Today’s automobiles have fuel injection instead of carburetors. What this means is that the fuel injector nozzles spray gasoline or diesel fuel directly into the cylinders or the intake manifold. These nozzles can become clogged with carbon deposits, which are a natural by-product of combustion engines. Central Auto Care is going to list the signs of clogged fuel injectors below and the engine performance issues they cause.
Misfiring Engine
When the fuel injectors begin to clog, only spurts of fuel make their way through to the cylinders or intake manifold. When this happens, your engine begins to become fuel-starved. As a consequence, your engine will begin to sputter and misfire because it is trying not to stall due to the lack of fuel.
Rough Idling
Clogged fuel injectors will also affect how well your engine idles. Again, when the engine is in a fuel-starved condition, it struggles to run. As a consequence, you will notice that when you are sitting at an idle, the idle itself will be rough. It will feel and sound as if your car is struggling not to stall. This is, indeed, the case.
RPM Needle Bounces
While your vehicle is fighting to keep running, you will also notice that the RPM needle on the tachometer is going to bounce up and down. This is because the engine is getting the fuel in uneven streams, which means it will rev up and then down and then up and then down and so on. This is definitely a sign that there is a fuel delivery problem in the engine and that delivery problem could be clogged fuel injectors.
Poor Fuel Mileage
The more the engine struggles to run the less efficient it will become. An inefficient engine burns through petrol quicker than an inefficient engine does. As a consequence, you will notice a difference in your fuel economy. Fuel injectors can also leak when they get old, and this, too, can cause your fuel economy to tank.
Dead Engine
Finally, you will not be able to start your automobile if your fuel injectors are completely clogged. This is because there is no petrol making its way into the engine and, as such, the spark plugs have no accelerant to ignite. Consequently, your engine will be dead until such time as you have the fuel injectors professionally cleaned to restore the fuel supply.
Central Auto Care in Okotoks, AB, can help. Call us today to set up an appointment if you believe that your fuel injectors are clogged and need to be cleaned.