Q: How Do I Keep the Fuel System Clean?

Ideally, you shouldn’t have to do anything to your car to keep the fuel system clean. However, our cars don’t live in an ideal world.

Probably the most common effect of burning gasoline in our engines is the buildup of carbon deposits on the back side of intake valves and inside the combustion chambers of the engine.

There are a number of detergents that you can purchase from your local auto parts store that you can use as a treatment to help prevent carbon buildup.

If your car exhibits long crank times in the morning, chances are good that you already have some carbon buildup on your intake valves. There are several ways to remove carbon build-up. One is invasive and one is not.

The invasive method of decarbonizing an engine is to disassemble it and clean it with crushed walnut shells in a sand blaster. Expensive and time-consuming. And should only be done by a professional technician.

The non-invasive method is to use a concentrated cleaner that is sprayed into the intake manifold while the engine is running. The cleaner dissolves the carbon buildup which allows the engine to start and run more normally. This method is also performed by a trained technician. It is less costly and way less time consuming.

If you need this type of service done to you car, feel free to reach out to a certified mechanic who can flush your fuel injector to help maintain the life of your fuel system.