How Fuel Injectors Work and How to Clean
The basic function of a fuel injector is to deliver fuel to your engine. Fuel injectors spray (inject) fuel through a nozzle into your engine’s cylinders so that the combustion process can begin. The fuel must be delivered at the right time, in the right amount, at the right pressure, angle, and spray pattern. The Engine Control Unit (ECU) is the central computer or “brain” of any vehicle and manages many individual components, including the fuel injectors.
The ECU uses various sensors to ensure that the injectors spray fuel at the right time and in the right amount to produce the right air-fuel mixture. Your vehicle’s fuel pump pumps gasoline from the tank through the fuel lines to the injectors. When the ECU detects that fuel is needed, it notifies the fuel injectors, which open and spray pressurized fuel into the cylinders.
Clean the injector nozzles
Fuel injectors don’t last forever, but you can take steps to extend their lifespan as long as possible. Most experts recommend cleaning your fuel injectors about every 30,000 miles. This will help prevent the injectors from becoming clogged and preventing them from spraying fuel into the cylinders.
Injector Nozzle Cleaner
Using a bottle of fuel injector cleaner every once in a while is good preventative maintenance and is relatively inexpensive. Expect to pay around $10-15 per bottle of cleaner.
For maintenance, use a bottle not only at regular oil changes, but also every time you fill up with fuel if your injectors are already showing signs of clogging.
Professional Cleaning of Injectors
If your injectors are more severely dirty or clogged, they will require a more expensive professional cleaning. Expect to pay $50-100 for this service. Some companies will allow you to clean and return dirty injectors for about $15-20 each. They will probably do the most thorough job, but of course there will be some downtime when you need your car.
DIY Fuel Injector Cleaning Kit
Alternatively, you can purchase a fuel injector cleaning kit from a part-time or full-time professional mechanic. It usually pays for itself after a few uses. A good kit (such as this OTC kit) will include a variety of adapters that allow it to work on most fuel-injected vehicles.
So if you’re wondering if you can replace just one fuel injector or all of them, the answer is most likely yes.
Depending on the make and model, you can usually expect to pay around $800 to $1,450 for a complete fuel injector replacement. Parts alone will cost around $600 to $1,200, and labor will cost around $200 to $250. Of course, there are exceptions. While using non-OEM parts can save you money, certain vehicle makes and models can cost up to $2,000 to replace, so it makes sense to look for such pieces.
