Back to all

Fuel Injectors

August 15, 2014



The last new American cars sold in Cincinnati with a carburetor rolled out of the Ohio dealerships in 1990. Since then, all new vehicles here in Cincinnati and nationally have had fuel injectors. In very simple terms, a fuel injector is a valve that squirts fuel into your engine. Your engine control computer tells the fuel injector how much gas to deliver as well as the precise time it should be delivered. Of course this happens thousands of times a minute. Fuel injectors deliver fuel far more precisely than carburetors. That translates into better fuel economy and more power for Cincinnati car owners. Virtually all fuel injectors for gas engines are known as port fuel injectors because they deliver the fuel to a port just outside the cylinder. Port fuel injectors operate at about 40 to 80 pounds per square inch of pressure.

A few auto makers have introduced gas direct injection systems on some engines recently. These systems inject the gas directly into the cylinders under very high pressure - hundreds of times the pressure of port injection systems. Although more complicated, direct injection technology promises greater power with improved fuel efficiency, so Cincinnati car owners can expect to see more of it in the future.

As Cincinnati auto owners can see, the level of precision required of fuel injectors is very high. It's critical that they operate properly in order for your car to run right.

High temperatures under your hood and variations in Cincinnati gas quality cause fuel injectors to become fouled with wax, dirt, and carbon. Injectors can become partially clogged, preventing them from delivering the proper amount of fuel at the correct pressure. The design of each engine requires a specific spray pattern from the fuel injector that might be altered when the injector is dirty. When injectors are dirty, the fuel doesn't burn as efficiently resulting in poor gas mileage and loss of power. So it is important to keep your SUV fuel injectors clean.

Skilled service technicians at Tuffy Auto Service Center Cincinnati in Cincinnati can perform a fuel system service for you. (Visit http://www.tuffyfields-ertel.com/contact_us.) That is a fuel system service - not just fuel injector cleaning. That is because the fuel has a lot of ways to become dirty or contaminated between the Cincinnati gas pump and your fuel injectors. A fuel system service at Tuffy Auto Service Center Cincinnati starts with a fuel filter replacement. This filter cleans the gas as it leaves the tank. The various parts of the fuel intake system need to be cleaned from time to time to remove harmful gum, deposits and varnish. Finally, the fuel injectors are cleaned so that they operate properly for Tuffy Auto Service Center Cincinnati and deliver the right amount of fuel at the right time.


Your friendly Tuffy Auto Service Center Cincinnati service specialist uses a process for cleaning your SUV fuel system that includes state-of-the-art cleaning chemicals as well as some old fashioned scrubbing. Proper maintenance of your fuel system means that you will enjoyed improved gas mileage, enjoy strong performance and prevent pricey repairs down the road.

More articles from Tuffy Fields-Ertel Cincinnati

Plugging Away (Spark Plug Replacement)

February 2, 2025

If you drive a vehicle with a gasoline engine, thank the spark plugs for igniting the gasoline/air mixture in each cylinder that keeps your vehicle traveling smoothly down the road every day. Your spark plugs work hard, firing thousands of times in a well-choreographed order, and you usually don... More

Taking the Heat (Heater Hose Maintenance/Repair)

January 26, 2025

If you have an internal combustion vehicle, you know it has a lot of hoses that carry various fluids. And if you have a heater in your vehicle, you'll have heater hoses. A heater hose connects to and from the engine so some coolant can be circulated through a little radiator called a heater core... More

Distracted Driving

January 19, 2025

When asked, most people think they are good at multi-tasking. Scientific studies, however, reveal that only around 2% of the population can truly demonstrate the capacity to effectively multi-task. For the rest of us who are not so biologically wired, no amount of practice can increase our effect... More