Need new fuel injectors--help

T

thinksnow

Supernintendo Chalmers
The Accord needs some new fuel injectors next week. She's needed them for quite some time--a very reputable shop at the Beach let me know a while back that they'll do it for $500 (parts and labor). They only use OEM parts so I'm sure they will throw Honda parts in there.



Question: is there such a thing as a "better" fuel injector? My car now has 145K miles and runs very well, but if there is an opportunity to get more power or better gas mileage or even both, I'm willing to pay a little more to order something online. Keep in mind that I know very little about what goes on underneath the hood except for oil changes and a one-time DIY thermostat change. It could be that a fuel injector is just a fuel injector...



Thanks.
 
Firstly you could save money by not using OE parts but that choice is yours. I am presuming your getting a complete set of injectors, have they all failed?



Injectors can get clogged up to a degree which can result in poor atomisation, in most cases the injectors can be ultrasonically cleaned for a fraction of the price of a new set.



In terms of looking at 'better' injectors, it is possible to buy higher flow units but I would say unless you have done some very serious modifications to the engine it would be a waste of money.
 
May I asked what kind of gas were you using? I have a 90 Accord 225K [amoco 89 2X/93 2X out of the month] on it never gave any problems. Maybe they are just clog instead of bad all together. Have tried to get them clean 44k has a great kit for that problem, anyway my 2c good luck
 
Incomplete information, sorry. I only run Shell, Chevron, or Texaco 89. When I had it in last, they found that one of my injectors was leaking. Apparently the price differential with labor is such that just replacing all of them will be better in the long run b/c labor is a large chunk of the price tag. Should I consider just getting O-ring swap outs and swallowing the labor cost anyway?



The car does run really rough below 1000rpm unless I have just run a bottle of BG-44k through the system and my mileage has decreased. Thus, I am seeing this injector fix as a panacea (with fingers crossed).
 
I think you should consider trying some Fuel Power before spending all of that money. Look at what the oil gurus over at bobistheoilguy.com say about it and I think you will find that it is not snake oil. I tried it in my '03 Accord and it increased my mileage by 1.2 MPG.
 
Outlaw,

Where on bobistheoilguys website does it say anything about Fuelpower? Im interested in loooking more into and could not find anything about it on his website.
 
OutlawTitan said:
I tried it in my '03 Accord and it increased my mileage by 1.2 MPG.
Click to expand...



Just out of curiosity, how did you tell that it increased your mileage by that amount? That was a permanent change? I check my mileage at every fillup, and I get much more variation than that, due to different driving conditions, temperatures, etc. I wouldn't be able to isolate a change that small as to the source, and my car likely gets a lot worse mileage than yours so it's a bigger percentage.
 
I would be tempted to find somewhere that can test the injectors, I am not familiar with your car but injectors are not that hard to remove, testing the flow rates and patterns will provide you with the real state of the injectors.



A cheaper option might well be the Fuelpower and if that does not work then try the testing/cleaning route.
 
thinksnow-



If you find out what flowrate the injectors are, I'm sure you can find a non-oem replacement. Most likely, though, the dealer won't want to use them. If you want to diy, it's not too hard on most cars, the general procedure is to release all fuel pressure (maybe pull the fuel pump fuse while running until the car dies) then unbolt the fuel rail and pull it off. You can then remove the injectors. Since there is gas involved, BE CAREFUL.



Also, you won't gain any power by switching to a higher flow injector because without a corresponding increase in air intake you would be getting too much fuel (ie, running rich). Your mileage would go way down and your car would probably be emitting lots more pollution. Your computer would probably try to compensate, but it would just be an all around bad idea.



Best solutions would be just to have the dealer do it, pay the $500 and be happy for the next 150k mile, or have the injectors cleaned and resealed then diy if you feel up to it (probably $100 plus your time).
 
A fuel injector is just a fuel injector. Only when you modify your car will you need new injectors. A fuel injector is pretty easy to remove and install and I highly recommend you take the time to purchase a manual from your local parts store and try to work on it yourself. Just like anything else on a car, it's just nuts and bolts. I took the liberty to find some prices for you. Not OEM, but who cares??:nixweiss



Autozone-69.99



NapaOnline-Reman. for 83.99



AdvanceAutoParts-Reman for 67.47, new for 69.88
 
Thanks all for your suggestions. Luckily, you all seem to be pointing in the same direction (except for one mistake--there is no way I take my car to Honda anymore--I said "a very reputable shop":D).



I have a Haynes and some time this weekend. Advice will be taken and I'll follow up. Thanks again:up
 
One of the big problems with my truck in general was the CPI breaking, and that required me to replace the entire piece including the fuel injector. I was able to take off the top manifold and replace them myself pretty easily. I was working with a Chilton book so they kinda guide you through. My father and I had no problems, and we really don't much about cars. I was able to replace for like $318 compared to almost $800 at a dealer. Not sure of your time situation, but you might wanna consider a diy if you can. I find 4 cylinder cars to be much easier to work on than 6 which was my truck.
 
I keep meticulous records of my fuel consumption. I have maintained MPG records (and every other expense) since day one on an excel spreadsheet. My cumulative MPG prior to using Fuel Power were 26.6 MPG. I have been keeping another separate calculation for all mileage since beginning my use of Fuel Power and have averaged 27.8 MPG. Both of these numbers are over several thousand miles and therefore, I believe represent a legitimate increase.



If you are looking for additional info on Bob's site go to the forums section and enter the "additives, fuel, oil, cleaners" subject. Do a search for Fuel Power and you can find tons of info. I liked it enough to buy two more gallons a couple of months ago.
 
thinksnow said:
Thanks all for your suggestions. Luckily, you all seem to be pointing in the same direction (except for one mistake--there is no way I take my car to Honda anymore--I said "a very reputable shop":D).



I have a Haynes and some time this weekend. Advice will be taken and I'll follow up. Thanks again:up
Click to expand...





Sorry about not reading your post closely enough. Yeah dealers generally suck. Have some old rags close by when you remove the injectors and/or any fuel lines, and be careful.





OutlawTitan-



It's good to finally see a fuel additive that actually works! I did some quick math, though, and it looks like that stuff ships for $34.50 a gallon. If one ounce treats 5 gallons of gas, then that leads to a 3.2% increase in fuel costs if we assume gas to cost $1.70 a gallon. Your fuel mileage increased 4.5%, which seems to barely offset the increase in fuel cost. Maybe there are other benefits to the additive, I didn't read very much. Thanks for the info, really interesting!
 
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