Help! Problem after using injector cleaner

Hello!

Recently purchased a 2004 prerunner. Wanted to do some small maintenance and decided to buy B12 chemtool fuel injector cleaner. I filled up the truck and used the B12 chemtool. Now im getting misfire in cylinder 4, my car is idling rough, sputtering and shakes around 50mph when using the throttle . I wish i had never used the B12 cause my car was running fine. Looking for any guidance or help with this. Please help!

 

I'd suggest not filling up till close to empty.
Then fill up. Fresh fuel may clean out the injector cleaner.

 

Quite possible the cleaner caused deposits to work loose now that dirt is in the injectors .

You might get lucky and fresh gas might clear the problem

 

Ok thanks, i have 3/4 of a gas tank left, should i still drive with the engine misfire? Is it not going to impact anything? Cause oil leaks?

 

if it is indeed deposits that got stuck in the injectors, next time you fill up with fresh gas, use supreme.

It contains additives that help clean fuel deposits and buildups

 

Thanks for the response, should i drive it at all? im randomly getting flashing check engine light with code saying misfire in cylinder 4.

 

Normally, it's not the best of ideas to drive around with a misfiring, sputtering engine, as it is unpredictable.
But if I go with what you wrote, that the truck was running fine before the cleaning treatment, I don't think it is a major engine problem that popped overnight

Must be crud somewhere, most likely in the injector. In your case, you have a cylinder that is not operating normally, so truck will probably not die on your unexpectedly, but it will still result in loss of power. Potentially dangerous if you must merge onto the highway, change lanes, etc

Quick short local trips are ok, but you should fix the problem as soon as possible to avoid any damage

if you are handy and like to do things yourself, it is possible to take out and clean your fuel injectors yourself

oh and just curious, since how long has it been misfiring after cleaning treatment? and did you have a full tank of gas when you used the treatment?

 

Yeah, truck was running perfectly fine, my stupid self just had to go and add the fuel injector cleaner.

added the fuel injector cleaner Sunday afternoon after filling up with 17 gallons.

Drove 12 miles to work Monday morning fine, left work drove about 3 miles then car starting shuttering and engine light flashed.

Panicking, thinking I would run the fuel out or would have to car running normal again after a highway drive, drove about 45 miles on the highway at 80mph.

Have not driven it since, scared i might destroy the engine or cat with the misfire.

 

An Italian tune up, a late English friend would have called that.

Seriously -- why not take out the spark plug from cylinder 4 and see what it looks like? Often one can tell a lot about misfiring from the appearance of the plug. And help the problem if it turns out to be sooty, black, wet stuff on it.

 

yikes, I run the B12 Chemtool treatment in my fuel tank before every long highway trip...probably burned through a couple dozen of those treatments over the last 4 years. Never had an issue like this, but I agree with the others that something probably got worked loose and stuck in an injector. I don't know if I'd want to necessarily drive it with the misfire, you can always try and siphon the gas out of the tank maybe? At least until it's low enough that you can put a mostly new fresh tank in with 91 octane. One of those bottles of Techron should help too (same stuff that's in the 91 gas they sell).

 

I'm not aware that the detergent package varies between octane levels in any of the gasoline brands meeting the Top Tier performance standard. Does anyone know something I'm missing here? Octane isn't the same as detergency, of course.

 

True it's not the same as octane, I was referring to Chevron specifically in my last post. As far as their advertising goes, they claim the 91 "Supreme" has the Techron in it. If I remember right I think Shell claims their 91 has more cleaning detergents too.

They may very well just be pulling people's chain to get them to spend more on higher octane gas that they really don't need, that's entirely possible. Which is why if I were the OP, I wouldn't just put 91 in...I would put a bottle of Techron in as well for good measure.

 

Change the fuel filter. I bet the cleaner broke up stuff in the tank that got pulled into it.

I had something similar happen when I seafoamed an old 4runner.

 

Thanks all for the responses.

I will try to change the fuel filter tomorrow and see if issue is resolved.

But just noticed some fluid leak from underneath the taco. I am SOL.

 

What kind of fluid? Where at

 

Thank you everyone that pitched in. Misfire issue has been resolved.

Ran the tank empty and filled up with supreme, did not resolve issue.

changed the fuel filter and that did not improve my situation. Moved on to changing the spark plugs and that also did not resolve the issue.

finally changed the spark plug wires and car is running normal again.

but now find out i have a leak of some kind.

Looks like engine oil but has no smell and so far does not look like im loosing oil. The droplets seem to be resting at the belly, right at the start of the transmission.

 

Engine oil leaking at the front of the transmission sounds like the rear main seal. Unfortunately that's a pretty big repair since the transmission has to be dropped out to replace the seal.

If it's only a few drops right now, Id suggest trying a high mileage synthetic oil next time you do an oil change. High mileage oil has additives in it that help swell up seals to prevent leaks. Since it sounds like a small one that might help buy you some time with it

 

How do you figure the spark plug wires just decided they wanted changed at this time??

What did the plugs you removed look like??

 

I was slowly working my way towards everything that could cause misfire, soon as I switch them out car ran perfectly fine minus the bad mpg im currently getting.

Heres the plugs.

 

Yeah ill get it lifted over the weekend and try to pinpoint exactly where the fluid is leaking.