Tried the fancy ultrasonic injector cleaner, ended up sticking with the old chemical soak method

I know everybody swears by those ultrasonic cleaners for injectors now. Last month I dropped $200 on one of the mid-range models thinking it'd solve all my stuck injector problems on a 6.7 Powerstroke. After running three cycles with the recommended solution, two of the six injectors still had the same hesitation. I pulled them apart and did my old trick - soaked them in a 50/50 mix of diesel fuel and ATF for 24 hours, then blew them out with compressed air. They tested perfect on the pop tester after that. Maybe I got a bad unit, but for $200 I expected better results. Has anyone else found the ultrasonic cleaners to be hit or miss on heavily carboned injectors?

2 comments

2 Comments

charles_henderson14d ago

Man that sounds exactly like what happened to me. Bought one of those 150 dollar units and my buddy laughed saying I coulda just soaked everything in his grandma's crock pot for the same result. The ultrasonic did jack squat on some 7.3 injectors I had that were caked with years of carbon and varnish. After three cycles they still looked like little charcoal briquettes. Threw them in a jar with some Seafoam and diesel overnight and they came out looking almost new. Seriously think those machines are GREAT for lightly clogged injectors but for the real nasty stuff you gotta go old school. Funny how we spend money on fancy tools just to end up using the same tricks our grandpas used.

rowanp1514d ago

That 200 dollar ultrasonic from Harbor Freight really woke up my 6.0 injectors last spring. Three cycles on the heavy duty setting with Lucas cleaner and they tested within spec on the first try. Maybe you got a dud unit or the solution wasn't concentrated enough. I've had good luck with the cheapo ones for years now. Operator error is always a possibility with these tools.