Since 1860, when an internal combustion engine was invented, the discussion has always been around increasing its efficiency. The cars, which would use those engines, would also require drums of fuel before just a little mileage. Even in 1876, when the first modern internal combustion engine was invented, the struggle for many feasible options still continued and resumes to this day.
All of these trials and studies are for the purpose of increasing the efficiency of an engine.
What Is the Efficiency of an Engine?
One might ask what the efficiency of an engine is and how it can be checked or measured. Therefore, here is a brief answer to it.
The energy of the fuel provided to the engine compared to its output at the shaft of the engine, per unit time, with the subtraction of the losses, is actually the efficiency of an engine. The mass of input indicates the caloric value of the fuel whereas the brake dynamometer helps in telling us the shaft’s output. It works on the same principle of output/input.
Why Should We Focus on Increasing the Efficiency of an Engine?
All these ads of fuel injector cleaning, and synthetic lubricants are purposely induced. By increasing the efficiency of an engine through different methods, actually cuts down the cost of a rebuilt engine as well as adds to the lifetime of an engine.
Anything used with utmost care contributes to the longevity of that thing. The same goes for an engine. The more you take notice of it, work on it, the healthier it will remain and the less you would go to the repair shops. Prevention is better than cure after all.
What Is Fuel Injector Cleaning?
One of the best ways to maintain your car engine’s health is to provide it with good food. In this case, a high-quality fuel would do well enough.
But even after providing a premium quality fuel, or a five-star hotel menu, the engine starts failing your expectations. You might be doing your best but not enough.
If your engine is using more fuel, fuel economy is reduced, and your car doesn’t take up power, time to take it to a repair shop. Maybe there 8s a problem with the fuel injector which is in dire need of cleaning. Hence the name, fuel injector cleaning.
What Is a Fuel Injector?
First, we develop an understanding of what a fuel injector is, and how it helps our cars. The fuel injectors pump fuel into the cylinders with the help of electronics gates. Overall, the process that these injectors initiate helps in engine efficiency as low fuel is burnt and the fuel is distributed evenly.
Why Is Fuel Injector Cleaning Important?
The cars drive because of lots of physics, maths, and chemistry. Some surface-level chemistry processes that occur in cars are the breaking down of fuel or burning of the fuel. The residue is a carbon deposit. The carbon deposit blocks the injectors’ ways to pump and pressurize the fuel. Hence, distorting the whole functioning of the engine.
The fuel injector cleaning allows the dismantling of this layer and ensures a normal delivery of fuel through these injectors. Ultimately, it would result in smooth drives and more efficiency.
The other benefits of fuel injector cleaning are
- Increased lifetime of an engine
- Reduction in harmful emissions from the car engine
- Better performance of the engine
- Cut down on fuel costs.
When to Avail of the Service?
As soon as you hit 60,000 to 90,000 miles, you need to make an appointment for your car. Every time you hit this mileage, there will be a large build-up of carbon. Therefore, you may need it to be cleaned before it affects the performance of your car.
What if You Don’t?
If you do not get your engine this service, you will see some disturbing changes. The performance of your car will slow down, the life of your engine will be at risk, your car, even if it’s new, will make annoying noise before ignition and you will have trouble starting the car.
Much worse, your car might just give up on a deserted road, and would not start, giving you additional anxiety along with the anxiety of an engine rebuild.
The Fuel Injector Cleaners, How Trustworthy Are They?
No, not a suitable option at all. The advertisements might have shown you otherwise. The fuel injector cleaners that come in little bottles are not useful at all. They have their own limitations. Firstly, fuel injector cleaning is not a simple thing to do. You need to disassemble some parts of the car engine, to do the thorough cleaning of these injectors. How can then only emptying a little bottle into your car engine, alleviate all its problems when the system has not even been properly opened?
The Drawback of Fuel Injector Cleaning:
Even when doing this service, professionally, it could still have some drawbacks. Since the car engines are technically not designed to be opened and closed regularly, a process that requires their disassembling from time to time could be dangerous.
The car manufacturers do not really recommend these services. They normally advise their climbers to refrain from such practices. Modern cars do have fuel filters, which prevent them from carbon deposits. The repair shops may sell you up by recommending you a fuel injector cleaning service when all you would need is filter cleaning.
How Can We Increase the Efficiency of an Engine in Other Ways?
The constant struggle for increasing the efficiency of the engines has led us to various options. Lubricants, gasoline additives, injector spark plugs, and what not have been introduced. But all host a certain amount of disappointment. Some of the effective ways, that we brought together through different Internet sources might help you;
Regenerative Braking:
When a car is coming downhill, brakes are applied to lower the speed. A lot of energy is lost through ordinary braking but regenerative braking allows the lost energy to be recovered as the energy that could be used for the battery’s charging.
Variable Valve Timing:
By varying the valve timing, you add to 4-5% of the engine’s efficiency.
Variable Injection Timing:
This allows for lesser fuel consumption. The method allows the engine to maintain its mean pressure at low speeds. Ultimately, less fuel is burnt at a slow and steady pace.
Direct Fuel Injection:
Responsible for 11-13% of the rise in efficiency of an engine, direct fuel injectors inject fuel directly into the combustion chamber and under mixing to cut down loss of energy and fuels.
A Smoke-free, Adour-free Quiet Diesel Engine?
Well, maybe? The diesel engines are quite efficient, in contrast to their counterparts. But they are pollutants. The reason behind them being efficient is that they are not limited to knocking combustion. Knocking combustion is a phenomenon that is detrimental to a car’s health.
Optimum Conditions to Run Engine:
The optimum conditions for an engine that would result in its efficiency are low fuel consumption meaning low pumping work and low friction.
Turbochargers
This really is something. It is a recovery device for gas exhausts. It increases the efficiency of a system by 7-8%. Cars such as the Vauxhall Insignia this number can be increased significantly.
Synthetic Fuels:
Synthetic fuels are also the best way to maintain the health of an engine. Ultimately, it would result inefficiency of the engines. The synthetic lubricants reduce friction and create better lubrication between the moving parts of the car. They provide the thermoregulation for the car. Not in literal means, but they do provide insulation in cold weather, and protection against the high temperatures in summers. In this way, keeping the engines live long. It maybe worth giving this link from the .gov website a read when it comes to synthetic fuels – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/excise-notice-179e-biofuels-and-other-fuel-substitutes/excise-notice-179e-biofuels-and-other-fuel-substitutes
 Increasing Horsepower:
Increased horsepower means increased efficiency. Another way of increasing horsepower is to build compression in your engine. An experienced builder will help you bring these upgrades into your car keeping in mind other factors. This way you would be increasing horsepower without damaging anything else in your car’s system.
Final Words:
With so many options available for increasing the efficiency of the engines, it is not quite important to go for fuel injector cleaning. In addition, the recent laws around the globe also cricriticised many ways of increasing the engine’s efficiency. For instance; in the past, one could add double exhausts for increasing the efficiency of the engine. The addition of car carburetors the milling of the head for increasing the compression ratio, and engine swapping were all-possible. Many countries passed laws to avoid these practices as they destroy the environment.
However, on the brighter side, the technology is trying its best to introduce engines that are as efficient as possible. Each car manufacturer is going to help you and advise you to not do any changes to the car’s internal system.
However, if you still cannot get clear with your confusion then you may use the cleaners or go to a reputable repair hopefully for the injector cleaning process.