My 04 coupe turned 65K this month. I had all the fluids changed @ 32K. At that time the dealer suggested that I have the engines fuel rail cleaned as well. I did not agree since my car had been running fine.

Has anyone had this done at the dealer. I had all my fluids done this month, Including the anti freeze, automatic trans fluid and rear LSD gear oil. Also had the belts replaced as well.
I took it to my local Nissan dealer, since they charged me $200-$250 less than the Infiniti quote. Plus, I get the one to one rewards which equate to an additional savings of 10% towards the next service.

I also pulled out the air filter box assembly and cleaned it completely and replaced the filter two months ago.

Any input on having the fuel rail cleaned would be appreciated. The car seems to be a little sluggish lately, which may indicate the injectors are restricted.

Thanks for any feedback.
Dennis

 

First of all, I think that it's not the distance per se that determines whether the injectors get plugged, but how one drives. Short distance city driving is the most hazardous. If I'm not mistaken, the fuel rail can get very mucky even after 5K miles if the miles are all for very brief trips with >45 minute layovers between trips. If you happen to have "fuel weepage", the heat from the engine can literally bake the contaminants onto the injectors after you've stopped the car. If you're experiencing a rough idle, lean misfire, rough idle, some hesitation and stumbling on light acceleration, or feel a loss of power, and high hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions, then you may have a problem. But it doesn't sound like you do.

If you're really concerned, you can have your fuel injectors diagnosed by performing a power balance or injector flow test. The flow test can quickly identify a bad injector. If there is a pressure difference of ~1.5psi or more, then you'll likely have a faulty injector. I use Seafoam every 3K miles (in the tank) and every 10K (thru the vacuum line), but am careful not to overdo it since some of these cleaners can damage the lining on some parts of the fuel system

My car has 100K as of this week, and no problems, but I have very few short trips.

Good luck and I hope this helps.
Isa

 

By the way, is the fee being quoted for an on-car cleaning (where they run the cleaner thru the fuel rail while the injectors are still in place), or for the injectors to be removed and cleaned? The on-car cleaning sometimes doesn't work very well.

 

Isa please don't take this the wrong way but I find it incredibly sexy to hear a lady talk about cars the way you do.

Keep it up girl!

 

How sexy of you! I learned this stuff from my dad who was a bit of a "gearhead" in his spare time. I was a tomboy then.

BTW, you know a lot about cars, was my response right?

 

Dead on, if it wasn't it wouldn't have been so hot!

 

GR8TG35, sounds like you've done everything right thus far including by passing the Infiniti stealership for Nissan to save yourself some major $$. One thing you didn't mention that might help, buy some CNC spray (silver can) and clean your intake sensors. I clean mine once a year as a preventative measure.
Gary

 

Blue Dream, you probably think "My Cousin Vinnie" is ****.

 

Marisa Tomei, yummmmmmmm.

And yes, it's close.