The Engine Misfires
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.
"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.
You'll need to get a cleaning product specifically designed for your type of engine. Do you want a fuel system cleaner or a fuel injector cleaner? Again, fuel system cleaners are typically stronger since they need to clean all parts of the system, but fuel injector cleaners are usually cheaper.
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.
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.
The customer can look out for a deeper, gravely engine sound, engine chugging, the whole vehicle might have a slight shake or vibration.
Rough Idle
If your car's idle noise has changed and feels rougher, the fuel injectors may not be delivering fuel as they should. As with misfiring, this is normally down to the injector nozzles being clogged with particles, which interfere with the atomisation and spray of the fuel.
A damaged fuel injector will not only causes issues with driving, but the effects will persist even as the engine idles. Instead of a smooth engine idle, it will be rough and irregular when the fuel supply is abrupt. Reduced fuel efficiency is another signal of a damaged fuel injector.
Yes! When used regularly, fuel system cleaners can help work to remove harmful deposits and keep new ones from forming. They are especially important for engines running on gasoline containing Ethanol and fuel-injected engines.
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.
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.
Generally, replacing fuel injectors can cost anywhere from $800 to $1500 depending on the repairs and labor costs. New fuel injector parts can cost anywhere between $600-$1200. To that, expect to pay about $200-$250 in labor charges. However, note that you don't always need to replace the fuel injector.
On average, you can expect to pay between $350 and $850 to replace your fuel injectors. The range of costs depends on a number of factors. Smaller vehicles with fewer cylinders requiring less expensive parts will come in at the lower end of the spectrum. Larger, high-performance engines will command a higher price tag.
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.
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.
Fuel Doctor is Australia's Best Injector Cleaner and Fuel System Cleaner. Initially engineered in 1994 as an industrial fuel tank cleaner it has decades of proven performance.
Generally, we recommend that you clean your injectors every 15,000 miles. However, you could undoubtedly do it less frequently: about every 30,00 miles or once a year. You may also want to be careful about the gas you put into the vehicle and always check its quality beforehand.
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.