Fuel Injector Problems

In the late 1980s, car companies started coming up with a new, perhaps more fuel efficient technology than the carburetor. No one had disputed the technology of carburetors, but with the increase in gas prices, the inventors got thinking. Can we invent a technology to supply the engine with fuel, but one which can be more fuel-efficient?

And along came the fuel injector. At times, the working of the carburetor caused more fuel to be supplied to the engine than required and causing a waste of fuel. Fuel injectors are computerized devices that made sure that just the right amount of fuel entered the engine. Simply put, fuel injectors would spray the right amount of fuel in at regular intervals so that no more fuel than required would be consumed.

While all this sounds great, even the fuel injector is not free from its share of problems. But before we get to diagnosing fuel injector problems, we first need to identify that there is some problem in the fuel injector itself. The symptoms of fuel injector problems are given below along with the other fuel injector pump problems.

Fuel Injector Problems and Symptoms

1. Many of the fuel injector problems are centered around the dirty fuel injector. If a fuel injector is dirty i.e. the injector is clogged, the fuel spraying into the engine is going to be restricted. Hence if the fuel injector is dirty you are going to face problems while starting and accelerating because these are the times when your engine is going to need more fuel and the fuel injector is not going to be able to supply it because of the clogging. A dirty fuel injector may also cause problems such as poor fuel economy as in an effort to spray the fuel, it might end up spraying more than required.
2. If there is a body or mechanical leak there, it will again result in poor engine performance. This is due to the fuel not being properly supplied to the engine. Depending on the place where there is a leak, there are also chances of a fuel fire.
3. Sometimes, it may happen that the external electrical connectors of the fuel injector may get corroded or may even break. This is the symptom of a no, weak or intermittent firing. It may again lead to poor engine performance and poor mileage again.
4. If you have a leaky fuel injector, that is probably because the injector pintle is not sitting on the orifice perfectly. This may cause difficulties in starting the car and in some cases may cause damage to the oxygen sensors.
5. Sometimes, the fuel additives remain unburnt and settle on the injector pintle. This may alter flow volume and fuel spraying pattern. This too will result in poor engine performance, a sluggish pickup and oxygen sensor damage. In some cases, it may also result in leaking of the fuel injector and engine overheating.
6. There may also be a hazard caused if there is residual pressure after the engine has been shut off. This residual pressure exists because of high fuel pressures that are used in the inherent function of the fuel injector. This problem can be relieved by external bleed off.
7. Other petrol and diesel fuel injector problems include high price and complicated technology. Fuel injector troubleshooting and diagnosing can be relatively difficult.

This was an overview of some of the general problems that the user of a fuel injector may face. This article is not intended to criticize the idea of fuel injectors but merely to forewarn you about fuel injector problems.