One of the most important ways to prevent injector failure is a regular cleaning routine. A build-up of dirt or dust can lead to debris collecting in your system: cleaning them removes these particles and hence helps to prevent any potential blockages.
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.
Regularly changing your fuel filter (according to your vehicle manufacturer's recommendations) will help keep debris from circulating. You can also add fuel injector cleaner to your gas tank, which may help solve running issues such as sputtering.
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.
"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.
Age and condition – if the injectors are old or worn out, a clean may not be enough to restore performance and could do more damage. Severe clogging may mean they need to be replaced anyway. Costs – cleaning fuel injectors is cheaper than replacing them.
Fuel injectors become clogged due to hydrocarbons, sediment and other elements in the fuel. Most fuels contain ethanol. Ethanol is hygroscopic thus drawing moisture from the air into the fuel. The water in the fuel cause internal components to rust.
With your fuel injectors safely removed, you can now clean them individually. Using a soft-bristled brush, you can apply your carburetor cleaner to the outside. Use a fuel injector jumper in order to open up the fuel injector, then spray your cleaner through each side of the fuel injector.
Do Fuel System Cleaners Work? 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.
As mentioned earlier, when the injectors become clogged, they lose their ability to supply the necessary amount of fuel or create a proper spray pattern, but worse yet, the corrosive nature of carbon deposits literally destroys fuel injectors over time.
In normal driving conditions, the Fuel Injectors should be changed every 50-100k miles.
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.
So, how long do fuel injectors last exactly? Some can be expected to last between 80,000 and 100,000 miles, while the best fuel injectors can last as long as you have your vehicle. You can expect your fuel injectors to last longer with a little care and attention.
You might even have multiple injectors fail at once, making more sense to just replace them all. It can also be more cost-efficient to replace all the injectors at once, in the long run. It's often cheaper to buy the injectors in bulk, and if you use a mechanic, you'll only be paying them once.
Is it worth adding to your gas tank? In short, when used regularly, fuel cleaners work. They can help remove harmful deposits, prevent new deposits from forming, and enhance vehicle performance. Fuel additives can improve gas mileage, reduce long-term maintenance costs, and they're affordable.
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.
Generally, you can use fuel injector cleaner every 1,500 to 3,000 miles. Many people like to use fuel injector cleaners whenever they get an oil change, as it's easy to remember. Another way to know when to clean your fuel injectors is to look out for signs of a clogged fuel injector.
There's a good chance you will need to replace them at least once or twice. Fortunately, replacing your fuel injectors isn't typically a huge expense, unless they are part of a larger engine issue. Taking proper care of your fuel injectors will help prevent bigger problems.
Replacing a Fuel Injector is definitely not cheap. It will differ quite a bit based on where you live, what brand you want to use and where you install it. But you can expect to pay up to $350. The parts themselves are up to $200 at most, so the rest will be installation and labor related to this process.