Is every vehicle with direct injection going to the junk pile if you don’t do the direct injection cleaning that the dealership try’s to scare you into? Is there not someway to prevent this impending disaster?
First answer, No, every DI vehicle is not headed to the junk pile. Even IF the intakes clog up, they can be cleaned. Some DI engine are worse than others for clogs and research will tell you which ones are the worst. Not sure the Caddy is one to worry about. That said, depending on cost, it might not be a bad idea to do the intake cleaning.
Your second question… Preventing the buildup at all seems to be a function of how well the crankcase gasses are dealt with in the engine. Some people install “catch can” kits on the engine to collect the oil spray that causes the buildup. Some engine don’t need them or owners don’t want to install them - refer back to answer #1
As for “impending disaster” - Yes, there is a way to remove buildup and your dealership just tried to “scare” you into doing it.
Its been a few years since working at a dealarship, but are the valves still rough cast? Seems to me that a smoother cast or even machining the valves could take care of some of this since things cling less to a smooth surface. Personally i dont see a problem with a routine injector cleaner when getting gas. I use Seafoam and dont have any issues with my older system - 1999 Chevy Tahoe.
The problem GDI engines is, the fuel gets sprayed directly into the cylinders instead of the intake ports
That means any Top Tier gas or fuel injector cleaner doesn’t come in contact with the intake valves.
This then results in carbon deposits on the back sides of the intake valves.
Seafoam has come out with a product that the DIYer can use to prevent carbon deposits on the valves.
Tester
Some of the newer implementations of GDI use higher temperatures in the cylinders to induce auto-ignition of the carbon on the valves to reduce build-up. IIRC, GM does that and others might too.
And some manufacturers are installing 2 injectors per cylinder. One into the airstream and one direct. The effect is to wash the valves clean. Toyota and Ford do that to name 2.
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