Fuel Injector Cleaner For 2002 Ls430

[dinkygreg]

Sorry if this has been posted before, but I honestly don't know where to start from. I recently purchased 2002 LS430 and love the way it rides/handles. Now I am looking for fuel injector cleaner, but can't decide between STP and Lucas. I searched around and found so many mixed up reviews on both brands. A garage guy told me that Lucas works better. What do you guys use for your LS430? Recommendations for other fuel injector cleaners are also welcome.

Thanks in advance.

[landar]

Sorry if this has been posted before, but I honestly don't know where to start from. I recently purchased 2002 LS430 and love the way it rides/handles. Now I am looking for fuel injector cleaner, but can't decide between STP and Lucas. I searched around and found so many mixed up reviews on both brands. A garage guy told me that Lucas works better. What do you guys use for your LS430? Recommendations for other fuel injector cleaners are also welcome.

Thanks in advance.

Welcome to the forum! You get the legendary beer-chug (sorry, we just ran out of fuel injector gift cards...however, advice is still free and worth every penny!)

First off, I wonder why you think you need to clean the injectors. Is it running rough? If you use a top-tier gasoline, premium blend, you generally will have all the additives needed to keep the injectors in clean shape. However, if you would feel better putting an additional cleaner in there, I have always been impressed with Berryman products...ie: the B12 Chemtools. They always seemed to work better than other products when cleaning up parts in the garage.

Here is a link -> http://www.berrymanproducts.com/ProductsInfo/CombustionSystemCleaning.aspx

[RX350lover]

Sorry if this has been posted before, but I honestly don't know where to start from. I recently purchased 2002 LS430 and love the way it rides/handles. Now I am looking for fuel injector cleaner, but can't decide between STP and Lucas. I searched around and found so many mixed up reviews on both brands. A garage guy told me that Lucas works better. What do you guys use for your LS430? Recommendations for other fuel injector cleaners are also welcome.

Thanks in advance.

Welcome to the forum! You get the legendary beer-chug (sorry, we just ran out of fuel injector gift cards...however, advice is still free and worth every penny!)

First off, I wonder why you think you need to clean the injectors. Is it running rough? If you use a top-tier gasoline, premium blend, you generally will have all the additives needed to keep the injectors in clean shape. However, if you would feel better putting an additional cleaner in there, I have always been impressed with Berryman products...ie: the B12 Chemtools. They always seemed to work better than other products when cleaning up parts in the garage.

Here is a link -> http://www.berrymanproducts.com/ProductsInfo/CombustionSystemCleaning.aspx

[RX350lover]

If you use a product to clean the fuel system, keep in mind that it would be highly desirable that an oil change be done after you emptied your tank and filled it up with new gasoline. Because any particules removed from the fuel injectors will be bathing in your engine oil.

I have used STP complete fuel system cleaner (Walmart) and it works very well. Ideally, you would want to do city driving instead of highway, after adding this product to your fuel. City driving means there will be many cycles of engine warming up and then cooling. This cycle of hot and cold will help to disloge the dirt from the fuel injectors. But all the garbage removed from inside your engine will be in your oil. So use such product soon before you plan to have an oil change done.

If the car is not used much, like 5 days per month and/or if the gas stays in the tank for more than 3 months, you can rest assured that you will clog your injectors. In such case, a product to clean the fuel system is highly beneficial.

If you fail the emissions test, I would advise to use such product. You can even end up using 2 bottles. It is best to fill up with the product and then drive until the tank is empty. Fill up again without adding the product. Use a second bottle in your third tank of fuel. You will need to do an oil change before going to the emissions test, otherwise all the dirt in your engine oil will have an impact on the results of the test.

Like I said, I must have used about 10 such bottles in various brands of cars. One of our cars is only used a few days per month. I did oil changes and I could see small pieces of dirt in the dirty oil when the car was pretty bad. In other cases, the oil would be a different color.

[tdpark]

Chevron Techron is some of the best stuff out there. Did a lot of research and it is one of the best formulations without being the harshest. You do not have to change plugs or oil when you use it. I put it in every oil change.

[RX350lover]

I didn't do research, I used various products instead... :whistles:

Since you use the product on a regular basis, there must not be much dirt and so you probably don't need an oil change after using the product. I had concerns about possible damages if used regularly. That's why I only use it when needed.

If the inside of your engine is dirty, it is highly desirable to do an oil change because all the dirt is now happily floating in your oil. Not a good thing. I have failed emissions tests quite a few times and I learned a great deal. My main problem was having cars that would only be used 2-4 times per month for short distance and gas that would stay in the tank for months and months. No, I don't bother adding Sta-bil.

The best that can be done for an engine is only use synthetic oil and use a complete fuel system cleaner once in a while when the car is more than 5 years old.

[SRK]

There is no need for a fuel injection system cleaner. Tier 1 gasolines contain enough detergent additives to ensure all is well, and Japanese injectors are not known for problems. Easier and better is to simply give the engine a few full throttle blasts up through the gears, like on a highway on-ramp. Fuel injector dwell time and flow rates are increased, intake valve deposits are cleaned up and the spark plugs achieve their self-cleaning temperatures a bit faster. What we used to call an "Italian tune-up". Heat is the important factor here.

The additives you mention are nothing but snake-oil for modern cars. Waste of time and money. I will admit that Techron must be good, as Bosch of Germany authorizes it's occasional use. I used to use it, but no longer do. I use full throttle every now and then.

[RX350lover]

I beg to differ on some points you raised.

The only times I ended up using such products is when I failed the emissions test. Overall, one product or another will achieve similar results. I didn't try them all, but the various brands I used ended up making me pass the emissions test.

Like I wrote earlier, the reason for failling the test was irregular use of the vehicle. For example, with one car in particular, I passed the test with flying colors. But two years later I failed miserably. What happened in between? The car in question was only used about once a week for short trips. The tank of gas would last 6 months. This ended up clogging the fuel injectors. Using system fuel cleaner, 2 bottles in this particular case, it ended up making me pass the test.

I do not use such product except when needed. I don't believe modern cars need it if used on a regular basis. Even regular gas (87) has enough detergent to keep an engine clean. Though the type of oil used will make a big difference in regards to the health of your engine.

Btw, I have a 1998 vehicle that is only used on highway. More than 95% of its mileage is done strictly on highways. It passes the test with exceptionally great numbers. Just for fun, last year I decided to drop a bottle of STP complete fuel system cleaner in the tank prior to an oil change. And when I did the oil change, the oil had an orange color and it was like a powder had been added to the oil. I found that fascinating. I ended up cleaning the cylinders. I noticed that using a vehicle only on highways keeps it very, very clean inside the engine. Every day city driving is very hard on a vehicle.

[tdpark]

I think i was misunderstood, when i said you do not have to change plugs or oil when you use it. Rather unlike some combustion and injector cleaners- like seafoam- you do not have to immediately change the oil or the plugs after using it. You have to change your oil regularly and use good quality stuff and change your plugs at the recommended intervals and do all the maintenance.

I have tried all kinds of additives and i have fouond that techron is some of the bust stuff out there. I have used it as preventative maintenance, none of the cars i have owned ever had a fuel related or emissions related problem. I routinely drive my cars well over 190k before getting rid of them. I do most of the work on my cars myself. I even put a moly additive in my engine, but i am sure someone will question that as well. I also live in a state where they actually check emissions.

[SRK]

I don't know of any car manufacturer that specifically permits the use of any fuel additive, or oil additive. They all state not to use them. Even Briggs and Stratton, the worlds largest manufacturer of small engines, prohibits the use of any additive. They also state not to use gasoline more than 30 days old. For certain using a car so infrequently that the gas is six months old is asking for trouble. Fresh gas will cure the problem however. As to emissions, full throttle strategies on modern engine management systems makes the mixture somewhat rich, both to protect the engine from a lean condition, and also to briefly overheat the catalytic converters, which cleans them. That's why many cars will smell (rotten eggs) after a full throttle run, as the converters heat up.

Synthetic oil is great, changing it regularly is great, and driving the car regularly with good quality gasoline is great. Lexus don't need additives.

[RX350lover]

I don't believe in adding additives. Using old gasoline, seldom driving a car and only for short distances will create troubles at the emissions test, but a fuel system cleaner takes care of that. STP, Chevron or whatever will most likely end up doing the same thing; make you pass the test.

[curiousB]

Where are you getting you emissions test done? Here in IL they don't even use the exhaust probe anymore (only on older cars). They just plug into OBDII and look for emissions related error codes. If nothing they pass. As long as CEL if off I think you'll pass in IL.

Are you getting CEL on prior to adding the magic elixir? Is it your idle speed that fails (stuck open injector) or rev'd up?

[RX350lover]

I live in the fascist state of Ontario, Canada. A province run by idiots. And if you don't believe me that it is run by certified idiots, allow me to give you an example; when emissions testing was first introduced, the idiots in power dictated that all vehicles 3 years and older needed to have the test done. Some years later, the idiots declared that it was not necessary to test cars 3 years and older. From now on, it would only be cars that are 5 years and older. Guess what? Some years have passed again and the idiots in power have now declared that from now on, only cars 7 years and older would need the test!

My car would fail both idle and rev'd up. Bigger failure when rev'd up. But like I said, after using one or two bottles of STP complete fuel system cleaner from Walmart, it would pass very well. P.S. I don't know what CEL means?

[Micah.Berry]

CEL stands for Check Engine Light.

I have used fuel cleaner on occasion, but it's mostly to help me feel better. Arkansas used to have safety checks, but not any more. I don't remember if emissions was a part of the test honestly.

Micah

[RX350lover]

CEL stands for Check Engine Light.

I have used fuel cleaner on occasion, but it's mostly to help me feel better. Arkansas used to have safety checks, but not any more. I don't remember if emissions was a part of the test honestly.

Micah

Thanks for enlightening me. No, I never had the CEL. What happened is I went for the emissions test and failed. Since I know my cars pretty well, like in this case, I even had a new catalytic converter, so it was clear to me that it was dirt deposits inside the engine. I use synthetic oil, so I figured the area around the injectors/fuel system.

Btw, 2 years ago I went for the emissions test with a 1993 car. The test is divided in three parts, HC (ppm), CO (%) and NO (ppm). Although I passed, I was at the limit allowed for HC. Naturally, I was a bit concerned and decided that I would add one or two bottles of STP complete fuel system cleaner before the next test, two years later. And that is exactly what I did during the last few months.

Yesterday (Friday) I went for the test and while the HC was unchanged compared to 2 years ago, the CO dropped by 40% and the NO dropped by 9% compared to two years ago. I'm pretty sure that if I had not used two bottles of STP during the last few months, I would have failed the HC. No work at all was done on that car during the last two years, except oil change and air filter change. I didn't even change the sparkplugs.

[curiousB]

I live in the fascist state of Ontario, Canada. A province run by idiots.

désolé votre test d'émissions est tellement bureaucratique

[DrJuan]

Cleaners like Berryman's work great on cars with carburetors and even those with injectors suffer build-up in manifolds and throttle plate which can reduce mileage and smoothness. There is even a post here about removing the intake manifold to get things really clean and those pictures show the gunk.

Keep in mind that in-line injector cleaner solvent delivery systems do a much better job cleaning injectors themselves but this is pro-stuff. But a bottle of Chevron Techron injector cleaner in the tank actually can help. Anything Lucas is a product you can believe in as is Berryman. IMHO STP is a marketing name only for mild home-owner grades.

[RX350lover]

Cleaners like Berryman's work great on cars with carburetors and even those with injectors suffer build-up in manifolds and throttle plate which can reduce mileage and smoothness. There is even a post here about removing the intake manifold to get things really clean and those pictures show the gunk.

Keep in mind that in-line injector cleaner solvent delivery systems do a much better job cleaning injectors themselves but this is pro-stuff. But a bottle of Chevron Techron injector cleaner in the tank actually can help. Anything Lucas is a product you can believe in as is Berryman. IMHO STP is a marketing name only for mild home-owner grades.

As long as it allows you pass the emissions test that you failed, who care about the name? Moreover, until the oil change is done, all that 'stuff' that is removed is floating in your oil...

[curiousB]

Moreover, until the oil change is done, all that 'stuff' that is removed is floating in your oil...

??? Well if your rings and cylinders are massively worn maybe. You'd have bigger problems with engine blowby contaminating oil though. Anything loosened up by any fuel system elixir is going out the exhaust not into the oil....

[RX350lover]

Moreover, until the oil change is done, all that 'stuff' that is removed is floating in your oil...

??? Well if your rings and cylinders are massively worn maybe. You'd have bigger problems with engine blowby contaminating oil though. Anything loosened up by any fuel system elixir is going out the exhaust not into the oil....

Nope, not all. The stuff being removed stays in your oil until your next oil change. I did an oil change before last winter and I had tiny pieces of dirt at the bottom of the oil drain pan I used (I had added two bottles into that car). In another car, that was passing the test wih flying colors, but was 13 years old, I decided to drop a bottle just to see what would happen. And when I did the oil change, the oil had an unsual orange color and it was like powder had been added to it. Just my experience.