The fuel injectors on your car will typically last between 50,000 and 100,000 miles. The length of time that the injector lasts has a lot to do with the type of gas that is used in the car and how often the various fuel filters are changed.
"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.
Replacement Schedule for Injectors
In normal driving conditions, the Fuel Injectors should be changed every 50-100k miles.
DAMAGE TO INJECTION SYSTEM COMPONENTS
Components of the fuel injection system themselves can experience structural damage. The internal seals in the fuel injection system can wear down over time and start to leak. The return spring can also wear out, or the pintle can get damaged.
Replacing them all at once prevents you from having to get into your engine each time one fails, as well as stopping the headaches caused by multiple failures. You might even have multiple injectors fail at once, making more sense to just replace them all.
Severe clogging may mean they need to be replaced anyway. Costs – cleaning fuel injectors is cheaper than replacing them. However, cleaning may not solve the problem if they are severely damaged, and you may have spent unnecessary money cleaning them up when they actually need to be replaced.
If you have one or more faulty fuel injectors — due to wear or mechanical or electrical issues, driving for a long time can cause several problems: Stalling or failure for your car to start. Flooding of your engine. Pre-ignition of your fuel.
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.
As mentioned, the average cost of fuel injector replacement can vary depending on several factors, such as the make and model of your vehicle, the severity of the issue, and your location. However, on average, you can expect to spend anywhere from $500 to $2,500 for this fuel injector replacement.
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.
Is it worth adding to your gas tank? In short, when used regularly, fuel cleaners work. They can help remove harmful deposits, prevent new deposits from forming, and enhance vehicle performance. Fuel additives can improve gas mileage, reduce long-term maintenance costs, and they're affordable.
With your fuel injectors safely removed, you can now clean them individually. Using a soft-bristled brush, you can apply your carburetor cleaner to the outside. Use a fuel injector jumper in order to open up the fuel injector, then spray your cleaner through each side of the fuel injector.
One of the obvious symptoms of a clogged fuel injector is the lighting up of the "Check Engine" light in your dashboard. The fault codes usually associated with a clogged fuel injector can range from misfire codes to lean codes.
An abrupt loss of engine power is a somewhat obvious sign of a fuel injector failure. If the fuel injector is clogged, the fuel supply will be irregular too. When the fuel level fluctuates drastically, the high and low rpm's will cause the engine to move in surges rather than slow and gradual movements.
Fuel injectors become clogged due to hydrocarbons, sediment and other elements in the fuel. Most fuels contain ethanol. Ethanol is hygroscopic thus drawing moisture from the air into the fuel. The water in the fuel cause internal components to rust.
Dirty fuel injectors may cause your vehicle's engine to misfire. This problem makes the motor feel as though it is sputtering — sending vibrations through the car. Such misfires can happen when a fuel injector problem mixes up the delicate balance between fuel and air entering the engine.
Replacing a fuel injector seems like a daunting project, but with a little skill you can do the job yourself and save serious money. Shops charge a huge amount for fuel injection work. If you know that you have a bad injector, the job can be done at home.
Yes, it's true that replacing old, worn fuel injectors is an easy way to improve an engine's efficiency. If you have an older vehicle with a set of worn fuel injectors, replacing them will help your engine run like new. You may even notice that your vehicle accelerates better.
Not just are large sums invested into developing a quality product, the advanced machinery required to manufacture quality fuel injectors are not cheap either. As such, inferior manufacturers are not able to achieve the same precision and quality in their cheap fuel injectors.
While the price varies for every vehicle, the bad news is that in all cases, it's expensive. New fuel injectors range from several hundred dollars for basic vehicles up to over $1,000 for high-end vehicles and performance vehicles that require high fuel delivery rates.
Although fuel injectors are an important maintenance service for your vehicle, they are a relatively affordable service that most people can add to a standard oil change. The average cost of a fuel injection service ranges between $50 and $80 dollars depending on the model and make of a vehicle.