Making the Most of Driving in Your Car

Could Poor Engine Performance Be the Sign of Faulty Injectors?

4 August 2022

Greg Sutton

If your diesel-engined vehicle sounds rough and you may have noticed a downturn in performance, you need to get to the bottom of the issue as soon as possible. While there are certainly several possibilities, you should focus part of your attention on the injectors. Why are they some of the most critical components when it comes to engine operation, and how can they sometimes play up?

The Diesel Injection System

As the name implies, these parts inject diesel into the combustion chamber at precisely the right moment for detonation. They're very finely engineered components with microscopic holes along their body that allow diesel to be sprayed into the chamber under high pressure.

The diesel enters this chamber when the piston returns to the top of its cycle, compressing the air to such a point that it heats up. As the diesel fuel particles meet up with the overheated air, a reaction occurs, causing a detonation. This will then push the piston down to the bottom of its cycle, turning the crankshaft and generating drive.

How Things Should Work

Fuel is delivered to each injector as part of a common rail system. It flows from the tank through filters and is then pumped into the common rail, where it is regulated and sent to each injector on cue. However, due to certain impurities in the fuel that may even pass the filter, some congestion can take place. Tiny particles can enter each filter and may block some of the exit points. When this happens, fuel delivery will be irregular and can easily upset a finely tuned combustion process.

Signs of a Problem

You may begin to hear a misfire or find that the vehicle does not respond as expected when you try to overtake a slower vehicle. This is because the fuel is not being delivered on time or in sufficient quantity and will not provide the same level of combustion inside the chamber. In addition, some particles of fuel may find their way through to the exhaust vent. This could cause smoke from your tailpipe, or your vehicle may even fail an emissions test.

What to Do Next

Now that you can see how important each injector is, you need to schedule an inspection. A mechanic will remove each part and check to see if it is still serviceable. If not, they will replace it accordingly and repair any other components that have also failed.

Reach out to a car repair mechanic to learn more.

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