Direct fuel injection has been the norm for diesel engines since the beginning of the 20th century but has only been an option for petrol engines since about 2000 – mostly because of high temperatures and emission problems. Direct injection provides both kinds of engines with more power for less fuel, but only while the injectors are clean and in good condition.
Modern engines assist the injectors by precisely moderating the fuel intake and adjusting the timing according to driving conditions. The result is (or should be) easier starting, better throttle response, smoother idling, more miles per gallon, cleaner emissions and less maintenance requirements for other engine parts. With those kinds of advantages, looking after your injectors is a no-brainer.
With professional cleaning and injector reconditioning Northern Ireland motorists and haulers can extend their engine life and reduce fuel consumption.
How they work
In a typical modern engine, the fuel pump sends the fuel up into a “common rail”. From there, it goes to each injector and enters the cylinder’s combustion chamber. A modern computerised engine tells the pumps and injectors exactly how much fuel to deliver, under what pressure and when – and it does this thousands of times every minute.
While older diesel engines used pressures between 1800 and 3000psi, modern ones often reach 35,000psi. Those higher pressures ensure greater efficiency but also increase their dependence on precision operation. Needless to say, that precision is easily affected as deposits accumulate, mostly because of fuel impurities. As timing begins to suffer, those deposits increase and further degrade engine performance.
Keeping injectors clean
Many kinds of performance deterioration can be due to the injectors, including rough idling, stalling, poor acceleration and high emissions. However, each of these things could be caused by other problems, too. Fortunately, most modern injectors are easy to inspect and specialist garages can do this for you cheaply.
Injector deposits are not easy to brush off and trying will damage them, so when you need injector reconditioning northern Ireland firm ODS Automotive use purpose-designed ultrasound equipment, followed by thorough pressure response testing.
Although there are fuel additives that can help keep injectors clear, a professional check-up is the only way to assess their condition and clean them thoroughly. Note that there are often dangerous pressures behind your valves and injectors, and it takes experience to remove them safely.
