[symmo]

Anyone tried STP or similar injector cleaner in their EFI engines, supposed to do all sorts of magical things. I've just had my Land Rover serviced and I noticed they used Wynns deisel injector cleaner but I wouldn't have known if I didn't see it on the invoice.

[2bikebill]

I've seen Sea Foam mentioned here several times as a good way to -
Clean Injectors
Clean Carb Jets
Clean Deposits
Control Moisture in Fuel Systems
Add Lubricity and Protection to Fuel
Anti-corrosive
Lube Upper Cylinders
Quiet Noisy Lifters
Stabilize Fuels for up to 2 Years
Clean Passageways
Liquefy Gum and Varnish
De-Ice and Anti-Gel
Clean Intake Valves
Clean Pistons

Probably cures coughs & colds too... 

[Mr.Mazza]

Things like Injector cleaners and additives in high octane fuel do work, but slowly and over time.

[High On Octane]

BG 44K.  If you can't get/find it, you're missing out.

[ROVERMAN]

+1 on the K44, also try Techron (marketed by Texaco) if you can find it. I use 2 ozs of Marvel Mystery oil and a shot of Techron at every fill up and have had zero fuel issues.
Roverman.

[Arizoni]

I can't knock the STP stuff because I've never tried it.

I have used Techron® (actually, it's a Chevron product) on several occasions.  About every 6 months I put some into my full fuel tank.

A little story about why I use it.

I once owned a BMW K-75, a three cylinder, 750cc, fuel injected motorcycle.
I rode it for several years after which it started being hard to start sputtering when I twisted the grip wide open.....

It continued to get worse and worse to the point that it was misfiring even just putting down the road so I bought a bottle of Techron and added the right amount to a full tank of fuel.
(The bottle is made to treat a 12-15 gallon tank on a car.)

Within 100 miles of riding, the misfires went away, the power came back and it once again started easily.
Following that experiance, I made it a point to add some Techron to the tank every 6 months and during the next 9 years of riding it, the problems never returned.  (Wish I could say the same about the damn battery that was in it.)

[suitcasejefferson]

Techron is good stuff, we used it in the fleet services department I used to work for. It may be a little strong for motorcycles if you use too much. Chevron and Texaco gas already has Techron in it, but not very much.

I use Seafoam (in bikes not cars, too expensive for cars) and have had good results. On bikes with carbs, I usually drain the carbs and fill them with Seafoam before letting them set for any length of time. Unfortunately I do not know how to get it directly into injectors. It takes about 50 psi to get it through the injectors. On the Enfield, I suppose you could disconnect the fuel line from the pump, then pump it directly through the fuel line into the injector. Unfortunately, since the injector is opened and closed by the ecu, I don't know how to get it open. The service manual should tell how to take the throttle body apart.

There are a number of things that will clean gum, varnish, and even carbon out of an engine, but the big thing now is ethanol. I have taken apart several motorcycle carbs with rust and corrosion in the float bowls. The gasoline evaporates first, leaving the water and ethanol in their to do their dirty deeds. I do not know how this involves EFI systems, I've never worked on one that sat very long. On the old TBI car systems, it was basically an electronically controlled carburetor, with no float bowl. It was easier to just replace the injectors.

[HUdson51]

I have had excellent results with sea foam. I just put a small amount in the tank at every fill.

[Bulletman]

I think you guys might find this link interesting.
http://youtu.be/h8i9qftqKNY

[pmanaz1973]

Intersting videos - While I'm not looking for carbon or deposit removal in my additives, it is interesting to see his results, such as they were. 

I've been using Sea Foam in small engines, including my motorcycles for years and years - primarily as a fuel treatment.  The only evidence I have is anecdotal evidence from a lawn mower I purchased from a friend.  He sold it ($25) cause it was smoking - It was a carbon filled nasty mess on the top end with blow-by.  Rebuilt the top end, valve and seat job, carb, cleaned fuel system,etc..  Fast forward 7 years later -mower has been used and abused by me and a friend that owns a landscaping business- The mower was staring to smoke a little bit on start-up, so I figure what do I have to lose, let's see If I can get one more top end rebuild out of it.  Pulled the head and while it was clearly staring to burn a tad bit of oil the top end was shiny and clean and almost 100% free of carbon deposits and I've had no issues with the carburetor or fuel system.  Of course, this is with 7 years worth of fuel that had been treated at 1 OZ of Sea Foam per gallon (per instructions on the bottle) in non-ethanol fuel for the life of the rebuilt engine. I'd say it works well enough that I've continued using it in my small engines- a bit too expensive in my cars and trucks. 

While my experience shows it's a good solvent, possibly a decent top-end lubricant, I don't know how to gauge it's effectiveness as a fuel system cleaner other than I've never rebuilt the carburetor on my snow blower and it is almost 10 years old and the bowls look clean as can be when I pulled them a few years back out of curiosity. 

[Arizoni]

I think you guys might find this link interesting.
http://youtu.be/h8i9qftqKNY

The thing is, the guy in the video is trying to use Techron to remove baked on carbon on his piston.

Although this is supposed to be a side benefit, I don't care if it removes baked on carbon or not.
I do want something that removes the deposits that form inside the fuel injector and Techron seems to do an excellent job of doing this.

It sure made me a happy camper.

[dginfw]

Another Techron testimonial: a few years back, I had bought a used car and right away I noticed that after i filled the tank, the gas gauge took a LONG time to get back to the "full" mark. I ran Techron thru the next few tankfuls and pretty soon the needle was moving at its proper speed. Im guessing since it was a second car for the previous owner it sat for long periods and the gauge's sending unit was gummed up

[suitcasejefferson]

The thing is, the guy in the video is trying to use Techron to remove baked on carbon on his piston.

Although this is supposed to be a side benefit, I don't care if it removes baked on carbon or not.
I do want something that removes the deposits that form inside the fuel injector and Techron seems to do an excellent job of doing this.

It sure made me a happy camper.

This is also what I want. Some carbs are a real PITA to clean (the hardest part is usually in taking them off and getting them back on) Here in AZ, letting a bike sit as little as 2-3 weeks will generally plug up the carbs to where they have to be removed and cleaned by hand. That's why I generally drain the carbs within a week if I don't go for a ride. And while carbs can be difficult to clean, I have no idea how difficult motorcycle EFI if to clean.

Yes I bought this bike as a DIY machine, And it is currently sitting there with a tank of 100 octane non ethanol race fuel with StaBil in it, which should hold it for awhile, I am sitting here with a right hand that got smashed in a car door, and cannot ride anything at the moment. Hopefully this will eventually heal (my doctor assures me it will, but it may be a while) I would like to learn how, if possible, to maintain it, since you can't drain it (or can you, simply by disconnecting the fuel hose, and letting what's in there drain)

[Craig McClure]

For years I have Used STABIL (original red) this is good for preserving your gas & not letting it turn to varnish. Then I discovered STABIL MARINE which is supposed to prevent damage/corrosion from Ethanol. I see STABIL has just come out with an Anti-Ethanol product, which I will buy when I use up my present stuff.  STABIL has always promoted fast starts, & done exactly what it claims to do. I do not need any additional upper end lubricant because I run slippery 100% Synthetic oil (Mobil 1).

[Arizoni]

Suitcase.
I wouldn't worry about the fuel injection sitting there as long as fuel was in the tank and supply line.  Adding some Sta-bil to the fuel tank and running the engine enough to assure some of the treated fuel was in the injector should be good enough.

Think about it.  The fuel injector on our bikes isn't any different than the fuel injectors that are on millions of cars and many of them can sit for a month without the injectors plugging up.
I know my Miata has had month long rests between starts and nothing bad has happened to its injectors.

About the very last thing I would consider would be draining my fuel injector.  That would be a good way to guarantee a bunch of dried up fuel additives would encrust the tiny jet and solenoid valve with crap that might never come out.
It would also expose the inner workings of the fuel injector to humidity.
Not a good thing in my opinion.

Just let your motorcycle rest and give it an occasional start every so often.  I'm sure it will be fine.

[crock]

There are a lot of aftermarket fuel additives that work pretty well. I have been using FP60 and FPlus for years. Amsoil and Redline carry fuel additives that are proven to work well. Another commonly used fuel additive is two stroke motor oil. You use the TC-W3 marine rated oil if you are running a catalytic onverter and motorcycle two stroke oil if you are running an open exhaust. In either case you mix one ounce per five gallons. If you Google search an of the ideas I just suggested you will get 50 different threads discussing the pros and cons of each fuel additive. Unlike oil additives, fuel additives have proven benefits. The benefits may not be cost effective, but the additives do the jobs they claim to do. You just have to decide if the benefit is worth the extra price and hassle.