Home Made Fuel Injector Cleaning Machine

[60dgrzbelow0]

Thanks Pocket... It has been a "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" from beginning to end...LOL...

Here is another member looking at solving this problem in a less expensive manner. There are some good ideas here...

http://60degreev6.com/forum/f97/clea...eap-way-t45708

Following up on this Member's idea (jmgtp) of doing all of this in a less expensive and more selective manner... I was up in my attic trying to clean my A/C Condenser Coils with a hand pumped sprayer and this thread came to mind while realizing that his idea might be even easier to create using one of THESE to pressurize the EFI Cleaning Fluid...

http://www.homedepot.com/RL-Flo-Master/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ18jZ1xg4/R-100186784/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

...and using one of THESE as the means to keep the EFI Cleaning Fluid as clean and pure as possible when re-cycling the stuff again and again...

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xg4/R-202040785/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

...but knowing that this gravity-style fuel filter might not be able hold up under the stress of having as much as 45 PSI applied to it.. (might just explode and spray the stuff all over the place...) Nonetheless... this might be a healthy alternative to adding both simplicity and portability to cleaning individual EFIS...and the COOL part is... that the hand pump is capable of generating up to 45 PSI before the automatic relief valve releases any excess pressure... so you would not require a Fuel Pressure Gauge to monitor the fuel pressure... the only other things you would need is some Acrylic Hosing attached to the base (outflow side) of the EFI to capture the "spent" EFI Cleaner into a fancy Clear Plastic Gallon Water Jug like I use on "The FrankInjector Machine" and a single OTC unit to power the EFI electronically...and Voila! You could at least do the pressure cleaning phase of this job...with minimal expense and without any complicated hardware... Hell... All you would need to power the OTC Unit is to clamp the 12Volt Power lines (red & black) to any car battery...and you could clean your fuel injectors...right out in the wild beyond if you had to! Props to the original poster (jmgtp) that "Simple is Often Better!"...

P.S. I wonder if the Fuel Filter could be strengthened with a good wrap of Duct Tape after the fuel lines are clamped on?

[robertisaar]

maximum cheap yet bulletproof relaibility and simplicity make anything better... i would probably find a different fuel filter though.

[pbsch]

would a low pressure flow of cleaning fluid during the ultrasound cleaning process interfere with the actual ultrasound process? Being low pressure, you might even consider back flowing the fluid by slipping a piece of flexible tube over the snout of the injector. Perhaps I am demonstrating a lack of understanding of the ultrasound process. but I figure a simple impeller driven pump that generates a little pressure and decent flow would suffice.

[60dgrzbelow0]

would a low pressure flow of cleaning fluid during the ultrasound cleaning process interfere with the actual ultrasound process? Being low pressure, you might even consider back flowing the fluid by slipping a piece of flexible tube over the snout of the injector. Perhaps I am demonstrating a lack of understanding of the ultrasound process. but I figure a simple impeller driven pump that generates a little pressure and decent flow would suffice.

EFI Cleaning has an "Orders of Operation" that must be adhered to or things can get very sketchy when its all said and done (Sort of like the confused Traffic Cop who Jumped of His Whistle...and Blew his Horse) ...

First things first... before doing ANYTHING to the injectors...and this especially means before you remove the filter baskets (now that we all know that the Rochester Multec Fable about not being able to change them out is once again...so much Horse Manure)... they should be submerged in an Ultrasonic Bath with some concentrated cleaner (like "Purple Power"...of John's (FF) favorite..."Formula 88" if you can find the stuff) and allowed to have the exterior mung, grease, sand, dead leaf crap and anything else that made you give the Fuel Rail that one last big tug to get the EFI's out of the UIM... for at least 30-45 minutes. Otherwise...if you pull the fuel baskets ahead of time...the largest amount of that disgusting shit...might migrate inside the spaces you don't want it and FUBAR anything that follows. Next... the Old Fuel Baskets should be removed as per the recent YouTube video a bit further back in this epic post. THEN its time to clean out the Ultrasonic Machine and put in a fresh dose of "Purple Power" and give them another molecular "shaking" at around 65 Degrees C and really loosen whatever has been hiding in there after the roughly 8,500 Gallons of Gasoline that flowed through them over 153,000 Miles (EDIT).

After this...they get a serious douche in scalding hot water and are allowed to air dry. Now its time to mount them on "The FrankInjector Machine" or as recently suggested...some other less complicated apparatus and pressure cleaned through several re-cycling events with a few quarts of re-cycled Chevron Techron...or whatever your favorite flavor of injector cleaning solvent happens to be. In spite of the lean towards a "less is best" idea... "The FrankInjector Machine" is arguably the best and most effective method (short of Grandma willing you her Old ASNU Machine) of cleaning the innards of these injectors and revitalizing their pintle action...well enough to be able to recognize if there are other insidious forces at work in making one...three...or all of them not function properly... A good Multimeter comes in handy to check their electrical characteristics...and if all goes well and they dutifully respond to this rigorous cleaning regimen... then its time to do the Flow Balance portion of the process...and The Good Lord Willing... they all come up with fluid levels that are within the 5% of each other insisted upon by the GM Shop Manuals... and all that remains is for you to either re-install them... or drop each one inside a small Ziplock baggie... and shpritz them all over with some WD-40 and put them away for a rainy day.

The reason that cycling them in submergence in the Ultrasonic Machine while activating their pintle valves with the dual OTC units does not stop the effects of the ultrasonic action is because sound travels 300 times faster through the liquid solution...and is unaffected by the rapid motion of the interior parts of the EFIS...rather like the effects of the molecular cavitation that can erode the tips and edges of boat propeller blades...not because of run up on a sand bar while they spin around so fast...but because the phenomena of the water molecules being exploded like mini-a-bombs is the operative power that scours even the best of them like a runaway grinding wheel... Ultrasound performs this identical task.

[pocket-rocket]

8,500 Gallons of Gasoline that flowed through them over 100,000 Miles.

You driving a dually there, Bob? (I ask because that's just over 11mpg)

[60dgrzbelow0]

You driving a dually there, Bob? (I ask because that's just over 11mpg)

Woops... Right... Sorry about the Math Faux Pas, P-R... That would be around 153,000 miles @ 18 MPG... Thanks... Still ... it is the same amount of fuel being pounded through those injectors at around 43.5 PSI... Ouch!

[pocket-rocket]

Woops... Right... Sorry about the Math Faux Pas... That would be around 153,000 miles @ 18 MPG... Thanks... Still ... it is the same amount of fuel being pounded through those injectors at around 43.5 PSI... Ouch!

I was just teasing there, not really being picky about the math (was more curious as to what kind of mpg that was, honestly).

[60dgrzbelow0]

Thanks "Tex"... but as you well know... the usual formula and movie plots is for "The Little Guy" to dream up something their engineers never thought of...and wait for the "Evil Corporations" to steal it from THEM!

Okay... A New Development!

I have to say that I am fairly excited about a recent development concerning an email I received from an otherwise "shy" member/reader of this thread who also just happens to be an Electrical Engineer interested in developing his own "electronic control panel" that would serve to give some greater variability over how to activate and actuate Electronic Fuel Injectors. He seems very keen on what has been done with "The FrankInjector Machine" so far, knowing full well that it is wanting a more practical means of actuating the EFIs during the cleaning process than my solution of using the twin OTC devices...even to the point of allowing this to occur "unattended" (which I would never recommend). I have agreed to test out whatever device(s) he comes up with... with his permission and my understanding that he may want to design, build, market and sell what ever it is he manages to get to to work is a separate project from my own "Open Source" EFI Cleaning Machine. I'll keep everyone "posted" as we correspond about this idea.

Okay... As much as I am seriously interested in this Gentleman's idea about creating his own OTV means to actuate and variably control Electronic Fuel Injectors... I'm a bit frustrated with the idea that he has not addressed this matter openly in this forum thread where he and others would have a better chance of interacting about what he is attempting to do. Instead, he is trying to accomplish this in the vacuum of sending and receiving personal emails to me on the matter. The attached screen prints are of his latest communique, stressing that in all matters relating to my end of this project... and my response to his request.

The man may already be a member here... but since I have no way of knowing or confirming this to be the case... I made my latest ( and last) request for him to join us all here and try to help him with the development of his unique EFI "Driver" device. I will not be interacting on this matter unless it takes place on the site of its original posting: www.60degreev6.com. There are many of us here who might enjoy working with this engineer in making something that I would very much like to try out on " The FrankInjector Machine" and end the problem and complications of having to employ two OTC units to get the job(s) done correctly. It has been a very long time since this thread was started in order to answer this very specific question.. .and it has not been solved yet... But I think this fellow is very capable of doing the job...and I am hoping he will come here and share his ideas with all of us and complete the last and final necessary piece of work.

[Azrael]

Maybe you can also find a cheap (cheap might be a stretch), used aftermarket efi controller (Haltech, megasquirt, etc) and program it the way you want it to operate. I'm not sure how well it'd cooperate but it might be an option.

[pocket-rocket]

Or maybe design a circuit with a cheep microprocessor that drives some good power transistors to control the fuel injectors and program it to speed up and slow down continuously.

[Tbay99Venture]

I would very much like to try out on " The FrankInjector Machine" and end the problem and complications of having to employ two OTC units to get the job(s) done correctly

That particular problem should be straightforward for a tech or hobbyist to solve. I'm surprised nobody has some forward yet with the range of talent on this forum. The idea that we need one more custom box with a way to flash updates (that you probably have to buy) over a USB makes it one step away from an iPhone app to run Frankenjector.

Or maybe I'm just bitchy today?

[60dgrzbelow0]

Actually... That notion is pretty clever... but perhaps using some older handheld harware... like a Palm Tungsten 2E? I'm with you completely though... about the idea that there must be SOMEBODY who knows enough about electronics and the electricity used to control EFIs to make SOMETHING very straightforward enough to cycle six or eight of them at a time with variability. I don't know... perhaps our folks don't think I've been genuine enough in stating that everything I've put out there on this unique machine is completely free for the taking and that I have absolutely no interest in either marketing or selling "The FrankInjector Machine" as a going concern... and this prevents anyone talented enough to see how easy it would be for them to make or to even write a diagram that others could follow and simplify the only really complex problem this thing has encountered since the "FIM Gen III" unit proved itself in all other aspects while being developed. There HAS to be somebody with enough ego and know-how to want to show us all what can be done... Yes?

[robertisaar]

Bob, while i believe all of that is entirely correct, i feel the almighty dollar is making people that know how to fix this particluar quirk think twice about opening their mouths... but that's just me, i have a bad habit of expecting the worst from people before i know them. i believe the suggestion a while back of using solid-state relays would work great, then maybe using a 555 circuit to control the duty cycle of the injectors could work good. maybe stick a rheostat in there somewhere and literally have a dial to get exactly what you want to happen... but that's all theory from me. i barely know what a 555 does, let alone how to wire it.

[60dgrzbelow0]

Bob, while i believe all of that is entirely correct, i feel the almighty dollar is making people that know how to fix this particular quirk think twice about opening their mouths... but that's just me, i have a bad habit of expecting the worst from people before i know them. i believe the suggestion a while back of using solid-state relays would work great, then maybe using a 555 circuit to control the duty cycle of the injectors could work good. maybe stick a rheostat in there somewhere and literally have a dial to get exactly what you want to happen... but that's all theory from me. i barely know what a 555 does, let alone how to wire it.

Right as ever.. Robert... But if I had worried about how much money, time and energy I was using while chasing my tail from the jump on this idea... it never would have gotten off the ground. But now...since all the really heavy lifting has been done for all to see...including all the mistakes I made in trying to make it work and what to avoid... now all that remains is for someone who has a passionate idea and a desire to make his (or her...?) mark on something that has a definite need for their creative thinking and the willingness to explain how it works and can be be built...to step forward and show us the way. You already know that I have next to Zero Tooning Knowledge... so in addition to your 555 Circuit idea...Azreal's suggestion about using an aftermarket EFI controller really interests me.... and so.. I will investigate these suggestions until someone comes up with a "Littler Black Box" looking for a friend called "Frank" to lend a helping hand... and worry the Hell out of six to eight Fuel Injectors until they get squeaky clean...inside and out!....

[pocket-rocket]

Well my electronics experience really is limited. I haven't tinkered enough to do more advanced stuff like program a microprocessor to swing between duty cycles continuously (which I think would be the best approach for fully unmanned cleaning once you set it up). A 555 timer could work once you use something like power transistors to actually drive the injectors, but then you have to sit there and vary it manually like Robert said, by way of a variable resistor. IMHO, the programmable microprocessor is the way to go. It might be a little more complex in the beginning, but once it's set up it will make life peachy keen once it's done being set up the way you want. A 555 timer could work as just a square wave generator driving the power transistors, but the microprocessor can be programmed to do the same thing but be automated as far as varying duty cycles goes. I would help out some how if I could, but as far as my "almighty dollar" goes, my unemployment got cut off ~3-4 weeks ago and I have about $40 to my name, and no income at this point in time. :/ I do wish I could be more help, but I need a job first and foremost right now.