Please help our support of SMARTRISK by purchasing a 2010 Kenzie Car Calendar.
Fuel System Additives
Our Tip of the Week concerns the use of fuel system additives. Let's have a look at three of the more common ones.
Injector cleaner, as the name implies, keeps your fuel injectors working as designed. When the injectors are clean, they deliver a nice, fine spray of fuel which yields the best power, the best fuel economy, and the lowest exhaust emissions. When the injectors get dirty, all three areas suffer.
The secondary benefit of using injector cleaner is de-carbonizing the combustion chamber of the engine. When an engine gets carboned up it now requires higher and higher octane fuel to prevent pinging or detonation. You've probably all owned a car like that at one stage of the game. Cleaning out the combustion chambers and de-carbonizing them can lower that octane requirement.
Gas line anti-freeze prevents freeze-up in the winter time if you've got moisture in the fuel system. Now how does moisture enter the fuel system? Well, for example, during our shoot today we've had a light rain falling on and off. If you happen to be fuelling up the car right now, water can enter the fuel system. I'm sure you've all fuelled a car up in a driving snow storm, or driving rain storm and had that occur. In any case, regular use of gas line anti-freeze can combat that problem. It emulsifies the water and lets it pass through the fuel system without causing rust or breaking you down on the road.
Fuel stabilizer is for seasonally used vehicles. For example, if you've got a convertible that's parked in the wintertime, a snowmobile, an outboard motor, chainsaw, or any seasonally used vehicle, while it's parked you should have fuel stabilizer in the system to prevent the fuel that's still in the carburetor or tank from going bad.
That's your Tip of the Week!
From the archives...
Fuel Filling TipsBattery Capacity
Breaking In A New Car
Checking Your Brakelamps
Flooded Engines
Fuel System Additives
Gear Shifter Positions On Your Car
Mechanical Fixes For Winter
Punctured Tires
Seized Spark Plugs
Spare Tires
Starter Motors
Proper Tire Inflation Pressure
Tire Noise
Tramlining
Under-Slung Spare Tire
Warming Up Your Vehicle
Winter Finishes
Winter Tires
Winter Weather
Have an automotive related question? The Motoring team is here to help. Check back for the latest info and tips, your submissions might even make it on the air! Stay tuned! (Please note that inquiries will be answered at random)