Anyone have experience with the 'OTC 7448A Fuel Injection Cleaner' tool?

This thing is purpose-built to connect directly to the fuel rail (or just at the damper with an adapter) where it bypasses the fuel system and delivers fuel injector solvent under pressure, either their propriety brew, Inject-R-Kleen, or any similar product; eg: BG FIS, Chevron Techron, etc. (BG offers a similar device: the "VIA".)
The thing requires an air compressor to work. You hook-up shop air to the canister and dial-in the rail pressure for your vehicle. You then disable your fuel pump. fill the canister with solvent and hook up the delivery hose to your car's fuel rail via a quick-connect adapter. Open the valve, start the engine, and let it run until the canister is emptied (indicated by a stalled engine). Repeat with another can, or schedule another session twice a year or so. Cool huh?

I'm not a fan of gas-additive fuel injector cleaners, nor am I keen on the onerous chore of removing each injector for direct cleaning. At just over a measly hundred bucks for the 7448A (plus another twenty or so for the adapter), this seems like a reasonable regular maintenance tool for the home shop.

Anyone care to vouch for the 'OTC 7448A' tool?

 

So what part of the fuel injector is it that you are looking to clean? The internals of the fuel injectors are constantly being cleaned by fresh clean fuel at operating pressure.

Using a tool like this will only spray solvent into the intake port and combustion chamber. if you have ever taken one of these engines apart you will see that the area that the fuel spray hits is usually very clean. If you are looking to remove varnish or sludge from the outside of the injectors it is a more common practice to use a vacuum port injected cleaner, best option is to remove the intake manifold and clean everything in a parts cleaner.

 

I track with your points.

"Using a tool like this will only spray solvent into the intake port and combustion chamber".
Tools such as the OTC 7448A, Mityvac MV5567, et.al, might be more useful in port-injected heads rather than those with direct-injection, but only marginally (for the reason you mention) in that solvent contacts the back of the intake valve, immediate plenum area around the valve, and the valve seat. But I'm fairly certain no Accord model years were built with port-injection.

"...a more common practice to use a vacuum port injected cleaner."
I'm with you on this. BG offers the 'Vehicle Injection Apparatus', a product that injects solvent into the intake plenum at the throttle body or the pvc port as well as through the fuel rail. The BG "VIA" seems the better tool investment in its class. Problem is, I can't find the thing.

"...best option is to remove the intake manifold and clean everything in a parts cleaner."
Absolutely. But this is an onerous, hours-long chore, and not what one would reasonably consider routine maintenance. This fact is one of the reasons fuel/air injected cleaner systems exist.

 

from 1989 to 2017 all Accords were port-injected.

anything to slowly meter the cleaner into the manifold (while running) usually works fine. I've had success just dripping it into the brake booster hose, but an unsteady hand can be disastrous so I don't recommend that method.
Timing belts are routine maintenance. Lifting the upper half of the manifold (required) to replace spark plugs on V6 models is also routine. a "parts cleaner" could be a $10 Rubbermaid container and a gallon of de-greaser concentrate.

maybe true, but also they exist because they make money... even if they don't work. I'm not suggesting they do or don't work, but if they don't, there is plenty of "placebo" effect to convince the buying public that they do.

 

Bang goes the dynamite!

These injector cleaners and fuel additives for cleaning injectors and intakes are snake oil for these gen Accords. You may not consider it routine maintenance when the car was 4 years old, but you look now and see how many people are asking about EGR and throttle body cleaning........ a lot!

Fuel injector cleaner will not fix a clogged EGR port or a gummed up IAT sensor. What you consider "Not routine maintenance" on a new engine, you have to look into if you are running a 20 year old Accord. The only way to clean out 20 years of oil and carbon is to take it apart and scrub it!

 

Gentlemen...
I genuinely appreciate your sober responses to my post. Before we go off the rails on this thread I began, let me reiterate unequivocally that I have no partiality for chemical treatments. I made certain to say as much in my initial post. You both seem to have missed the nuance of my question.

And that is, more plainly:
"I'm suspicious of the claims of this product OTC 7448A (also BG VIA; Mityvac MV5565; et al.). Can anyone with experience using it on a routine basis vouch for its efficacy and change my suspicious mind?"

 

thanks for the clarification. I don't bother with this kind of product. like Ghost suggested, removal and cleaning the "old fashioned way" is my method of choice. I would want to visually verify my results either way. I could buy a borescope (and I probably should) to fish down into the engine before and after a treatment, but i'd rather just take things apart and give them a good scrub. i have all the tools for that already.

However, for you and others still in search of real answers, I think ChrisFix and Project Farm channels on youtube have done some testing with decent scientific rigor. take a look and see if you agree with their results.

 

OK. that product is completely useless, it's a POS, don't waste your time. I tried it and it sucks VTEC A$$!

and the cleaner that I referred you to is not a "gas-additive fuel injector cleaner" it is a direct intake cleaner!