Identifying Bad Fuel Injectors
In order to keep your vehicle running reliably, you need to ensure that you are providing proper maintenance for each of the parts that make up your car's fuel system. Most drivers know that they need to change out their fuel filter regularly and use the correct gasoline in order to promote efficient engine operation, but few drivers take the time to care for their vehicle's fuel injectors properly.
Here are three things that you can be watching for to help you determine when it's time to invest in new fuel injectors for your vehicle in the future.
1. Keep a close eye on your vehicle's RPMs.
As gasoline moves through your vehicle's fuel system, particulate matter suspended within the gasoline can clog your engine's fuel injectors. When a fuel injector becomes clogged, your engine could get an erratic supply of fuel. This will cause the RPMs to fluctuate while your vehicle is being driven.
Keep a close eye on the RPM gauge on your vehicle's dash when you are trying to determine the health of your fuel injectors. If you notice that the RPMs increase or decrease unexpectedly, this could be a sign that you need to replace a clogged fuel injector in order to restore proper performance to your vehicle's fuel system.
2. Watch for engine misfires.
Engine misfires are another common symptom associated with clogged fuel injectors. When the injector becomes too clogged to allow a consistent supply of gasoline to flow through it, your engine may experience short periods where no fuel is powering the combustion process. This will cause the engine to misfire, or experience a sudden drop in power.
Misfires can be dangerous since they can lead to overheating or potentially cause an accident. As soon as you feel your car's engine misfire, you should have an experienced mechanic check for clogged fuel injectors.
3. Check your gas mileage regularly.
When your vehicle's fuel supply system isn't functioning properly, your gas mileage will suffer. Keeping track of your gas mileage on a regular basis will help you identify any noticeable reductions in the number of miles you are able to drive on a single tank of gasoline.
Dirty or clogged fuel injectors are often to blame for reduced gas mileage, so replacing bad fuel injectors should help you restore your vehicle's gas mileage to normal once again.
Being able to identify some of the symptoms associated with bad fuel injectors will allow you to replace faulty fuel injectors before they can cause serious damage to your vehicle's engine. Take your car into an automotive repair shop for more help.