Back in 1998, I was working for a company that was developing GDI (gasoline direct injection) fueling systems. My thesis project for engineering undergrad was on a design of experiments to analyze different components of one of these systems, but this was back when their injector design was still pretty rudimentary. One of the flaws of their injector design was excessive carbon buildup around the tip of the injector, which was creating a lot of problems with fuel atomization and hydrocarbon emissions. Someone suggested adding a detergent "cleaner" to alleviate this carbon buildup problem, and after much trial and error the only product that actually kept the carbon buildup down throughout the experiment was Chevron's Techron.
Keep in mind, this was for a GDI system where the injector tip was exposed to the combustion flamefront, so this scenario is a bit different from your typical MPI fueling systems. The Techron product did work for us, but YMMV.
Regards,
Adam Strean
1999 Ford Contour SE V6
