The importance of injector maintenance

25/08/2021

Injector seals and O-rings help provide vacuum pressure for injectors to function properly in the engine of the vehicle. They provide a seal to ensure no outside air leaks into the injectors or fuel vapours leak out. Some of the most common symptoms of leaking petrol or diesel injector include difficulty starting, misfiring, poor fuel economy, reduced power and fuel vapours leaking into the vehicle.

In many cases, this problem can be sorted inexpensively and quickly. It may be as simple as the fuel injector requiring a new seal and washer kit. Failures can be due to poor maintenance causing a large build-up of carbon damaging the seal, or in the case of diesel injectors, physical damage caused if stubborn injectors require force whilst removing.

When replacing diesel injector seals, it is also recommended to replace the copper seating washer. It is most important that the injector has the correct thickness of seating washer so that the atomised fuel is ignited and burnt at the correct point in the compression chamber. It also acts as a heat sink, transferring heat away from the injector nozzle preventing damage. Failure to do this could result in lack of power, unburnt fuel, damaging the injector and in some cases excessive smoke.

While replacing fuel injector seals is not a routine maintenance procedure, most manufacturers do have a suggested replacement interval for them, to prevent the possibility of them failing.

Goss have an extensive range of Petrol and Diesel injector seals and washer kits manufactured to OEM specifications available for most popular makes. Visit https://goss.com.au/catalogue/ to view the online catalogue.

Back to Articles