Signs of a Fuel Injector Problem in a Jeep Grand Cherokee

If your once powerful Grand Cherokee has trouble climbing hills, towing trailers or powering through mud, the loss of power could be caused by fuel injector problems. Deposits may be clogging the injectors, which means not enough gasoline is making its way into the cylinders. If you are not confident testing the injectors on your Jeep, have a qualified shop perform the work.

The smell of gasoline in the engine compartment can be a tell-tale sign of fuel injector problems. Since the gasoline in a Grand Cherokee passes through the injectors, if one of the injectors has been knocked loose or is damaged, it will leak gas. Gasoline leaks are serious since they can lead to a fire, so have your Grand Cherokee inspected and the source of the leak found as quickly as possible.

If your Jeep Grand Cherokee is a 1996 or newer model, then the check engine light can be another indicator of a fuel injector problem. If you do not have a way to read engine codes yourself, it is best to take your Cherokee to a repair shop. Misfire codes, either random or for one or more of the cylinders, can be attributed to clogged fuel injectors.

When your Grand Cherokee is running but you either have it in park or your foot is on the brake, notice how the engine is idling. If the idle sounds rough or has an uneven sound to it, it could be that your Jeep's fuel injectors are clogged. The same is true if, during light acceleration, when your foot is barely depressing the accelerator pedal, your Jeep is experiencing hesitation or stumbling. Hesitation is an unusual lag between the accelerator pedal being depressed and the vehicle accelerating. Stumbling is when the engine starts to stall out, but then recovers and runs normally.