Driving and Maintaining Your Car

4 Best Tips About Fuel Injection Systems: A Guide For First-Time Diesel Car Owners

A diesel engine depends on the fuel injection system to give it power, and thus propel an automotive. A fuel injector pump is an integral component of the diesel engine because it pushes fuel under high pressure from the engine manifold, through the fuel lines and up until the fuel reaches the injectors. This article gives first-time diesel car owners tips about fuel injection systems.

1. What do Fuel Pumps Do? -- Fuel injectors help to supply fuel to the internal components of a vehicle's engine such as the combustion chamber. It is common to find one fuel injector in every engine cylinder for enhanced performance. When pressurised fuel gets into the injector, the fuel enters a plunger that ejects the fuel through a spray tip, which then distributes the fuel as a fine mist. Therefore, most performance issues in diesel engines are closely pegged on the fuel injection pump. A fuel injector pump is likely to fail because of a faulty mechanical component, especially with the injector housing. Also, poor choice of fuel is one of the reasons why fuel injector pumps perform below par and eventually lead to engine failure. Therefore, vehicle owners should be mindful of these two issues when servicing their diesel engines.

2. Poor Quality Fuel -- A fuel pump injector should be clean at all times for optimal engine performance. However, with time, dirt and debris can build up, thereby clogging the entire fuel system. As mentioned earlier, the pressurised fuel goes into the combustion chamber through a spray tip, which can eventually get blocked by dirt. The effect is that your engine will start to sputter and hesitate during acceleration. Therefore, owners of diesel vehicles are advised to use high-quality fuel that does not contain impurities, which can affect the fuel pump injector in the long run. 

3. Running on Empty -- Some motorists have a habit of running their vehicles on almost an empty fuel tank. When there isn't enough fuel in the tank, the fuel injector pump will push air instead of fuel into the combustion chamber, causing wear and tear to the bearings. Ideally, fuel lubricates the system as opposed to air. Therefore, having enough diesel fuel in the tank ensures that fuel injectors get adequate fuel at the recommended pressure levels.

4. Servicing Your Diesel Engine -- Issues associated with the fuel injector pump can be diagnosed and troubleshot at your nearest service centre. Here, fuel injectors are either cleaned or tuned-up to improve fuel delivery to the combustion chamber. Also, some vehicle owners may prefer to re-manufacturing the injector pumps. However, the latter option is expensive and might only be necessary when the engine has previously taken a significant hit. Finally, engine experts recommend that you take your vehicle to a reputable service centre because poor servicing is just problematic as having a faulty injector pump.

To learn more, contact your local Bosch authorised diesel dealers today. 


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