No power after cleaning fuel injectors

Spaz

I have a 2009 370z with 20k, had an oil change and fuel injectors cleaned, as it was suggested every 15k mi (not sure if thats true). I drove it 10 mi without any problems, the next time I went to drive - it had no power, was idling at 1200 rpm even when the car was warm. When I would press on the gas it would hesitate and wouldn't go higher than 2000 rpm and sounded like it was being governed. It had no power and was barely drivable. I drove it home that way. When I got home, I turned the car off and restarted it - the problem was gone. I drove it around and it has been fine since. What could have been the problem?

I purchased the car brand new and it has never had any problems.

Could it have been the computer? I drove long enough that any remaining cleaning solution would have been burned out.

Please help

christian370z

Have you checked for any loose connectors around the top of the engine? Some may not have been reconnected properly after the reinstallation of the fuel injectors.

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partsguy

And just why did you clean the injectors? I think you were trying to pre-empt or solve a problem that didn't exist. And now...


Edit: Perhaps the limp home mode was enabled (?) From fuel starvation! When the chemical ran out (and I assume the car stalled), the ECU "saw" a fuel starvation situation. Limp-home mode was enabled. You cycled the car off and then on, and the car runs normally. No problems.

(I still think you probably didn't need to clean the injectors, though.)

DIGItonium

Did you put in an additive in your fuel tank to clean the injectors? IIRC, the manual advises against additives, and it could void your warranty.

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partsguy

He had it done (at a shop I assume). The fuel pump relay (or fuse) gets removed. The chemical gets hooked into the fuel rail. Then the car is started and runs off of the chemical until the can empties. (The chemical also cleans the injectors.) Then the car stalls. The relay (or fuse) is replaced, the can removed, and then you drive away.

I think the problem he had was when the chemical ran out, the ECU saw a fuel starvation situation and enabled limp-home mode. He cycled the car off and then on and the ECU returned the car to normal operation.

(BTW, you'll get the same situation if you aggressively corner your car with a small amount of fuel in the tank.)

DIGItonium

Oh okay, thanks for clearing it up. I don't know anything about having a shop clean the injectors, nor has it ever been done in any of the cars other than to replace a dud. Sounds like a lot of work!

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6spd

man, this is the biggest scam on the market... well, biggest next to nitrogen in tires, haha... cant tell you how many times ive heard this same story at work, and we're just a small shop!

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SPOHN

^ I agree

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toner123

or possibly air in the rails. I know the service manual tells you when you replace the fuel pump or injectors to put the ignition in the start position with out actully starting the car. repeat this a couple times it said then start the car.

Spaz

that sounds like exactly what happened! thank you so much for clearing that up... I am a woman, but know a small amount about cars, but this car is pretty new to me.

Thank you all again!!!! problem solved! <3!

Q8y_drifter

That high idle (even though the engine is warm) and ~2000rpm limit can be caused if the ECU detects an issue and goes into limp mode. Any CEL when this happened?

I had this exact behavior happen to my car when I took off the manifold to clean it. It turned out one of the throttle bodies had a lose harness. I just plugged it back properly and the engine instantly went out of limp mode and idled/ran properly. I also had a CEL which helped pinpoint the issue when I scanned the code.

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mspeasl

This scam is just a high cost "Revenue Stream" for the auto shops. If you want to keep the injectors clean, stop by Auto-zone or Wal-Mart and pick up a can of injector cleaner and put it into your tank the next time you fill up.

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Mspeasl - Central Illinois
2009 - Solid Red, M6 '370' Sport/Touring (Delivered 7 April 09)

partsguy

sonic370

glad it worked out for you. but sometimes the old saying "if it ain't broke don't fix it" wil save you a ton trouble.

i think the shops down here charge around 200 bucks............