Just wondering if I should do a professional fuel injection service though a tires plus, or local shop etc. or would a lucas type of treatment be ok? I have about 92k on my s-type and am not sure if the service was ever performed on the car. What do you guys suggest? thanks.

 

I have never done one, and I don't think I ever would. Replace the fuel filter and if you think your fuel injectors are that bad, pull them and send them off to be cleaned professionally.

 

If I had an injector problem I would consider it prior to removing the injectors but my question to you is are you presently experiencing any problems? If not I would recommend a fuel additive BG44K, it is recommended by Jaguar along with others and is a great product. I use it once or twice a year but it is a little pricey about $20.00.

 

Chevron Techron is also a great product. Each of our vehicles gets a 20-ounce bottle at every oil & filter change....

 

We specialize in Jags and we perform this service. Of course I am going to recommend you to bring it to us.

 

Pump gasoline already contains enough injector cleaner (and other additives) to keep everything running in top shape. No need for additional procedures or miracles in a can.

 

I think Mikey is misinformed on this issue. Injectors do indeed get clogged. And a handful of these products can be effective. Most are snake oil, but a few actually can help....

 

Yes, any component can malfunction and in a myriad of ways. I can't think of any exceptions.

But! I think it's safe to say that the vast majority of drivers- all cars, not just Jaaaaags- just fill up with gas and away they go. No supplemental fuel additives. They do this year after year until they sell the car or it goes to the scrap yard. More than likely the second or third owners of the hand me down cars don't use additives either.

If this premise of long term neglect is true, and given that EFI cars have been around since the late 70s, we could expect to see some sort of trend of older high mileage cars experiencing injector problems. Every corner repair shops would have the specialized equipment to clean them in-situ or to remove them and have them overhauled. The discussion boards (like this one) would be flooded with owners howling in protest.

In reality- there's very very few such stories and garages that can service EFI in the manner the OP mentions are not common.

Jaguar does NOT recommend BG44K or anything else for regular or even occasional use in the fuel. The owner's manual states the opposite in fact.

"Caution: No additives of any kind
(fuel or oil) must be put into the fuel
tank. Additives could reduce engine
life or affect exhaust emissions. "


The fact that an engine runs well with the use of a product doesn't prove that it works- one would have to know what happens if it's NOT used. There's just not enough S-types around with fuel injector problems to prove that additives are of benefit.

 

I've cleared fuel injector-related OBDII codes on two different vehicles using a couple of bottles of Techron in each. One was a 1998 Dodge Durango in 2003, the other was a 2000 Lexus RX300 in 2006....

That personal experience combined with the generally high praise that Techron gets from various techs I've trusted over the years became sufficient enough proof to cause me to splurge for a bottle of Techron at every oil & filter change for all of our vehicles. I purchase my Techron during the buy-one-get-one-free sales that Advance Auto Parts runs several times per year. Usually works out to around $7 per 20-ounce bottle. An easy no-brainer for me. May not be your cup of tea Mikey but admit it or not, this stuff can work under the right conditions. Miracle product? No. Reputable product? Absolutely....

 

Yes, I acknowledge that it can work. But it can't fix things that are not broken. The overwhelming majority of injectors are not broken and have very little chance of becoming broken.

Sorry to see that you seem to be the exception and have bad luck.

 

No "bad luck" whatsoever with fuel injection issues on any of our vehicles since I started my periodic use of Techron in 2006. May not be scientific enough for you, but it's good enough for me....

 

Jon-

I'm not trying to start a fight, just present a balanced view.

I've never used any additive in any car, bike or other toy since I started driving in the '60s nor has anyone I know, nor have any of us had an injector problem.

Jus sayin', as the saying goes.

 

Sorry Mikey but Jaguar does recommend BG44k. I do not wish to misinform anyone on this in fact Jaguar Dealerships perform many of BG fluid flush system procedures in Virginia & Washington DC area.

 

Do you have a source where it says Jaguar recommends that product? I don't see it as part of scheduled maintenance; and dealers (or any other shop, for that matter) can still recommend and perform services that are beyond factory maintenance and repair.

 

+1 on Chevron Techron - very good product!

 

I purchase a 6 pack - 20 ounce bottles at Costco - they normally sell for $28 - but from time to time they have a $10 instant rebate at the register - that's $2.99 per bottle...

 

Yes, I'm aware that some dealerships stock it and use it for fixing malfunctioning injectors. There's a huge difference between that and routine 'preventative' use, as stated in the owners manual.

 

Mikey, you will not find it in any manual! It like many other things that are not listed in the owners manual. I do not wish to get into a pissing match over this it is what it is! You take your car to most any Jaguar dealership and if the problem dictates the use it will be a BG product BG44K that is added. It is a great product and I use it as needed.

 

We're not disagreeing on anything. You're promoting it's use to fix an existing problem- same as me.

 

While gasoline normally contains detergents in varying degrees to help keep injectors clean, the fact of the matter is that injectors do get dirty for one reason or another on some vehicles and on some fuels.

That does not mean that the injector is not functioning at all as much as not functioning optimally.

A clogged or dirty injector means the spray pattern and volume is sub-optimal. On a closed loop system this means the ecm will at least increase duty cycle in an attempt to achieve the as designed fueling parameters. This is reflected in LTFT data.

This can correct insufficient flow, but would be ineffective with regard to spray pattern.

When it gets bad enough, the choices become injector replacement, out of vehicle cleaning, or in vehicle cleaning.

It would be sensible if one hopes to avoid taking the injectors out by using in vehicle cleaning that the cleaning takes place before the injector deteriorates to the point where the cleaning product is ineffective.