There have been reports that dirty diesel can have such an adverse effect that it can damage injectors or actually destroy an engine, costing the owner thousands of dollars.
Diesel engines work by squirting high-pressure diesel into the engine's cylinders, where it mixes with air and is ignited by a spark plug. These engines need to have plenty of fuel in order to keep running. Running out of diesel will ruin your injectors, so you'd better get some more before that happens!
Low fuel quality
All impurities, solid particles, and water in diesel fuel damage these precision injector elements. They damage the injector surface by erosion and corrosion. Paraffin crystallizing in poor quality fuel can also lead to an injection system failure. Simply put, the injectors will clog.
The best way to clean fuel injectors on a regular basis is to use a diesel fuel cleaner additive. This can be added to the fuel tank periodically to cycle through your engine. If done regularly, maybe once or twice a month, it can keep gunk and debris from building up in your fuel injection system.
The Importance of Cleaning Diesel Injectors
If the fuel injectors have deposits, it's important to clean them to restore engine performance back to the way it was.
Ideally, you should thoroughly deep-clean your car's diesel injectors at least once a year or every 30,000 miles. Keep in mind that more frequent cleaning may be necessary if you drive in harsh weather conditions. Another option is to keep the injectors clean by pouring additives in with the fuel.
The average lifespan of a diesel fuel injector is around 100,000 miles. A typical fuel injector has two basic parts: the nozzle and the injector body. If either of these components gets clogged or damaged, it will compromise the entire performance of the vehicle.
Fuel injectors typically fail due to a buildup of contaminants such as carbon. Carbon build-up can cause a clogged or partially clogged injector, preventing the injector from closing all the way. This results in a drip that creates a misfire.
Just 0.4 percent coolant containing glycol in diesel engine oil is enough to coagulate soot and cause a dump-out condition leading to sludge, deposits, oil flow restrictions and filter blockage. According to one study, glycol contamination results in wear rates 10 times greater than water contamination alone.
This provides for maximum power and economy from the engine. Diesel Injector Cleaner conditions the diesel fuel improving its combustion quality which provides for power and economy increases. It can improve fuel economy by up to 2.5%.
Engine knock results from the miss-timing of the combustion process between the injector firing and piston movement, resulting in a knocking sound from the engine. This symptom indicates that more components than just the injector are now involved.
When a fuel injector is clogged, it needs a concentrated cleaning to resolve the problem. This can be done by a qualified mechanic, or if you know your way around the inside of an engine, you can do it yourself. To start, invest in a fuel injector cleaning kit.
Your engine fuel injectors can collect grime, dirt, and soot leading to an air-fuel mixture imbalance for your car. When this happens, you may notice poor performance, rough idling, and inconsistent gas mileage over time.
If your vehicle is revving inconsistently or your RPM gauge is up and down, this may be a sign your fuel injector needs a clean. A contaminated fuel injection system or worn fuel injector can often supply inconsistent amounts of fuel to the engine, resulting in poor performance. Misfiring.
"Fuel injectors have an atomizing nozzle that distributes fuel evenly for optimal combustion and efficiency." Now, a vehicle will typically have one fuel injector per cylinder, with a lifespan of between 50,000 and 100,000 miles, or about 80,000 and 160,000 kilometers.
While the engine runs, put the tip of a long metal screwdriver against one of the fuel injectors. Lean in and put your ear on the handle of the screwdriver. A clicking sound indicates a good injector. If you don't hear anything, the injector may need to be cleaned or replaced.
Getting your fuel injectors replaced is part of maintaining your vehicle. The cost of a replacement includes parts and labor. The labor can cost between $200 and $300, while the cost of the parts will vary from $150 to $600.
Although fuel injectors are individual, they are designed to work as part of a team with the other injectors. So, if you're wondering if you can replace just one injector or all, the answer is almost always to replace them all.
Royal Purple recommends adding a bottle of the Max Atomizer Fuel Injector Cleaner to your gas tank every time you fill it up, but suggests using a bottle every 3,000 miles at the bare minimum.
Common causes of injector failure
While many things can cause breakdowns, the most likely cause of premature failure is fuel contamination. Fuel contamination occurs when debris in the fuel gets past the filtration, destroying the sealing surfaces. Think microns, smaller than a human's hair-sized, clearances.
Although most fuel injector cleaners begin working immediately, it takes time before the improvements become noticeable. Before the cleaners start working effectively, the vehicle should travel several hundred miles and burn a good portion of a full fuel tank.