Does Your Vehicle's Fuel Injector Need Repair? Look For These Signs

The purpose of your fuel injector is to allow a specific amount of fuel to go into the engine for the combustion process. If this part becomes damaged, your engine will not get the fuel it needs in order for your vehicle to run properly. Here are some signs that you have a bad fuel injector that needs repair or replacement. 

Fuel Leaks

The fuel injector has several places where it can leak fuel. This includes the rings around the values where fuel enters and exits the fuel injector, the body of the fuel injector, and the nozzle. If the leak is coming from the body or the o-rings, it will cause fuel to leak out of your vehicle and pool on the ground underneath where the engine is located. If you notice some sort of fluid leak in this area, it may be due to the fuel injector. 

Engine Light

There are several error codes that a bad fuel injector can produce that will trigger the service engine light, but some of them can help narrow down the problem to the fuel injector. For example, a rich fuel conditions error code could indicate that the nozzle is leaking fuel into the engine unintentionally. If the leak is coming from the body or o-ring, then you'll get an error code for lean fuel conditions. Thankfully, a mechanic can help read these codes and interpret them for you. 

Reduced Gas Mileage 

Losing fuel or injecting too much fuel is going to cause that gasoline to be wasted. This will result in your vehicle having reduced gas mileage as a result. It may not be very obvious at first, but it's something that you'll notice as the leak gets worse over time. 

Poor Performance

Your engine is going to perform the best when it has the optimal air and fuel ratios in the engine. Anything that disrupts that ratio is going to cause your vehicle to perform poorly. Your vehicle may have a rough idle when you are at a red light or stop sign, with your driver's seat feeling like you have a massage chair due to the vibrations.

Emissions Test Failure

If you are required to get an emissions test to drive your vehicle, it's possible that a bad fuel injector will cause your vehicle to fail the test. This will happen if unburned fuel is going through the engine, which creates unsafe fumes that exit through the tailpipe. 

For more information about auto repair, contact a local auto shop.

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