Every time you put on the brakes at a stoplight, your vehicle sputters and shakes. No matter how hard you slam your foot on the peddle to accelerate, you find it difficult to get your car going once you come to a stop.
While these are all common signs of engine trouble, the problem might be your fuel injectors. Fuel injectors have the job of spraying fuel into the car’s cylinders. From there, spark plugs ignite it to start the engine.
You can use a fuel injector tester to learn if they’re at fault. Continue reading to learn more.
Check the Fuel Spray
Remove the cover that’s in the air cleaner housing area of the car. Have someone crank the vehicle while you watch the pattern of the fuel spray. If it comes out in a V formation, your injectors are fine.
However, if it comes out as a single spray, that means you need to perform regular fuel injector maintenance. A good cleaning may do the trick.
Play It by Ear
There are different types of fuel injectors. In the case of some, it’s hard to monitor the spray patterns because of the way the system is set up.
In these instances, all you can do is play it by ear. Before you get started, you’ll need to pick up a mechanic’s stethoscope. They’re an inexpensive tool that you can get at most automotive stores.
Get in your car and start the engine. Let it idle before putting on your parking brake and exiting the vehicle. Put the stethoscope over your ears and apply the tip of the tool to the injector you’re testing.
You should hear a clicking noise. If you don’t, that means you have a dead injector.
Perform a Leak Test
As you did for the listening test, crank up your car and let the engine idle for a few moments. If you notice the smell of gasoline, grab a flashlight and shine it under the hood.
If you see a gas leak, one of your injectors has a worn-out o-ring. You’ll need to replace the injector to solve the problem. You can view the top options here.
Diagnostic Scanning
The last thing you can do to check for a faulty fuel injector is to run a diagnostic scan. To do this, you’ll need an on-board diagnostics reader. All you have to do is connect it to your car using the manufacturer’s instructions.
From there, the tester will scan your car’s data and show you any errors it finds.
Use a Fuel Injector Tester to Keep Your Vehicle in Top Shape
If you have a faulty fuel injector, it can cause problems across the entire vehicle. Of course, the issue could also be your engine.
The best way to learn the source of your issue is by using a fuel injector tester. As you can see here, you have plenty of diagnostic options.
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