Everyone knows that without fuel, you aren’t driving anywhere, and just as important as putting gas in the tank is fuel injector service. Albuquerque residents will likely know that reliability ranks high in requirements for their vehicles, and making sure that your engine is firing on all cylinders is just part of the program.

Because fuel injectors can be expensive, it is best to avoid fuel injector replacement whenever possible. This is achieved by making sure not to neglect your vehicle’s fuel injector maintenance. This can usually be achieved with a grasp of what a fuel injector does, how to preserve them, and of course, regular maintenance.

Fuel Injector Cleaning – as part of your fuel system, Fuel Injectors are especially important because they deposit gas directly in the combustion chamber. However, this also means that they are exposed to the explosion which drives you forward. With every revolution, your fuel injectors get a little more soot, a little more grime, and a little less efficient. Clean Fuel Injectors allow your engine to run at peak efficiency, so it is well worth the cost to get this done from time to time.

Quality Gasoline – higher octane fuels have a lower flashpoint and burn more completely. This helps keep down the pace of buildup in the combustion chamber, and save your fuel injectors over the long run. You don’t always need higher quality gasoline, but it never hurts.

Fuel Additives – from time to time, it may be beneficial to use a fuel additive to help clean out the deposits forming on your fuel injectors. This can be risky because there are some bad products on the market, and some which may not be the best for your specific vehicle. Feel free to ask us and see if we have any recommendations.

A serious question we get from time to time is “how do I know when it’s time to clean my fuel injectors?” Unfortunately there isn’t a clear side effect associated with dirty fuel injectors, but there are a few indicators that you may notice. Here are a couple things to pay attention to

Poor Fuel Efficiency – this is sometimes caused because the fuel is being squirted in a stream rather than a fine mist as it is intended. This will mean wasted fuel with every revolution of the engine.

Cylinder Misfire – usually accompanied by a check engine light, cylinder misfires mean that your engine is working overtime just to break even. Left unresolved, this can cause quite a hassle down the line.

Here at Advantage Automotive, we want to help you decrease the overall costs of vehicle maintenance. This is achieved by making sure that your vehicle gets everything it needs to run as long as possible with the fewest troubles. We invite you to contact us if you have any questions about your specific vehicle.