How long do fuel injectors last?

Fuel injection has been one of the biggest innovations in automotive history. The move from carburetors to fuel injectors may have put off some purists and tinkers, but this technology added a tremendous degree of reliability to cars and trucks everywhere.

As with most things related to your car, reliability increases with regular care and maintenance. Your fuel injectors are designed to last a long time, but they can have issues, especially if regular maintenance doesn’t get done. 

The good news is that it doesn’t require too much effort to keep your fuel injectors in good shape. That’s especially true if you choose high-quality fuel injectors. Take good care of them, and they will take good care of you.

What do fuel injectors do?

Fuel injectors do exactly what their name says. They inject fuel into the cylinders of your car’s engine to be ignited as part of the internal combustion process. There is one injector for each cylinder of your vehicle.

Your car’s fuel pump moves the fuel from the gas tank through the fuel lines to the injectors. The injectors partially atomize the liquid fuel into a spray that they send into the cylinders. Your car’s computer system tells the injectors how much fuel to spray, depending on how much is needed. They will spray more fuel over a longer burst when you accelerate, and less while the engine is idling.

What makes fuel injectors fail?

For your injectors to work properly, they have to be structurally sound as well as clean and clear of any fuel deposits. If an injector gets cracked, damaged, or clogged, it will misfire or not function at all. This leads to significant problems with your car’s performance. Without the right amount and timing of fuel injection, the cylinders can’t fire properly. If the injection system gets bad enough, your engine will stop working, which could lead to damage beyond the fuel injection system.

What are the warning signs of bad fuel injectors?

It’s a good idea to have your fuel injectors looked at every once in a while to see if there is any damage or if they need cleaning. Check out the manufacturer’s recommendations for the timing and frequency of injector cleaning and care.

In the meantime, there are things you should know that will tell you if there is anything wrong with your fuel injectors. These warning signs will help you catch any issues as they arise without allowing them to linger long enough to grow into bigger issues.

• Rough idling or slow starting are signs that the engine isn’t firing properly and that the injectors could have issues.
• If your engine is running at lower-than-normal RPMs, you should have the injectors looked at. It’s a good indication that your engine isn’t getting the power it needs, which could be due to issues with the fuel injection system.
• If you notice your fuel efficiency getting worse, that is a real sign that there are problems with the fuel injectors. When they are working as they should, your fuel efficiency should be near the top performance that you can expect. Fuel efficiency really suffers when there are problems with the injectors.
• Another warning sign is the smell of fuel around your car. When the cylinders aren’t getting enough fuel due to a clogged or damaged injector, the computer will send more fuel, which can add to the leak or buildup in the problem area.

How to get more out of your fuel injectors

On top of having your injectors looked at and cleaned as advised by the manufacturer, there are steps you can take on a regular basis to help keep them functioning at their best. You can keep an eye on your fuel efficiency and engine performance so you see warning signs of bad injectors right away as mentioned here.

Another thing you can do is add fuel cleaner to your tank. You don’t need to do it every time you fill up, but doing it on a regular basis will help keep your fuel system clean. This will help prevent buildup of fuel impurities in the injectors and in the fuel system as a whole.

How to choose fuel injectors that will last

When it comes to purchasing fuel injectors, there are a lot of options out there to choose from. Opting for high-quality injectors will help you get more from the injectors and from your car’s performance.

The answer to how long fuel injectors last depends on a number of factors like the care put into your vehicle. It also depends on the quality of fuel injectors you choose. Shop Dieselogic for the right fuel injectors for you.