Restore Your Get-Up-and-Go (Fuel and Air Induction Cleaning)

You may have heard the old saying, “My get-up-and-go got up and went.” If your vehicle’s engine’s fuel economy is noticeably worse, your engine is idling roughly or stalling or your vehicle’s acceleration isn’t what it used to be, ask your service advisor if you might need your vehicle’s fuel and air induction systems cleaned.

As the hours pile up on your engine, carbon deposits can build up. It’s not unusual for some of the impurities and additives in fuel to leave behind a black residue that eventually will negatively affect your fuel economy and performance. Maybe you’re noticing your engine is harder to start, you hear knocking or pinging in your engine and your vehicle just doesn’t have the pep it used to.

While it’s a sophisticated process with a lot of components, a gasoline engine essentially produces power by drawing in air from the outside and mixing it with fuel in the cylinders where this blend of fuel and air is ignited by spark plugs in synchronized explosions.

The fuel and air enter your engine through the fuel induction system and air induction system. Because of things like high operating temperatures and impurities, carbon in the fuel can leave behind dark, sooty deposits in the fuel induction system such as the fuel injectors and the throttle body. These and other residue reduce your engine’s efficiency and performance. Our service center can use special fuel injector cleaners to remove those deposits from your engine.

The technician may manually clean some of the deposits and also put a fuel additive in the fuel tank that will get rid of other deposits that are still in the fuel system

Keeping the air induction system clean is also important. A technician can use a liquid cleaner specially designed for the job. Not only can this improve your fuel economy, it may also reduce exhaust emissions and help your engine last longer.

Most gasoline now contains detergents that help reduce or prevent these problems, but direct injection is now being used in more vehicles that are more susceptible to clogging. Ask your service advisor if your vehicle could benefit from fuel and air induction cleaning.

Autotronics of St. Peter
111 Jefferson Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082
507.934.9290
http://autotronicsstpeter.com

Fuel Injection Basics for St. Peter

All modern St. Peter vehicles come with fuel injection systems, so it’s a topic St. Peter drivers need to know something about. The mighty fuel injector is a valve that delivers the gas or diesel fuel to the right place, in the right amount at the right time—to be mixed with air and burned in the engine.

So how many fuel injectors does your vehicle have? There’s one for each cylinder. So four, six or eight for most folks in St. Peter, MN. Some vehicles have 10 or 12 cylinders. The engine control computer makes adjustments to the fuel injector as it monitors the engine and other sensors. Fuel injectors are a pretty high-tech.

Autotronics of St. Peter can help St. Peter drivers with a fuel injector cleaning service. What’s the benefit? In order to work right, the fuel injectors have to deliver the fuel at a precise pressure at a very precise time. It’s important that the fuel is sprayed in a particular pattern as determined by the engine design.

Over time, varnish can start to build up in the fuel injectors, effecting the pressure, pattern and timing of the fuel charge. The result is that the fuel doesn’t get burned as efficiently as it could. That robs performance and hurts fuel economy.

What about dirty fuel? How does that affect the fuel injectors? The fuel injectors are the last stop in the fuel system. It starts at the fuel tank. Frankly, the best way to keep your fuel injectors working well is to use high quality fuel. It’s tempting to shop for bargains in St. Peter with fuel prices as high as they are, but major brands in the St. Peter, MN, area have better detergents and additives and deliver consistent quality.

What about a good fuel filter? The fuel filter is component of the fuel system. Its job is to filter out the dirt and rust that collect in the fuel tank. If it’s clogged up, the dirt will bypass the filter and head upstream to the fuel injectors.

It’s important to replace the fuel filter when your manufacturer recommends it. That’s part of a comprehensive fuel system cleaning.

There are different kinds of fuel injection systems. Port fuel injection systems, the kind most gasoline engines have, operate at 60 pounds per square inch. The injectors for the new gas direct injection engines St. Peter drivers are starting to see require 10 to 30 times as much pressure. And some diesel engines for passenger vehicles have injectors that operate at 30,000 pounds or more per square inch. There’s no room for dirt and gum in a precision part like that.

There are a lot of good products available in St. Peter, MN, that can clean fuel injectors. They’re best used to prevent fouling in the fuel injectors. Many can’t clean a seriously gummed up injector – that requires a professional deep cleaning, like those we offer at Autotronics of St. Peter in St. Peter. But putting the cleaner in the fuel tank after you’ve had Autotronics of St. Peter take a look at your fuel system will help keep it clean. Be sure to read the label for directions.

Give us a call if you think your vehicle may be ready for a fuel injector cleaning.

Autotronics of St. Peter
111 Jefferson Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082
507.934.9290
http://autotronicsstpeter.com

Cold Weather Vehicle No-Nos (Items to Avoid Storing in a Freezing Vehicle)

It’s always easier to leave a few things in your vehicle so you’ll have them on hand. But in cold weather, while it’s a good idea to carry items such as a phone charger, blanket and shovel, there are some things you shouldn’t store in your vehicle.

Medicines and drugs. Cold temperatures can affect the chemical makeup of some drugs. Avoid leaving them in a vehicle, especially those in a liquid form like insulin, eye drops and cough syrup.
Latex paint. They are water based, and when they freeze, they get lumpy and lousy. Your paint job will not be what you had in mind.
Cellphones and computers. Most of these have lithium ion batteries. If they get colder than freezing (0 degrees C, 32 degrees F), if you try to charge them, you’ll more than likely ruin the batteries.
Bottled water, soda, wine or beer. OK, here’s the scoop. All of these can freeze and split the container they’re in. Yes, soda, wine and beer will take a lower temperature to freeze than water, but all of these can easily freeze if the mercury plunges low enough. The problem isn’t when they’re frozen; it’s when they unfreeze, drip out of their containers and leave you with a colossal mess.
Musical instruments. Guitars are made of wood. When a guitar freezes and you bring it quickly into a warm room, you may hear cracking sounds that tell you that guitar will be not-so-gently weeping from the damage that can occur. The same goes for wind instruments and others. Don’t ever subject musical instruments to quick temperature extremes.

Take a little time and effort not to leave these things out in a frigid vehicle. You’ll likely spend far more time and money tending to the resulting consequences than if you’d just brought them inside in the first place.

Autotronics of St. Peter
111 Jefferson Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082
507.934.9290
http://autotronicsstpeter.com