Fuel injector replacement costs vary widely, from around $300-$850 for a single injector on common cars to $3,000-$6,000 for a full set on luxury or diesel vehicles, including parts (which can range from $40 to over $500 each) and professional labor, with labor rates varying by shop and location, say AutoGuru, mycar, G2 Diesel Products, and AutoZone. The total depends on your car's make/model, part quality (OEM vs. remanufactured), and labor costs.
As mentioned, the average cost of fuel injector replacement can vary depending on several factors, such as the make and model of your vehicle, the severity of the issue, and your location. However, on average, you can expect to spend anywhere from $500 to $2,500 for this fuel injector replacement.
Short answer: Usually not advisable to keep driving a car with a faulty fuel injector for anything beyond very short, cautious trips. Driving can cause poor performance, higher emissions, engine damage, and unsafe behavior. Repair or replace the injector promptly.
The cost to replace fuel injectors depends on factors such as vehicle make and model, engine type, and labour rates. On average, you could expect: Single fuel injector replacement: $240 to $445 per injector. Full set replacement (all injectors): $840 to $1,560.
Yes, it's true that replacing old, worn fuel injectors is an easy way to improve an engine's efficiency. If you have an older vehicle with a set of worn fuel injectors, replacing them will help your engine run like new. You may even notice that your vehicle accelerates better.
Bad fuel injector symptoms include rough idling, engine misfires, poor acceleration, decreased fuel economy, hard starting, a strong fuel odor, the check engine light illuminating, and potentially stalling or surging, all stemming from inconsistent or improper fuel delivery, leading to an unbalanced air-fuel mixture and poor engine performance.
A dirty fuel injector can affect your car's performance, but it doesn't always need to be replaced. Sometimes a good cleaning can solve any issues, at least temporarily.
Understanding Fuel Injector Lifespan
Fuel injectors, essential for your vehicle's engine performance, typically endure around 1 billion cycles, or between 50,000 to 100,000 miles in gasoline engines and 100,000 to 200,000 miles in diesel engines. This includes using high-quality fuel and timely replacing fuel filters.
Rebuilding is often cheaper upfront for minor to moderate damage, costing $2,500-$4,500 by replacing worn parts, while a full replacement (new/reman) can hit $4,000-$10,000+. However, a remanufactured engine provides better long-term value with stronger warranties, making replacement potentially better if the block is severely damaged or you want more reliability and fewer future headaches, balancing initial cost against total ownership.
Consider replacing just one.
Ask your mechanic about replacing only one fuel injector. This will save you money in the short run. But in the long term, you'll likely pay more in labor since your mechanic will need to spend time accessing the engine for each replacement, instead of only once.
In short, when used regularly, fuel cleaners work. They can help remove harmful deposits, prevent new deposits from forming, and enhance vehicle performance.
Often, a chuffing sound is heard, or black “tar” can be seen around the injectors. The engine could also experience one or more of the above symptoms.
Direct injection and common-rail diesel injectors
The cost of replacing fuel injectors in diesel engines can vary significantly depending on the vehicle model and injector design. Diesel injectors typically range from £150 to £250 each, with prices exceeding £300 in some high-performance or specialised models.
How long does it take to install a new fuel injector? Replacing a fuel injector typically takes between 2 to 4 hours, depending on the vehicle and the mechanic's experience.
Whether it's diesel or petrol engines, the cost of injectors is down to the complexity, quality of materials and the technology required to meet today's standards.
So how many fuel injectors does your vehicle have? There's one for each cylinder. So four, six or eight for most folks in Edina, MN. Some vehicles have 10 or 12 cylinders.
Replacing the engine restores your vehicle's performance to like-new levels. With a properly installed engine, you can expect smoother starts, improved fuel efficiency, and reliable power. In many cases, modern replacement engines even come with updated parts that enhance performance compared to the original.
If you're buying a used car, seeing a vehicle with an engine replacement can raise a red flag. However, the work may be beneficial — such as if the replacement was under warranty to repair a defect present in some cars.
Signs of a Bad Fuel Injector
The worst things for a diesel engine involve neglecting maintenance (especially oil/filters), using poor fuel quality, allowing low fuel levels, overloading/lugging the engine, and not letting it warm up/cool down properly, all leading to contamination, excessive wear, turbo damage, and injector/pump failure due to high pressures and sensitive components. Contaminated fuel (water, dirt, high sulfur) is especially damaging, corroding parts and clogging filters in these high-pressure systems.
Cleaning is a much better option – fast, cheaper, and if you use the right solution, very effective.
The cleaning process involves pumping fuel at high speed through the injectors backward and forward through them to remove any blockages. Once the injectors are clean, we reinstall them.
Whilst these issues can be caused by a different source, or be solved by simply cleaning your injectors, it is worth diagnosing that the problem isn't more extensive. A fuel injector that isn't replaced when it needs to be can ultimately cause damage to other parts of your heavy equipment.