Is It Time To Replace Your Fuel Injector?

Is It Time To Replace Your Fuel Injector?

The performance of your car will suffer, when there is a problem with the fuel injector. The fuel injector takes the fuel from the fuel pump and supplies it to the combustion chamber. When the injector is activated, the valve opens, allowing a fine mist of fuel to enter the combustion chamber. The fuel pump determines the air-fuel mixture ratio and pressurizes the fuel accordingly. If there is a problem with the fuel injector, sufficient fuel may not be available for the engine. Also, the fuel injector may allow more than the required amount of fuel, forcing your engine to be extra full with oil.

Unless you manually tweak your car on your own, finding a problem with the fuel injector is troublesome. You need to understand the internal working mechanism to certainly determine whether the fuel injector needs to be replaced. However, there are a few telltale signs that may indicate problems with the fuel injection.

Starting troubles

If your car is filled with gas and your engine constantly creates trouble, while starting the car in normal temperature conditions, it indicates some problem with the fuel delivery. You may have to start the car a few times to get it running. The ignition may not turn on immediately and you have to turn it off and on repeatedly to see if it works. Car stalling is another common indication that the stock injector has to be replaced.

Poor fuel consumption

When the fuel injectors fail totally, your car may not start at all. However, sometimes, the fuel injector may become faulty and you may not notice it. Poor fuel consumption is a classic indication of problems with fuel injection. When the fuel injector doesn’t work properly, the Engine Control Unit (ECU) may compute wrong results and it can end up with a rich fuel mixture. As a result, more fuel will be consumed to operate your car. You will notice that the car covers fewer miles per gallon of gas. If the average fuel consumption reduces, it is time to check the fuel injector.

Fuel leak

You can also determine problems with fuel injection based on how well your car works, when you push the accelerator. If your car stutters or experiences power loss while stepping on the gas, it indicates problems with fuel delivery. Faulty injector can also result in fuel leaks. You may notice this at the injector seal or surrounding the injector. Sometimes, you may even smell gas inside your car. Any case of fuel leak must be addressed immediately to ensure your safety while driving the car.

If you haven’t made modifications to your car, you may not be required to change the stock injector. A simple cleaning service may be required to remove the gunk accumulated in the injector affecting its performance. Only an experienced professional can determine whether your car needs actual fuel injector replacement. The professionals will inspect the current injector and analyze the performance to calculate fuel efficiency. This will help you to run your car in perfect condition at all times.