I have a 2018 Mazda CX-9 with 53,000 miles on it. I take my vehicle to the dealer for the 'free' oil changes every 7,500 miles. Starting back when the vehicle had 23,000 miles on it, the service department has been typing in "Recommend Fuel Injector Service" on every service ticket. Does anyone know what is included in this service, and whether or not it really needs to be done (and if so, at what intervals)?
2016~2023 Dealer Service Recommendation: Fuel Injector Service?
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It mentioned on the bill fuel induction cleaning recommended due to carbon build up, but now I see that it also says recommended every 24,000 miles or 24 months so my guess is that they didn't actually see carbon build up but just recommend it.
It says an induction cleaning will dissolve carbon all through the system including the fuel injectors and will make the engine perform better, idle smoother, and improve fuel economy.
I always use Shell or Chevron gas 87 Octane and have never used cheap gas.
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The only way to remove the carbon on the valves in a direct injection engine is to remove the intake manifold. Anything else is snake oil. The carbon is not on the injectors, it's on the back of the valves because they don't get 'washed' by the fuel any longer.
Also, it typically takes up to over 100,000 miles before this really becomes a problem. Usually manifested as a mis-fire at start up that goes away as the vehicle warms up.
I have an Audi with direct injection and follow the boards there too and this is the general consensus - deal with it when it becomes a problem.
Also, it typically takes up to over 100,000 miles before this really becomes a problem. Usually manifested as a mis-fire at start up that goes away as the vehicle warms up.
I have an Audi with direct injection and follow the boards there too and this is the general consensus - deal with it when it becomes a problem.
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I agree, my car starts fine and only has 45,000 miles. I'm not going to get the fuel induction service.
I checked my manual and the window sticker was in there and it says my car comes with the Skyactiv-G engine with DI. Funny how the engine cover doesn't mention it and it only has a Skyactiv plaque on the trunk, not Skyactiv-G.
Does this mean that a Fuel cleaner like Redline won't do anything on my engine or is it good to do once in a while anyway?
I checked my manual and the window sticker was in there and it says my car comes with the Skyactiv-G engine with DI. Funny how the engine cover doesn't mention it and it only has a Skyactiv plaque on the trunk, not Skyactiv-G.
Does this mean that a Fuel cleaner like Redline won't do anything on my engine or is it good to do once in a while anyway?
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There are other ways to remove the carbon without removing the intake manifold. Not for the average DIY but can be not only cleaned but reduced or prevented.
That would be for another thread because if go into it on this thread.
Fuel injectors can need servicing even at low mile say below 30k miles. No one can know all this forums members how they drive where they drive what they use for fuel etc, so IMHO at best consider what a service shop suggest or recommends? Fuel injector generally will not until they are really in need of servicing present a DTC indicted to look at them. It is never a bad idea to use frequently Fuel injection and fuel system cleaners like Chevron, Redline,sea foam, Lucas to name a few that I know will work to some degree and even for some that know things a little more than the average shop or DIY, Xylene, if for anything else a bit of peace of mind.
Back on the carbon subject there is no set millage when it comes to Skyactiv gas engines for the start or need to clean the carbon that does form on the DI MAZDA engine intake and combustion chambers. Most of the internet reports started from engine that were running so poorly they assumed the carbon was bad enough at 100k miles. If anyone has any DI engine I would not recommend to deal with it when it becomes a problem, early and conscience attempts to reduce it can save you lots of expense latter.
On the mention of fuel types Chevron and Shell at least in the US are the best formulated fuels to use helping reduce many fueling issue that can come up over time.
Spark Plugs...
They are for the most part inexpensive and most anyone can change them easily on a Skyactiv engine. I would not wait more then 30k miles before changing them. There is no contest to how many miles you all can get from a set of spark plugs and yet I still see high milage claims with no issues. I doubt it? And if some say other wise you are only fooling yourself. Go WOT for about 30 seconds and see what happens. LOL Or have a shop do a diagnostic test on the spark plugs. I bet the wave form looks like sheeeet if you have over 30k miles.
Spark plugs can have the biggest influence on the overall performance of your engine.
That would be for another thread because if go into it on this thread.
Fuel injectors can need servicing even at low mile say below 30k miles. No one can know all this forums members how they drive where they drive what they use for fuel etc, so IMHO at best consider what a service shop suggest or recommends? Fuel injector generally will not until they are really in need of servicing present a DTC indicted to look at them. It is never a bad idea to use frequently Fuel injection and fuel system cleaners like Chevron, Redline,sea foam, Lucas to name a few that I know will work to some degree and even for some that know things a little more than the average shop or DIY, Xylene, if for anything else a bit of peace of mind.
Back on the carbon subject there is no set millage when it comes to Skyactiv gas engines for the start or need to clean the carbon that does form on the DI MAZDA engine intake and combustion chambers. Most of the internet reports started from engine that were running so poorly they assumed the carbon was bad enough at 100k miles. If anyone has any DI engine I would not recommend to deal with it when it becomes a problem, early and conscience attempts to reduce it can save you lots of expense latter.
On the mention of fuel types Chevron and Shell at least in the US are the best formulated fuels to use helping reduce many fueling issue that can come up over time.
Spark Plugs...
They are for the most part inexpensive and most anyone can change them easily on a Skyactiv engine. I would not wait more then 30k miles before changing them. There is no contest to how many miles you all can get from a set of spark plugs and yet I still see high milage claims with no issues. I doubt it? And if some say other wise you are only fooling yourself. Go WOT for about 30 seconds and see what happens. LOL Or have a shop do a diagnostic test on the spark plugs. I bet the wave form looks like sheeeet if you have over 30k miles.
Spark plugs can have the biggest influence on the overall performance of your engine.
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Buy 'top-tier' gasoline and that should be all you need. If you like throw in a Techron once in a while, it cannot hurt.
I use Valero locally here for most of my fill-ups and have had zero issues with the quality of their gas. It's a good brand and the price is right compared to Shell around here. I'm sure that varies depending on where you are located.
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I use Shell 87 regular.
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I doubt that without removing and inspecting and even flowing any fuel injector most people would not be able to tell as the fuel injector starts to degrade in it performance. So most often the "no issue" commits only mean you don't know!
Frequently while ECU calibrating and looking at DATA logs I always see a cylinder that just wont get exactly up to the rest of them. While no DTC are generated pulling the fuel injector and replacing it with a new one cures the problem. I won't calibrate for performance use any customers ECU without a clean bill of health from one of several Fuel injector rebuilding companies or that they have replaced their fuel injectors within 10k miles or less.
In the fuel injector by not using the best gasoline or as we say top tier which I recommend that to be 2 Chevron and Shell, than Union 76 ,Exxon and last Texaco or if I can contact the supplier and get the formula used or ingredients' then you are not getting what I would call the best and "NEWAGE" gasoline. Don't fool yourself not all gasoline is the best at keeping your engine running the best and keeping parts like fuel pumps and fuel injectors clean.
Using poor quality fuels slowly effect the Needle, seat guide and the pintle operation in the fuel injectors. As a varnish slowly form the ECU does not detect the drop in performance until the varnish is so bad that the fuel injector can not pass fuel properly and that changes the air fuel mixture that the ECU compensates for until it becomes so bad that you finally get a DTC. The first time a DTC because of a Fuel injector many will replace other suspected parts while clearly the DTC. When the DTC returns after a short time DIY again start replacing more parts and may even finally replace on or all the fuel injector that finally cures the returning DTC. All this time most will say they have no drivability concerns. IMHO most of this was caused from not using a top tier gasoline or at least occasionally using some bottle fuel system additive/cleaners.
BTW even OEM fuel injectors like MAZDA oem injectors new are seldom balanced and often not all the same performance . On a street driven vehicle it may not be practical and so few actually would even consider it but by having your fuel injectors cleaned and matched you can increase your power output of the engine. Its only a small amount but all those small amounts add up. You would see a slight improvement in MPG is you simply had your fuel injector completely cleaned at about 30-60k miles.
The place I use, we use in the shop and I recommend for performance is RC Injector service.
Most any fuel injector service company can support everything I posted in this response and many even have actual Dyno Data and or ECU data logging as well before and after serviced fuel injector flow ratings
On my own personal Mazda I do a fuel injection cleaning every 10,000 miles my own equipment in my DIY home (not the shop lol) garage. . It takes me about 1.5 hours.
Frequently while ECU calibrating and looking at DATA logs I always see a cylinder that just wont get exactly up to the rest of them. While no DTC are generated pulling the fuel injector and replacing it with a new one cures the problem. I won't calibrate for performance use any customers ECU without a clean bill of health from one of several Fuel injector rebuilding companies or that they have replaced their fuel injectors within 10k miles or less.
In the fuel injector by not using the best gasoline or as we say top tier which I recommend that to be 2 Chevron and Shell, than Union 76 ,Exxon and last Texaco or if I can contact the supplier and get the formula used or ingredients' then you are not getting what I would call the best and "NEWAGE" gasoline. Don't fool yourself not all gasoline is the best at keeping your engine running the best and keeping parts like fuel pumps and fuel injectors clean.
Using poor quality fuels slowly effect the Needle, seat guide and the pintle operation in the fuel injectors. As a varnish slowly form the ECU does not detect the drop in performance until the varnish is so bad that the fuel injector can not pass fuel properly and that changes the air fuel mixture that the ECU compensates for until it becomes so bad that you finally get a DTC. The first time a DTC because of a Fuel injector many will replace other suspected parts while clearly the DTC. When the DTC returns after a short time DIY again start replacing more parts and may even finally replace on or all the fuel injector that finally cures the returning DTC. All this time most will say they have no drivability concerns. IMHO most of this was caused from not using a top tier gasoline or at least occasionally using some bottle fuel system additive/cleaners.
BTW even OEM fuel injectors like MAZDA oem injectors new are seldom balanced and often not all the same performance . On a street driven vehicle it may not be practical and so few actually would even consider it but by having your fuel injectors cleaned and matched you can increase your power output of the engine. Its only a small amount but all those small amounts add up. You would see a slight improvement in MPG is you simply had your fuel injector completely cleaned at about 30-60k miles.
The place I use, we use in the shop and I recommend for performance is RC Injector service.
Most any fuel injector service company can support everything I posted in this response and many even have actual Dyno Data and or ECU data logging as well before and after serviced fuel injector flow ratings
On my own personal Mazda I do a fuel injection cleaning every 10,000 miles my own equipment in my DIY home (not the shop lol) garage. . It takes me about 1.5 hours.
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speed3chris1
2021 Signature CX-9
What kind of cleaning kit and product are you using? I saw your kit says Comp. cams but they didn't show a cleaning kit on there site.
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speed3chris1
Sorry that can be confusing. It is a Comp Cam decal the case is the original tool case for the fuel system cleaner. The basic kit is a Techlit from the 80's which is no longer in business. The adapters and basic tools in that kit are pretty much universal. So if needed to do a service on something new is getting the proper adapter. There are a few professional Fuel injection kits offered from about 90 bucks.This is not a recommendation because I like to try anything I recommend first but the kit looks nice and has everything for basic fuel injection services except the fluid cleaner that is usually needed on these type of kits.
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I guess I can just replace my injectors next year as I only have 45,000 miles on them.
Any fuel treatment products you recommend over others, I've used Techron and Lucas before but didn't notice anything. Thinking of trying Redline.
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Look at the list of ingredients on the label of a gasoline system cleaner, or look up the safety data sheet for the product. You want a cleaner with PEA...polyetheramine...that cleans the deposits of modern gasoline, which is actually a very complex product. I've never found a Lucas product worth the money, but maybe the Deep Clean fuel product is OK. It does contain PEA, as shown on the SDS. If you add a cleaning product and don't notice a change in your engine, either (a) it didn't need the product, or (b) the product wasn't adequate for the job.
Top Tier brands: https://www.toptiergas.com/licensed-brands/
A group of refiners and gasoline marketers agreed to set standards for gasoline detergents and other components in the gasoline in excess of the minimum required by the EPA. Several well known names are on the list as well as some unexpected ones...ARCO (which used to be at the minimum if that), Costco, and others. By the way, 76 gasoline is owned by Phillips66 (Union is long gone), Texaco is another brand for Chevron. Buy any Top Tier gas brand.
Top Tier brands: https://www.toptiergas.com/licensed-brands/
A group of refiners and gasoline marketers agreed to set standards for gasoline detergents and other components in the gasoline in excess of the minimum required by the EPA. Several well known names are on the list as well as some unexpected ones...ARCO (which used to be at the minimum if that), Costco, and others. By the way, 76 gasoline is owned by Phillips66 (Union is long gone), Texaco is another brand for Chevron. Buy any Top Tier gas brand.
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This is the one I'm thinking of trying:
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IMHO Understanding how to read and understand a safety data sheet for the product is helpful if anyone is going to use it as supportive information on a thread. Please note that many do not make available proprietary ingredients. And who owns the gasoline company or refineries does not in any way mean that you get the same gasoline formula. As an example the formulas used in Shell and Chevron both use proprietary ingredients not included in any other fuel they are affiliated with.
Any addition fuel additive used should you do notice a difference your engine does have or had some concerns.
The small operating parts in a fuel injector with filtered fuel are likely to operate in the worst of conditions and show no signs of problem until they finally go out of their designed operating specification. Like poor gasoline choice or dirty or contaminated fuels and fueling systems.
I still use the term Union 76 fuels are still readily available including their race high octane fuels. The funny thing is you can locate those race fuels at least in Ca and Texas by typing in Union 76 Race fuel/gas.
I would say if more of you knew how exactly those fuel supply tankers are filled and who fills them you may be surprised about the process. I guarantee it is not what you think it is! lol
Any addition fuel additive used should you do notice a difference your engine does have or had some concerns.
The small operating parts in a fuel injector with filtered fuel are likely to operate in the worst of conditions and show no signs of problem until they finally go out of their designed operating specification. Like poor gasoline choice or dirty or contaminated fuels and fueling systems.
I still use the term Union 76 fuels are still readily available including their race high octane fuels. The funny thing is you can locate those race fuels at least in Ca and Texas by typing in Union 76 Race fuel/gas.
I would say if more of you knew how exactly those fuel supply tankers are filled and who fills them you may be surprised about the process. I guarantee it is not what you think it is! lol
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RED line product have always been really good. They also have a great customer service and technical support team.
I was a Red Line Distributor and retailed the product line in all my shops for over 30 years.
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I'll give it a go and see if I notice a difference. Mazda wants us to use their brand carbon cleaner but I doubt it's any better than Redline
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the stock spark plugs are iridium tipped with a platinum ground... they far outlast 30k miles... these are not the cheap old school nickel plated copper plugs... they DO NOT need to get changed at 30k miles... all you're doing is wasting your time, money, resources, and adding more junk in the land fill sooner... change them at what the owner's manual recommends and you're fine
spark plugs DO NOT add power to an engine... you only "add power" once they're worn down... and like I said, these stock spark plugs don't wear down at 30k miles, so it's not going to make any difference whatsoever... if anything, putting in cheap nickel plated copper plugs not only will cause them to wear down a lot faster because of the increased combustion pressures in these high compression engines, but it'll also cause the coil packs to wear out faster
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the Union 76 brand still exist as gas stations in the west coast, hawaii, guam, and some midwest states... the company might be long gone, but the brand is still very well alive
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the CRC GDI intake valve cleaner works fairly decently for mild build up... just a little bit maybe every 15k to 30k miles and driving it gently on the highway to let it burn through will do the job... the knock sensor on these skyactive engines are really good, so you can't flog it like old cars to burn out the crap, otherwise it goes into limp mode from excessive pinging and set a code... seems better to do this periodically than to let it build up to a point where the only way to clean it is to walnut shell blast it with the intake off
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Sorry but, with today's engines and spark plugs, I don't agree with this short interval. I think it is an unnecessary expense and time.
Spark plugs will go a lot longer than that. Mazda doesn't even recommend that short an interval. Their interval is 75,000 miles. Shorter for the turbo, but still longer than 30k miles.
Some real world personal experiences: I ran my 2002 Nissan Pathfinder to 330,000 Kms (about 200,000 miles) and only changed my plugs once. Never had an issue, ever.
My 2006 Altima ran for 11 years and over 100,000 miles .. on the factory plugs. Never changed them.
My earlier cars were the same. The only time I did plugs on a short interval was when they still had leaded gas, like 50 years ago.
Plugs every 30k miles today is overkill.
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like I said, you only need to change plugs every 30k miles if they're the cheap cheap nickel plated copper plugs... if it's about $2 a plug, then they're the ones you change that often
seems like you missed what I said about this minutes before you
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