouling them out. On the surface of injectors, really the only proper way to clean them is to remove them. Under the intake valve causing poor breathing problems. Inside of the combustion chamber causing detonation, on the piston rings causing excess engine oil consumption, and PVC blowby.

Another side effect of carbon even if it causes a slight misfire is burning up the inside of the catalytic converter, if not this much, more exhaust restriction. Because of carbon, all engines are self destructive machines, and get rid of the carbon, could go a lot further on engine oil changes.

Now the government is finally blaming carbon for excess CO2 production, but they knew about this a very long time ago. Even worse is CO, cold cats to not get rid of this highly poisonous gas, also affecting our health in the process. Little sulfur in the fuel generates sulfuric acid that eats away at our lungs.


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## iggy (Feb 14, 2013)

The only car I ever had that I could tell the difference between cheap gas and better gas, was a 1985 Dodge Omni GLH Turbo, that I had. The fuel pump in the tank would not work right on a hot summer day if you used cheap gas... I'd make a lot of noise and the car would not run right. It did this from the day I bought it, I was super mad at the Dodge dealer when I took it back and complained, the guy told me... " if you want a car that doesn't make any noises, then buy a Mercedes" I think he figured some 19 year old kid was to stupid to know, how stupid that sounded( this was long before Daimler ever had a twinkle in their eye with regard to buying Chrysler ). My understanding of the nature of the problem was fuel volatility... pressure would build up in the tank on hot days and this would cause the fuel pump to struggle. From what I could tell, any name brand fuel would work just fine, but if I went to a no name station, I was almost guaranteed to have problems. I never ran anything but regular gas, and this issue had nothing to do with octane, nor did it have to do with detergents as far as I know. I think eventually there was a recall on this fuel pump issue, but... well my memory is a bit fuzzy on things back that long ago.


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## Addicted2Saab (Jul 22, 2014)

Yes I had to replace my injectors and railing at about 6000 miles due to a starting problem. 2014 Cruze LT


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