Just figured out a cheap trick for cleaning old fuel injectors without a sonic bath

I was fighting a set of injectors from a 1990s Cessna 172 that were all clogged up. Tried carb cleaner and compressed air but they still pulsed unevenly on the test bench. Then I soaked them in a jar of Pine-Sol overnight and hit them with a stiff brush the next morning. Three of the four came back to life and flow matched within 1% after that. Anyone else found a random household cleaner that works better than the expensive stuff?

3 comments

3 Comments

sanchez.mia6d ago

Wait, Pine-Sol on fuel system parts, doesn't that leave a waxy residue that could gunk up the injectors again later?

taylor.jessica6d ago

Wait so you're telling me people are actually soaking injectors in Pine-Sol and just blasting them with air? No offense but that sounds like a recipe for disaster down the road. I mean the stuff is literally meant for mopping floors, not cleaning precision fuel components. Even if the waxy thing isn't real, you're still trusting a household cleaner to get inside parts that need to atomize fuel perfectly at high pressure. That just seems like asking for trouble honestly.

tylerw926d ago

I actually had the same worry at first, @sanchez.mia, but after a lot of reading (and some trial on an old injector I had lying around) I think the residue thing is more of a myth. The Pine-Sol is a degreaser first, so it breaks down the varnish and gum without leaving a waxy film if you rinse it properly with water after. I hit mine with a compressed air blast right after the soak to get everything off, and they came out looking brand new inside. The waxy residue issue is more common with stuff like kerosene or cheap carb cleaner that don't evaporate cleanly. Pine-Sol sort of has a mild soap base that washes away pretty easy, you know? I've been running a set I cleaned this way for about a month now with zero issues, so I'm pretty sold on it.