Can fuel injector cleaner damage sensor?

I have used fuel injector cleaners for years in my Toyota Tacoma. I use the Chevron brand. This year is the first time I am using GumOut.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PP4J23W

This is also the first year I am using fuel injector cleaner in my sister's Nissan Altima 2010. I have taken her car for a smog check for the last 3x. This year, it passed everything for the exception of the catalysis. Could fuel injector damaging the sensor for the catalysis?

 

not sure what you mean by catalysis but no typically injector cleaners would not really damage any sensors that I know of, if it failed emissions testing would likely check for codes but catalytic convertors do typically degrade over time and it may not be doing a good enough job on a 13 year old car to pass.

 

Thanks for the correction Alan: catalytic convertors

I read that Fuel Injector Cleaners can damage the Oxygen Sensors. This GUMOUT has put on the front of their label that it is safe for Oxygen Sensors.

Basically, the Smog Check guy said that it did not pass and most of the time it could be because it has been reset. I am not sure what he means by it.

A few years ago, when this happened to another car, it is because I disconnected the battery and reset all of the sensor. I did not know not to do that before smog check. In this current case, the battery was never disconnected. However, she has not driven it enough since she works from home.

 

modern cars are fairly good at detecting a bad sensor which also are known to degrade some over time you never mentioned a check engine light but you may get codes read and see if there is any, did they say what actually failed carbon monoxide or hydro carbons or other, how long has it been since the oil was changed? emissions typically go down a little with new oil as there will be no fuel dilution vapors coming in from the crankcase ventilation.

 

I changed the oil for her every year around January with synthetic. She drives it only once a week and at most is 25 miles.

 

Catalytic converters can be fouled by too rich a fuel mixture. It can take a while but it happens. Possibly her issue is too many short drives or too few drives of length to burn off excess fuel delivered to the engine when it is cold, or first started. I would try along highway drive or two. Then retest the car.

 

Italian tune-up .....

 

I used cleaners since 2003 and ALL of my cars and never had issue. The only cleaner I had issue with was BT something. Chemtool,. I believe, but it was years ago.
Now, if you run engine after cleaning "cold", it may pickup unburnt junk downstream and get it into the cat. So if you use cleaner, get her on FWY and give it about an hour at 70.

 

Have the OBCII codes read (usually can be done for free at some auto parts stores). If there are no codes, then more than likely the emission monitors have not been run/completed (after having been reset somehow). In this case the drive cycle for a Tacoma must be done. This involves driving within a specific set of conditions.

If your catalytic converter is bad, codes will be set in your PCM.

My opinion only but unless your using noname off-brand gasoline, injector cleaner is not necessary. Most major brands have sufficient fuel additives to not need additional cleaners. Even some noname gasolines are okay as they come from the same stock as the brand names. If your injectors were to get "clogged/dirty" your PCM would notice and set some code. If injectors clogging were an issue then 99.9% of the cars/people out there that do not use cleaners would be going into their mechanics with injector issues.

 

never use injector cleaners either never had an issue myself I have had to replace injectors before though on customers vehicles but not a very common problem.
obd2 can detect reduced catalyst efficiency and set a code however not sure its going to really be able to detect it as quick as emission testing would. and if your in california they likely have some higher standards for lower emissions.

 

Everyone, thank you for your participation in this thread. As an update, my sister took her car in for a second smog check today. I am surprise that she would gamble on doing this because usually she does not believe the gimmicks on the internet.

Her car smog check did pass by doing a drive cycle that she found at this link.

https://antiochstarsmogcheck.com/is-...nd-drive-cycle

Thought I share this. Thanks everyone.

 

Excellent, congrats!

Just to follow up on alan73 re: California. If the vehicle is a 2000 or later all they do is plug in to the OBDII port and read the PCM. If the PCM detects bad emissions, the code gets set which would also flag the testing center as a failure. A sniffer is used only on 1999 and earlier vehicles. On those vehicles you might be able to detect an issue before the PCM sets whatever rudimentary codes it might have.

I'm speculating in the following but I would not think there is a different set of "standards" internal to the vehicle. I believe the difference between CA and some other states is whether testing is required, how often and what modifications might be allowed to vehicles. The PCM from the manufacturer doesn't differentiate between "CA levels" and "non CA levels".