Direct Injected Gas Engines More Susceptible to Efficiency-Robbing Carbon Buildup

Direct Injected Gas Engines More Susceptible to Efficiency-Robbing Carbon Buildup

That's The Word From Shell, Which Says It Just Happens To Have A Cure

Gunk on intake valves, pistons,spark plugs and other engine parts long has been a problem, particularly when consumers pump lower-quality gasoline that lacks the detergents to dissolve carbon deposits.

The problem will become more pronounced with the anticipated proliferation of direct-injected gas engines, which subject fuel to higher temperatures and use much smaller - and easier to clog - injector nozzles.

Shell Oil Products U.S. says its got the answer with the nitrogen-enriched gasoline it began selling today across all three of its fuel grades.The marketing hook for Shell Nitrogen Enriched Gasoline is a familiar one - a gunk-free engine is a happy engine.  

And, by extension, Shell crows, vehicle owners who buy its new blends will also be smiling because their car engines will be more fuel efficient and will last longer.

Regardless of where you pump your gasoline, or whose blend you prefer, Jens Mueller-Belau (Shell's fuels portfolio and category manager for North America) made a solid point during today's online media conference.

Direct-injected engines (such as Ford's Ecoboost) claim 10% to 15% better fuel economy when everything is working as it should.

So gunk will continue to be a problem given that direct fuel injection systems involve dramatically higher temperatures, which help form carbon deposits, along with direct-injector tips that will be, as Mueller-Belau noted, "the diameter of a human hair."

Mueller-Belau referred to a Wall Street Journal article that showed the number of direct injected gas engines growing from about 585,000 to an estimated 5.1 million by 2014.

Greg Johnson, Contributor

John O'Dell:  is an AutoObserver Senior Editor. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter.