What is an induction service? Or Why do I need an induction service are questions we field daily. Simply it is a service that cleans carbon and sludge build up from the throttle body to the piston rings and everything in between. Why is this critical? Well lets step back with a little history… In the 1990’s Port fuel injection was doing some amazing things! It was a fairly simple system that produced way better performance and efficiency than TBI or carburetors. It was also very forgiving. Higher emission standards and injectors ports not super small you could get by. Fast forward to the 2010’s and things change. Demand for better economy without sacrificing performance brought on new advances. Enter direct injection and low tension piston rings. The results are astounding with 20-30% more power with an increase of 10-15% increase in fuel economy. How you ask? The finer the fuel mist the more efficient the burn. Direct injection runs at a higher pressure through smaller ports to inject less fuel but it atomizes better. Same boom less fuel so to speak. The piston rings are not a sexy sales pitch so less is known about this advancement by the consumer. But this is a real game changer. Friction is the enemy of all internal combustion engines. 40-50% of the energy produced works to control friction. Of that percentage half is the rings. Reduce tension and you reduce friction. In the 1970-1980’s ring tension was not uncommon to be 30lbs. A 2015 Ford 5.0 engine spec is 6-12. This is great but what does that have to do with an induction service??
Along with less tension and smaller physical size small amounts of gum and varnish make bigger impact. Port fuel sprayed in the intake and used the head and valve temperature to help atomize fuel. That fuel also helped clean the valve. Direct injection is already atomized and goes, as the name implies, directly in the combustion chamber. Nothing to slow the valve build up there now. The results at 40K miles we have sticky rings and dirty valves. Combustion blow-by increases as compression decreases saturating the crank case oil and lowering performance. Left alone major engine and valve damage can occur.
All of this can be avoided and sometimes reversed with regular induction services. Every 25-30K miles is a good average to maintain clean rings and valves. Keeps the injectors clean and top performance with great economy. Use the social share buttons to share and educate your friends and family on how to better take care of the second biggest purchase of their life!