Common
Fuel Injector Problems & How to Fix Them
Symptoms Of Bad Fuel Injector
When the fuel injector is bad that means the engine
will not get enough fuel in it. This will affect the combustion process and
cause the engine to misfire amid other problems that relate to the smooth
performance of the vehicle. Common problems include stalling after you have
pressed the accelerator, struggling to accelerate and poor fuel economy. Most
of these problems occur due to inadequate air to fuel ratio. Also, any delay
could lead to overheating and the engine could stall.
What Happens When Fuel Injectors Go Bad?
Rough
Idling
Idling is caused by an inadequate supply of fuel
into the engine. Also, the vehicle's revolution
per minute (RMP) will fall below the best level when it is idling. This, in
turn, causes the vehicle to do convulsive or rough idling. And the engine could
turn off if the RMP falls more than necessary.
Engine
Vibration
It is the fuel that is sprayed into the engine from
the injectors that is used for combustion. When the engine is denied fuel
because an injector is going bad on one side, the matching cylinder will not
fire. And the result will be continuous interruption or vibration of the engine
when you are driving.
Vibration is a fuel injector problem symptom that
corresponds to other engine problems You may need to run more checks to confirm
that it is truly the injector that is causing the vibration.
Fuel
Leak
Old age can make the injector have a fault, hole or
be damaged. When this occurs oil will leak from the injector's body. Oil could
also leak if there is a damaged seal which will deteriorate as time goes on.
When you examine the injector visually you will see traces of fuel on the
surface of the injector or the fuel rail.
Smell
Of Fuel
Because fuel is leaking from the injector you will
perceive fuel odor due either to the leak in the seal or in the injector. This
is occurring because fuel is not burning properly as the injector is
malfunctioning. Another thing that could cause fuel smell is a bad sensor or
fuel line.
Failed
Emissions Test
The fuel injector problems symptoms could occur when
there is too much emission due to incomplete burning of fuel or irregular
burning of fuel. This happens when the air to fuel ratio is tilted to one side
making it too rich that it could burn the catalytic converter.
Solutions
For Bad Fuel Injector Problems
Most fuel injector problems happen because they are
not cleaned regularly. To prevent any form of blockage, clean it whenever you
cover 30, 000 miles. Also, you can get a bottle of fuel injector cleaner for
less than $15, while a professional mechanic may charge you between $50 to $100
to clean a very dirty injector.
Furthermore, you should be happy to learn that
cleaning is the cure for most bad fuel injector problems. Another thing you
could do is to change the O-rings if it has developed a leak. And, finally, the
worst-case scenario is to replace the bad fuel injectors which could cost you
between $800 to $1,500 depending on the type of vehicle.
How
Long Does It Take to Replace Fuel Injectors?
Each time you crank the ignition and run your vehicle;
you use the fuel injector to provide the engine with the fuel it needs to
perform its work. So, the fuel injectors will last between 50,000 and 100,000
miles.
Can
A Bad Fuel Injector Damage the Engine?
Yes, a bad fuel injector can damage your engine so
badly that the vehicle cannot run again until it is fixed. Normally before a
bad fuel injector would cause damage to your vehicle engine it would give you
so many signs and symptoms like the one, we have discussed above.
So do take some time to observe all the sign and so
you know what is triggering a specific problem.
Usually, a bad fuel injector on an old-model vehicle
will show signs that will cause a cylinder misfire. This is caused because with
newer fuel-injected structures, the injectors work in sequence, so if when the vehicle
engine misses a dose of fuel, it won't run smoothly and may suffer damage over
time.
It's less of a problem in older vehicles working
with simultaneous injection systems. And that is because good fuel injectors
can sometimes compensate for weaker injectors, allowing the engine to recover
its sequence more quickly.