General Information
Over the years I've removed and cleaned more than a few injectors from ATV's, sleds and large outboards, (oddly enough never from an auto tho).
Now with Ariens having their EFI on the market for a few years now, warranties are finishing up, the time is going to come for said owners to want/need to remove and clean the injector themselves over having to pay the expense of a dealer.
I've only seen one pic of the Ariens system, from what I can tell the injector looks just like any other, but I could be wrong. No question I'd like to see more.
I thought I'd post up a few photo's to help aid users with dealing with it themselves. I'm almost positive I have 1 or 2 old injectors kicking around to use for example, but unfortunately I havent found them yet. I may have tossed them.
(I cant find even one so I improvised for clarity).
It's a simple procedure really, easier than deep cleaning a carb IME. Even tho an injector has a filter on the inlet side, they are still prone to sediment from the tank and/or fuel line and gumming up from ugly fuel resulting in the injector putting out a poor/optimum spray.
Here is a typical spray example pic I found.
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The above photo is self explanatory, is it not?
I'll get this started by posting the tools I made up long ago and use along with compressed air and non-chlorinated brake clean.
![]()
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A 12 volt battery source, on occasion I've used 9 volt batteries with success as well.
A couple of small wires, 2 alligator clips for pos & neg battery posts.
A small spring loaded horn button.
2 small spade clips to slip over the injectors terminals.
A tire valve stem with the core removed, drilled capped on top with a spray stem slid thru and sealed.
I came up empty on finding an old injector, so I'm improvising the injector for a 1/4" drive extension...
To start I take the injector and tap the inlet side firmly against my work bench over a clean rag/towel to see if any debris can be found and knocked out. (I placed some loose grains of dirt on the rag for exaggerated effect).
![]()
On the inlet side of the injector there is a very small 'basket' type/style of filter. I have changed them out, but rarely to date as I've found a good cleaning has been sufficient for me in getting a good and even spray. Your results may vary.
Should you decide to remove it, you'll be tossing it due to the damage incurred, so be sure you can get/have a replacement.
There is a removal tool available, but a common wood/metal screw threaded into and catching the inside lip of the filter and pulling it out with pliers works good for me.
At this point, do your cleaning before replacing the filter.
Some internet pics added for relevance...
![]()
Different styles
![]()
An injector cut-away
![]()
Proceeding now I quickly douse the outside of the injector with brake clean, blow it off and place the injector into a rag padded vice. It need not be clamped/squeezed too tight, just snugly enough to hold the injector in place. Hook up my cleaning device to the 2 terminals of the injector. Generally these terminals are not polarity specific (I have seen it once tho), slide the spade connectors over each terminal being very careful not to have them touch/touching each other. They are quite close to each other.
Now hook the other 2 clips to your battery source, these are polarity specific, if wrong, the button switch wont work.
Work the button and you should clearly hear the injector click with each activation of the button.
(Remember, the extension is being used as an improv, so dont do this...)
![]()
Next step...After spraying brake clean to both inlet and exit side I proceed to apply compressed air to the injector starting with the exit side. All the while, when I'm applying the compressed air my thumb is constantly pressing/releasing the red button you see just as fast as I possibly can.
Next more brake clean and a good shot of air to the inlet of the injector while again working the button as fast as you can. Keep an eye for the spray pattern exiting. Gauge the sprays pattern. Do this until you're happy with the results.
![]()
Now, if you're not completely happy with the results you can proceed to use the tire stem method, placing it onto the injectors inlet side. In some cases the O-ring may need to come off to allow the stem to slide onto the injector far enough for it to work as planned. (Do not forget to re-install it).
Once in place, slip the little tip into the nozzel of the brake clean. With button in one hand, start clicking it while activating the nozzle of the brake clean, use short bursts.
Again, look at the spray pattern. A wide and even exit (example pic at the top) is your most optimum. Continue until satisfied.
Now I prefer not to do it, but if you're having difficulty reaching a good spray pattern, hold the button (so injector is open) for a bit longer period while you continue with the brake clean.
![]()
At this point, I'm most always happy with the resulting pattern. In the rare cases I didnt achieve the spray I was happy with I had to remove the filter and run thru the process again.
Once done, curl the kit up, put it in a baggie and hang it up, ready for next use.
![]()
So that's my process/procedure for cleaning a fuel injector. It really is quite simple. If you're capable of dealing with cleaning a carb, cleaning an injector will be a walk in the park.
To add...You're certainly not required to use non-chlorinated brake clean, (it's what I always have on the shelf), there are many others such as carb or injector cleaning spray.
I hope this post will aid you in the future if you decide to take it on yourself.
To Further Add...
Fuel tip. When it comes to fuel, (whether an EFI or carb engine) I highly recommend running an ethanol free fuel if you can. Ethanol free alone will aid in helping keep systems cleaner.
Now you certainly dont have to, (speaking for myself), even with ethanol free, I will still add either SeaFoam or StarTron (I dont mix them) to a tank if it's going to sit for a week or more. I go thru a fair amount and always keep a good supply of them both on hand.
![]()
Now with Ariens having their EFI on the market for a few years now, warranties are finishing up, the time is going to come for said owners to want/need to remove and clean the injector themselves over having to pay the expense of a dealer.
I've only seen one pic of the Ariens system, from what I can tell the injector looks just like any other, but I could be wrong. No question I'd like to see more.
I thought I'd post up a few photo's to help aid users with dealing with it themselves. I'm almost positive I have 1 or 2 old injectors kicking around to use for example, but unfortunately I havent found them yet. I may have tossed them.
(I cant find even one so I improvised for clarity).
It's a simple procedure really, easier than deep cleaning a carb IME. Even tho an injector has a filter on the inlet side, they are still prone to sediment from the tank and/or fuel line and gumming up from ugly fuel resulting in the injector putting out a poor/optimum spray.
Here is a typical spray example pic I found.
The above photo is self explanatory, is it not?
I'll get this started by posting the tools I made up long ago and use along with compressed air and non-chlorinated brake clean.
A 12 volt battery source, on occasion I've used 9 volt batteries with success as well.
A couple of small wires, 2 alligator clips for pos & neg battery posts.
A small spring loaded horn button.
2 small spade clips to slip over the injectors terminals.
A tire valve stem with the core removed, drilled capped on top with a spray stem slid thru and sealed.
I came up empty on finding an old injector, so I'm improvising the injector for a 1/4" drive extension...
To start I take the injector and tap the inlet side firmly against my work bench over a clean rag/towel to see if any debris can be found and knocked out. (I placed some loose grains of dirt on the rag for exaggerated effect).
On the inlet side of the injector there is a very small 'basket' type/style of filter. I have changed them out, but rarely to date as I've found a good cleaning has been sufficient for me in getting a good and even spray. Your results may vary.
Should you decide to remove it, you'll be tossing it due to the damage incurred, so be sure you can get/have a replacement.
There is a removal tool available, but a common wood/metal screw threaded into and catching the inside lip of the filter and pulling it out with pliers works good for me.
At this point, do your cleaning before replacing the filter.
Some internet pics added for relevance...
Different styles
An injector cut-away
Proceeding now I quickly douse the outside of the injector with brake clean, blow it off and place the injector into a rag padded vice. It need not be clamped/squeezed too tight, just snugly enough to hold the injector in place. Hook up my cleaning device to the 2 terminals of the injector. Generally these terminals are not polarity specific (I have seen it once tho), slide the spade connectors over each terminal being very careful not to have them touch/touching each other. They are quite close to each other.
Now hook the other 2 clips to your battery source, these are polarity specific, if wrong, the button switch wont work.
Work the button and you should clearly hear the injector click with each activation of the button.
(Remember, the extension is being used as an improv, so dont do this...)
Next step...After spraying brake clean to both inlet and exit side I proceed to apply compressed air to the injector starting with the exit side. All the while, when I'm applying the compressed air my thumb is constantly pressing/releasing the red button you see just as fast as I possibly can.
Next more brake clean and a good shot of air to the inlet of the injector while again working the button as fast as you can. Keep an eye for the spray pattern exiting. Gauge the sprays pattern. Do this until you're happy with the results.
Now, if you're not completely happy with the results you can proceed to use the tire stem method, placing it onto the injectors inlet side. In some cases the O-ring may need to come off to allow the stem to slide onto the injector far enough for it to work as planned. (Do not forget to re-install it).
Once in place, slip the little tip into the nozzel of the brake clean. With button in one hand, start clicking it while activating the nozzle of the brake clean, use short bursts.
Again, look at the spray pattern. A wide and even exit (example pic at the top) is your most optimum. Continue until satisfied.
Now I prefer not to do it, but if you're having difficulty reaching a good spray pattern, hold the button (so injector is open) for a bit longer period while you continue with the brake clean.
At this point, I'm most always happy with the resulting pattern. In the rare cases I didnt achieve the spray I was happy with I had to remove the filter and run thru the process again.
Once done, curl the kit up, put it in a baggie and hang it up, ready for next use.
So that's my process/procedure for cleaning a fuel injector. It really is quite simple. If you're capable of dealing with cleaning a carb, cleaning an injector will be a walk in the park.
To add...You're certainly not required to use non-chlorinated brake clean, (it's what I always have on the shelf), there are many others such as carb or injector cleaning spray.
I hope this post will aid you in the future if you decide to take it on yourself.
To Further Add...
Fuel tip. When it comes to fuel, (whether an EFI or carb engine) I highly recommend running an ethanol free fuel if you can. Ethanol free alone will aid in helping keep systems cleaner.
Now you certainly dont have to, (speaking for myself), even with ethanol free, I will still add either SeaFoam or StarTron (I dont mix them) to a tank if it's going to sit for a week or more. I go thru a fair amount and always keep a good supply of them both on hand.
