Clogged Fuel Injector Symptoms

While it is important to clean the fuel injectors on our vehicles to keep them running smoothly, how exactly can we tell if they need cleaning in the first place? I can definitely understand that for a non-mechanics savvy individual, it can be quite the task to try to analyze and diagnose the health of an engine and notice clogged fuel injector symptoms.

So, in this article, I’ll try my best to help you understand how the various symptoms from dirty injectors present themselves and how you can learn to notice them in a timely manner.

Before we get into the details, it’s important to note that there is no sure way to know the exact health of your injectors, save for manually checking the injector nozzles and running some fuel flow tests.

However, when it comes to fuel injector clogging, it is not a case of IF, it is a case of WHEN.

Meaning, that sooner or later the fuel injectors on your fuel injected engine will get dirty and will get clogged to some extent. This is especially true for machines that regularly operate for short periods of time (like driving short distances in the city, or using farm equipment) as multiple engine ignitions and shut offs will exacerbate the clogging. It’s just one of those unavoidable things that comes with the territory of operating modern, fuel injected engines. Unless of-course you make sure to maintain your vehicle properly.

Even though we can’t be absolutely sure if there’s a problem without doing manual tests, there are some clogged fuel injector symptoms we can notice.

Fuel injectors have the important job of dispersing fuel into the engine at the exact angle and quantity needed for the engine to operate optimally.  And because there are several fuel injector nozzles that must evenly disperse the fuel, it only takes one dirty nozzle to influence engine performance. (And to just make a note here: do not exchange only one injector if that’s the only one giving you trouble. Injectors work in tandem and because of that, if you decide to buy new ones, you have to replace the entire set or you may still have issues!)

Despite the issues dirty injectors can cause, early symptoms aren’t always noticeable because modern engines have internal sensors and computers that can adjust the fuel mixture to compensate for minor errors. That can cause the beginning phases of clogging to go unnoticed.

When the clogging gets too severe for the engine computer to adjust to, the engine starts to suffer from the following problems:

• Engine stutter, hesitation, stumbling – without the proper air/fuel mixture, the combustion inside the cylinders is impeded (Click on the link to watch a youtube video sample and hear the issue as it appears while driving.
• Engine misfire – poor air/fuel mixture in the cylinders can cause an incomplete combustion event.  The cylinder can miss a stroke, causing immediate engine power loss and a noticeable sound effect. When this becomes severe enough, the driver will feel a jerking action from the engine and/or powertrain.
• Performance loss – the engine needs sufficient fuel for a proper, strong combustion. If combustion is impeded, engine power suffers.
• Rough idling/engine stalling – uneven supply of fuel during idling can cause RPM to fall too low and result in stalling.
• Failing emission tests – the drop in fuel combustion efficiency causes incomplete or uneven fuel burn, increasing emissions.
• Increased Fuel consumption – when fuel combustion efficiency is negatively affected, you will often need to burn more fuel to achieve the desired levels of performance.

When you notice any of these symptoms with any of your vehicles or other mechanical equipment using fuel injected engines, it’s definitely a good idea to look into some injector cleaning products. However, once again it pays to emphasize the value of prevention. Proper maintenance schedule that includes regular use of injector cleaners (either liquid additives or manual cleaning kits) can go a long way in keeping your vehicles operating smoothly and reducing any repair bills down the road.

It is also worth mentioning that vehicles that use turbocharged engines are at a risk for uncontrolled, engine damaging detonations. This can happen due to an overly lean condition caused by the dirty injector.

Turbocharged engines that reach high RPM’s require a much more accurate fuel dispersion rate than other types of engines. If the fuel injectors are dirty of clogged or otherwise out of balance, the risk for engine damage can be very high.

It definitely makes sense to be proactive about this to save yourself a lot of money and headache in the long term.  Fuel injector problems can be a serious matter.

This is not to say that detonation cannot become an issue on other automobiles as well, as it definitely can. However, for most regular fuel injected engines, detonation is more often caused by using low-octane gasoline. While liquid cleaners aren’t always designed for this, many products also act as fuel octane boosters, raising the octane rating of the gasoline and thus helping to reduce dangerous detonations.

At this point it is also fair to note, that all of the above symptoms can also refer non-injector related issues. Engines are complex pieces of machinery and there are usually several parts in the system that can produce similar symptoms when failing. If you want to be 100% certain what the issues are, a visit to a professional mechanic is always a good idea. However, the reason why I recommend fuel injector cleaners first, is because of their low cost and ease of use. Adding some liquid cleaner to the fuel supply is a safe, time saving method to try before sending your car to the shop.

So, next time you are driving your car, motorcycle, or operating any fuel injected piece of machinery, remember to keep an eye out for these clogged fuel injector symptoms. Or better yet, avoid them in the first place by using cleaners regularly!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: Fuelinjectorcleanerhq