Injector cleaner how to?

[Budgetbond]

Jus filled up today 180 miles from 27l @ 60p (42% of petrol) but I've heard unfortunately my local cheap Extragas depot isn't supplying cars anymore, well for the foreseeable meantime anyway, they've had an issue with their pumps and they haven't been able to get it fixed properly after breaking several times and not being able to get repair personnel to find the part and the pumps now obsolete so at least for the time being that's a bit of a disappointment.
I've noticed prices going up across the board even in Birmingham don't really know the full situ with lpg, but then petrol prices are at their all-time highest aren't they.

Anyway to my question, it's unrelated and only hypothetical I've not got a probs, but with regards that injector cleaner that's supposed to be good is it IC2 or CIC or something, how/in what ways does that get administered into the system?

Cheers hope everyone's doing alrite

[Brian_H]

It's ic12 that your thinking of.

You disconnect the tube to the gas injectors that comes from the vapouriser and pour it down the tube, and let it sit there for a while. If your ecu has a cleaning program you can also use that to try and get it around the injectors.

You then let it get flushed through, It says give it a second dose afterwards in the same way.

[Budgetbond]

Righto Brian yeah that makes sense cheers for that

[Gilbertd]

I thought it was your petrol injectors that were knackered? There's at least 3 if not a full set for your engine amongst all the other bits you were going to pick up.

[Budgetbond]

Hiya Richard how you doing, btw I haven't forgotten I aim to get up to around your neck of the woods next year cheers.

The reason why I asked was in my research I've come across the idea of 'injecting' stuff into the Lpg tank by 'priming' the filler pipe through the filler outlet prior to refilling-ever come across this one?

(And tbh I'm not sure whether my rough idling could be down to my valves too, and the hammering it's taken me trying to set it up myself, I think I mite have to check my clearances but adjusting is a without shin solid lifter bucket under camshaft lobe and you have to remove the camshaft s and too of the chain any idea whether thatd be diyable by myself would you?)

[Brian_H]

I've seen that detialed in some of the documentation (it shows an aerosol type can screwed into the filler point). I can't really see that doing anything useful myself, it would be too diluted to do very much if anything at all. If you let it sit on the injectors like IC12 its got a chance of dissolving any buildup, but I'd think if you had anything there worth bothering with Simon would have already mentioned it when he checked it over, so would think it unlikely. More likely you have an issue with either an air leak on a petrol injector or a dripping petrol injector would be my guess. Some petrol injector cleaner might help, though its probabbly a long shot at this point.

Incenditally, Having just scrapped the Focus I had and taken the engine out in the process, we discovered the intermittent issue I'd been having with poor running at first start, was down to a plastic cap on one of the unused spiggots on the back of the manifold. It was so brittle that it had a small flap able to move and allow air in where it had fractured. The part in question almost crumbled to pieces when we investigated it further so had almost certainly been letting air in through it for some time. That coupled with a petrol pump that had got to the point where it didn't like pumping petrol for extended times anymore wasn't helping either. Only became an issue when I'd run out of gas but was enough combined with the ULEZ changes for it to be time for it to go.

[Budgetbond]

Cheers Brian, it just goes to show small air leaks dont necessarily throw any lean codes i didnt realise that initially, i actually do suspect ive got a slight leak on one of my petrol injectors with all the faffing about refitting them ive done, ive tried to track it down and reseal it inconclusively.

But i also suspect ive done my valves/seats some damage already too trying to set mine up.

Yeah injector/vaporiser cleaner drip fed thro the filler line would be more of a maintenance thing.

Can anyone think of anything else you could introduce to the lpg tank that would benefit at all maybe help reduce valve/seat wear a bit too?

[Brian_H]

The trouble is that anything you could put into the tank will get dissolved by the lpg and most likely deposited on the filters or pool up at a low point such as the vapouriser before it got anywhere near the valves.

If you suspect a vacuum leak, a tin of carb cleaner can be a way to locate it, spray it around the area you suspect to be the problem and if you hear the engine react to it, its being drawn in where you are spraying. Provided you can see it of course.

Fords of that era tend to be very reluctant to bring on an EML, not that it logged a fault code anyway. It does explain why the problem seemed to come and go, it was literally only when removing the manifold that I noticed it didn't quite look right and started prodding about closer to it.

[Gilbertd]

I understand snake oil can be injected too if you want really good results..... Don't believe everything you read on the internet or find on Youtube.

I'll PM you the section from the manual on checking and adjusting valve clearances. You can then decide if it is DIYable.

[LPGC]

When it was here by the time we'd done it was idling much better on LPG than on petrol, is that still the case?

I didn't notice an issue with LPG injectors but did notice an issue with petrol injectors and possible the Maf, but you were going to replace petrol injectors and try to clean the Maf?

[Budgetbond]

Hiya Simon its still running fine no probs, yeah it idles slightly better on lpg but its hardly impereceptible its not a big obvious misfire or anything it always has idled better on lpg and to me its not hugely noticeable.
Yeah i cleaned the maf and that helped i havent got round to refitting my injectors just yet.

I jus think i mite have a valve/seat wear issue accumulated from setting my system up in the first place i could do with addressing now to make my engine last longer.
Amongst other things my engine used to be rattly/tappety like they all go on my engine and now its quiet.

Amyway i can confirm that if you depress inside the filler it vents off a bit at first and you can prime the filler pipe with some stuff to top into the lpg tank on refueling.
Question is what if anything could be added to help?
Any suggestions at all anyone?

[Brian_H]

Best thing to do with your valve wear issue is to get a working flashlube setup on there. The valves aren't going to act differently on lpg over petrol, if you want to check how bad they might be, a compression test would be the way to do it. But you'd probabbly notice a lack of compression by performance from worn valves on either fuel if it was really bad anyway.

Shimmed tappets are a PITA to sort if the gaps have closed completely as you don't know what ones you need to exchange to fix the wear out. Buckets almost certainly worse as you'd have to remove the camshaft I'd expect to swap them. Should be able to check them with feeler gauges though before going too far into it if your concerned.

(edit - missed a word out of the original reply which changed meaning of what I meant to say).

[LPGC]

Compression issues are more likely to be noticed on LPG before petrol, so the fact that it idles better on LPG than on petrol is a big hint that there likely isn't an issue with compression.

But definitely worth checking the valve clearances especially if you set them yourself and you think you maybe set them too small.

[Budgetbond]

Yeah cheers for the tips, and yeah its defo worth a clearance check and Gilbert kindly sent me over a guide which was easier than others id read which was a bit more reassuring to try.
But yes youve got to remove/loosen the chain and camshafts etc and with replacement lifters at poss 15+ each and labour you can see its a job thats neglected.
And youre right Brian if the gaps closed (and correct me if im wrong but thats when the valves left slightly 'ajar' and hot air blasting past accelerates the erosion and its only got to wear away a clearance of like a quarter of a mm in the first place hasnt it) i hadnt thought of how do you go about 'guessing' the thickness of a new lifter when the gaps already closed up anyway?

Ps. Ill let you know how i get on if i give it a try it would be good to know i could maybe extend the life of an engine by trying it myself.