Is a fuel injection and fuel induction important to do? what is the difference between the two?
I wouldn’t do either, unless you are having one or more of a few specific problems.
If your car is running correctly now, then doing either will not help anything, and it might hurt (if done incorrectly).
Fuel injection is the spraying of fuel under pressure into the engine’s airstream or cylinder (called “direct injection”). It differs from carburation in that carburators keep the fuel supply at basically very low pressure and rely on the pressure drop in the ventury to draw the fuel in, as opposed to injection which sprays it in.
The induction system is basically the airflow system into the cylinders that includes the control elements of the throttle plate and choke, along with entryways for exhaust gas from the EGR system and fumes from the crankcase via the PCV system.
An injection and induction system cleaning consists of a cleaning of the fuel injectors and of the residues in the throttle plate area from the crankcase fumes and especially from the EGR system, which can leave carbon residue.
IMHO they’re not necessary unless you’re experiencing an operating symptom. They’re performed primarily as revenue generators. If the engine is running well and the CEL has never lit, cleaning serves no useful purpose.
More car detail would help, i.e. year, 4 or 6, miles, etc.
I’m assuming you are referring to a fuel injection and fuel induction service. This wouldn’t be a service a dealer or quick lube place is insisting upon would it? Unless a car has high mile and is not running properly, the detergents in the gas should keep the fuel system clean and such services unnecessary.
A fuel injection service would consist of running cleaner through the fuel lines and injectors with the engine running. Induction cleaning consisting of removing the air cleaner and ductwork and spraying the throttle body with a cleaner to remove the carbon from the intake.
My trusted mechanic uses the Motorvac System. The service (~$110) includes both fuel injection and induction cleaning.
I’ve have it done once on my older cars with higher mileage. After that, I add a bottle of Chevron Techron or Seafoam once a year in the gas tank as preventive maintenance. Once a year, I pull off the air cleaner and clean the throttle body with a spray can of throttle body/MAP sensor safe cleaner. Do not use carburetor cleaner it will damage the coatings on the throttle body and MAP sensor.
Ed B.
Cleaning the fuel injection system is one service that I do not totally object too. There is some technical reasoning to it, mind you I say some. GM will go for it as long as it is their process, they do not approve of other methods (but they are all pretty much the same). The main gripe(s) I have is that the fuel itself should be doing the cleaning and the cost of said service.
Cleaning the throttle body is a no brainer, yes it should be done and only takes minutes to do,at most a .3 charge,perhaps .5 on a difficult to reach car.
(Assuming you mean fuel injection cleaning) Usually this is a pointless waste of money, especially if the car is only a year or two old. Are you having a specific problem?
thank you so much for your reply! my car is a honda accord 2002 with 104,000 miles. it’s 4 cyclinders. sounds like you recommend the services. you got such a good price for both. my dealership wants to charge $109 for each…i feel that it’s more of a money maker for them if car is running ok. soon i will have to get car checked for scheduled maintenance check