Symptoms of a Dirty Fuel Injector

A fuel injector is responsible for injecting adequate amounts of engine fuel (gasoline) into a car's engine. A dirty fuel injector restricts normal fluid flow and impedes normal engine operation. There are several common symptoms of a dirty automotive fuel injector.

Restricted Fuel Flow

  • A dirty fuel injector impedes normal fuel flow and results in decreased fuel entry into a vehicle's engine cylinders. This condition reduces engine performance and decreases engine combustion efficiency.

Engine Hesitation

  • By impeding normal fuel flow into a vehicle's engine, a dirty fuel injector can cause an engine to hesitate and stumble, especially during acceleration, when extra fuel flow is necessary to create increased engine power.

Hard Engine Starting

  • A dirty fuel injector can impede normal engine starting by preventing normal fuel flow into an idle engine, especially a cold engine that has been sitting for a long time. Increased fuel flow is necessary to adequately start a cold engine. A dirty fuel injector prohibits this fuel flow.

Poor Vehicle Acceleration

  • Vehicle acceleration is negatively impacted by a dirty fuel injector. Acceleration requires increased fuel flow into an engine's cylinders. A dirty fuel injector impedes this extra fuel flow and prevents normal acceleration.

Poor Gas Mileage

  • A dirty fuel injector impedes normal fuel flow into a vehicle's engine. This situation that negatively impacts engine combustion which leads to a reduction in both engine efficiency and gas mileage.