Fuel Injectors

Fuel Injectors: The Real MVPs of Mileage!

If you’ve recently been struggling with random engine misfires but can’t figure out what’s wrong with your vehicle, the culprit may be your fuel injectors. They’re a crucial part of your engine and can cause a host of issues if clogged. 


Not only will your vehicle experience rough idling, but its fuel economy will also drop rapidly, at least by 5–10%. That means more frequent trips to the gas station, higher emissions, and even the risk of long-term engine damage. 


That’s a lot of consequences you can avoid just by a quick trip to  for a professional fuel injector cleaning. 

Fuel Injector service offered at A&A Tires & Truck Center

What Is a Fuel Injector?

A fuel injector sprays fuel into the engine's cylinders to maintain proper combustion and fuel atomization. It’s connected to the ECU, a small onboard computer, to regulate the exact injection timing, pressure, and amount of fuel being delivered. The ECU sends electrical signals to the injectors, which control the opening and closing of their valves.


The fuel reaches the engine through the injector nozzle, gathering air along the way. The ECU also controls how long the fuel injector stays open. This opening time, called the “injector pulse width,” directly affects how much fuel is sprayed. A longer opening time means it delivers more fuel and has a higher injector flow rate. 


The fuel injector also acts as a fuel pressure regulator. Ideally, it should operate at around 30,000 PSI, but the numbers are often much lower when there’s injector clogging due to fuel impurities or breakage from wear and tear. 


There are three common types of fuel injectors we tend to see at A&A Tires & Truck Center:

  • Direct Fuel Injection (GDI): The fuel spray pattern of these injectors goes directly into the combustion chamber. 
  • Port Fuel Injection (PFI): In this system, each cylinder has its own injector. Multi-point injection sprays fuel into the intake port just before the intake valve.
  • Throttle Body Injector: Single-point injection delivers fuel at a single point in the intake manifold, mixing with air before entering the engine. 


How Long Do Fuel Injectors Last?

Most modern fuel injectors last 150,000 miles as long as you keep them clean. However, once they’re clogged, they become a lot more vulnerable to breakage. That means you’ll need to replace them much sooner. 


If you take proper care of your fuel injector, it may even last up to 1 billion cycles in its lifetime. That includes cleaning it during every routine maintenance or at least every 3,000 miles. At A&A Tires & Truck Center, fuel injector cleaning is already a part of our maintenance checks — you don’t have to ask. 


We’ll first check the injector resistance to make sure the electrical parts are working, since issues with the injector driver circuit can also have similar symptoms. A faulty fuel injector solenoid could also be the problem if you have a diesel vehicle.


Signs Your Fuel Injector Needs to be Replaced

Let’s suppose your vehicle hasn’t reached 150,000 miles, but you’re still facing some of the symptoms of a clogged fuel injector. How do you know it needs to be replaced? Here are some signs we look out for at A&A Tires & Truck Center. 


Engine Misfires

If your engine misfires when you try to speed up, that could be due to your fuel injector. Since the clogged injector isn’t delivering the right fuel-air mixture, your engine acts up when it’s time for acceleration. 


Rough Idling or Stalling

Clogged injectors mess up the fuel delivery system, which results in rough idling or stalling, especially at low RPMs.


Loss of Power and Performance

If you’re finding it hard to speed up your vehicle or the ride feels sluggish even though you just filled up the tank, that could also be your injector. A clogged injector simply isn’t able to deliver the necessary levels of fuel.


Excessive Exhaust Smoke or Fuel Smell

Have you been smelling strange odors coming from your vehicle, like unburnt fuel? Or maybe your exhaust is smoking much more than usual. These are all symptoms of a damaged fuel injector.


Inject Some Life Back Into Your Vehicle With A&A Tires & Truck Center

A clogged fuel injector doesn’t just create minor consequences that make your vehicle hard to drive. It can actually be incredibly dangerous and cause permanent engine failure, which is why replacing it on time is important. If you’re in the Harrisonburg, VA area, don’t hesitate to contact A&A Tires & Truck Center at (540) 432-1620 for professional fuel injector maintenance.