If you own a personal vehicle, you should be familiar with fuel injectors. Motorized vehicles need fuel to run the engine. A fuel injector works by delivering the fuel as a spray and mixes it with the air.
But if you don’t know whether you can change the old fuel injectors of your car or not, the answer is YES, you can. Well, then how long does it take to replace fuel injectors?
Replacing fuel injectors requires a couple of hours, give or take. It depends on your technical skills and how much you know about tools. With average knowledge about car engines and necessary tools, 2-3 hours should be enough.
Let’s know a bit more about fuel injectors and how they function.
Table of contents
How Do Fuel Injectors Work?
Engines need a fuel and air mixture to function efficiently. That’s because air carries oxygen, and oxygen is required for the combustion of the fuel.
Fuel injectors are built to supply this mixture to the cylinder to create an explosion that produces the most efficient and less dirty exhaust. An ideal fuel-to-air ratio is 14.7:1. It means that for each unit of fuel, 14.7 equivalent units of air are essential for complete combustion.
Before fuel injections existed, car manufacturers used carburetors. But fuel injections have got some benefits over traditional carburetors. These kits provide better fuel efficiency, easier cold starts, and a consistent throttle response.
Why Fuel Injectors Need Replacements
Fuel injectors are vital because they supply a consistent amount of fuel across all the cylinders, ensuring a uniform fuel distribution. Also, fuel injectors spray fuels just enough to maintain the ratio of fuel to air.
A buggy fuel injection can decrease the engine’s performance through inconsistent power delivery. This means the use of fuel becomes inefficient due to lousy fuel injectors.
These devices have tiny electromagnets inside them, which activate a solenoidal nozzle that opens up and sends the gas into the engine. The vehicle’s computer system controls the timing of these electromagnets.
Sometimes the solenoids and the magnets get worn and don’t work correctly. Then it’s time for replacements.
Tools You Need For Replacing Fuel Injectors
You can change the fuel injections of your vehicle all by yourself. If you are confident enough to do it, here is the list of tools or equipment you should need to replace fuel injectors.
Necessary Tools
- Set of Allen Wrenches
- Flashlight
- Flathead screwdriver
- Drip Pan
- Torque Wrench
- Protective Goggles
- Jack Stands
- Torque Bit Sets
By the way, we’re giving a fair warning, don’t try to replace it by yourself if you have no idea what you are doing. Although the process is pretty simple, there’re just so many steps you can mess up and damage other engine parts.
You should perform this operation on a cold car as you don’t want to burn your fingers by touching a hot engine.
Quick Process Of Fuel Injector Replacement
Now we’re going to give a brief step-by-step guide for replacing fuel injectors. If you want to know how long it takes to replace fuel injectors, the answer is a couple of hours.
So get ready to dive in and make your hands dirty. This is going to take a while!
By following this short guide, you will be able to change the injections in no time.
Step 01 – Disconnect The Fuel Injectors
Take the lid off the vehicle’s engine compartment and disconnect the battery of the car. You’ll notice wired connections to the fuel injectors that allow them to spray accordingly as the car’s computer commands. You have to disconnect them.
Step 02 – Release The Pressure From The Fuel Line
You need a torque wrench so that the fuel rail can be disconnected from the fuel line. Relieve the fuel line’s pressure by turning the bolts with the wrench.
Step 03 – Detach The Fuel Rail
Now that the fuel line is depressurized, you can detach the fuel rail that holds the injectors. The fuel rail is going to come off, and you’ll see four fuel injectors in serial.
Step 04 – Detach The Fuel Injectors
Detaching fuel injectors is easy. They’re placed tightly via rubber seals. You just grasp the injector, wiggle it a bit, and pull. The injector should come off easily.
Step 05 – Install New Injectors
Now take the new fuel injectors and put them in the place of the old ones. Make sure you use new seals.
To easily insert the injectors’ end into the holes, you can dip the seals in gasoline or oil. This will ensure a leak-free installation.
Now follow the steps in reverse to complete the installation. After putting everything back in place, start the car’s ignition by placing the key in. This will allow gas to fill up the new injectors. Then start the engines after 5-10 minutes. Check for any kind of fuel leaks on the fuel line.
If you follow the steps above, you can replace fuel injectors within a couple of hours.
- An Important Note
When changing fuel injectors, you should change the complete set of injectors rather than one or two. If you are willing to replace injectors, replace the whole set. And always use new seals.
If you mix old injectors with new ones, the engine is going to perform unevenly. This may result in poor gas mileage or uneven acceleration.
Cost Of Fuel Injector Replacement
There’re many brands of fuel injectors for each model of engine. But all of them are engineered similarly and do the same job.
The prices vary widely among the brands of fuel injectors. Generally, a single injector costs $10-$100, depending on vehicle type and engine type.
To mitigate the pressure on the money, you can do the replacement yourself rather than go to an auto shop. They will charge you for the fuel injectors as well as the labor cost.
The overall cost will be around $400, depending on the vehicle type. Also, consider whether you have the tools for this operation.
Benefits Of Using New Fuel Injections
Old, worn-out fuel injectors bring various issues to the car’s engine. Replacing them with new ones can make your vehicle run smoothly and can increase the lifespan of your vehicle’s engine.
New injectors have new electromagnets and solenoids that work perfectly, ensure a perfect spray, and mix the fuel with air. It helps with the combustion, and the engine has a constant acceleration. Also, the exhaust is less dirty due to the perfect mix.
So, new fuel injectors ensure better rpm, better acceleration, and fix lousy exhausts.
Final Words
Fuel injectors are a vital part of an automobile engine. It is the primary connection between the fuel and the engine. They are reliable and don’t go bad that easily. Then again, nothing is perfect. So, after many years of service, fuel injectors may need a replacement.
In this article, we’ve answered the question, “How long does it take to replace fuel injectors?” Also, we have given a brief step-by-step guide that you can follow to replace the fuel injectors within a couple of hours at most.
We hope that you have achieved some understanding of the fuel injection system of auto vehicles. Drive safe, and always remember to service your car for the best performance!
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Thomas is a retired motor mechanic, father, and grandfather. He writes from his 20+ years in the automotive industry to help you find and solve anything related to car repairs, maintenance, and care.