Leaky Fuel Injector Symptoms
by Jason MedinaA vehicle's fuel injection system is responsible for injecting fuel (gasoline) into the engine cylinders, where the gas is burned to produce engine power. A leaky fuel injector, which is a common fuel injection system problem, can significantly compromise engine performance and produce a variety of symptoms.
Visible Fuel Leak
Often, a leaky fuel injector leaks enough fuel to produce a puddle of fuel near the fuel injector nozzle housing or on the intake manifold, both of which can be easily spotted.
Rough Engine Idle
A fuel injector leak can disrupt the normal flow of fuel into a vehicle's engine cylinders, which can cause improper or incomplete engine combustion. When this happens, a rough or erratic engine idle can be the result.
Engine Hesitation
Engine hesitation often occurs as the result of abnormal engine combustion. A leaky fuel injector can cause an engine to hesitate if the injector reduces engine fuel flow enough to impede normal engine combustion.
Reduced Gas Mileage
A leaky fuel injector wastes gas and can significantly reduce vehicle gas mileage if the leak is bad enough. Severe fuel injector leaks allow large amounts of fuel to be wasted rather than reach the engine where the fuel is combined with air and burned.
Engine Fire
If a leaky fuel injector causes an excessive amount of fuel to leak onto the hot surfaces of the engine intake manifold or engine block, the fuel can ignite and cause an engine fire.
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