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Injector Experts Checklist:
- Injectors are externally cleaned, visually inspected
- Injectors are tested for resistance, inductance, shorts, and current draw
- Leak, spray pattern, and flow rate tests are performed and recorded
- A three step ultrasonic cleaning process in three separate ultrasonic tanks
- A high pressure back-flush is performed to remove any remaining particles
- Leak, spray pattern, and flow rate tests are re-performed and recorded
- New filter baskets, o-rings, and pintle caps are installed if applicable
- The injectors are placed in sealed plastic bags
- A comprehensive test report is prepared and returned with the injectors
- Your injectors are shipped back to you at no additional cost
Electronic fuel injection radically changed the automotive landscape – with the wholesale adoption of multi-point fuel injection systems over the last 20 years, cars have become more powerful, more reliable, cleaner, and more fuel-efficient than their carbureted predecessors could have ever been. And while the heart of EFI, the common fuel injector, is a very simple piece of hardware capable of clicking away literally millions of times over its lifespan, things can and do go wrong. Bad gas, electrical or mechanical failure, and leaking seals can all rob performance and cause problems for even these very durable little solenoid valves.
Fortunately, most fuel injectors can be serviced and brought back to health relatively inexpensively when they decide to misbehave – Injector Experts can clean most of the common types for just $20 a pop, saving big money over new replacements and restoring missing performance. We decided to engage their services to help fix an ailing 4th-gen F-body in our project fleet, and learned a good deal about what’s involved in restoring an injector to good health along the way.
The first stop is a bit of multimeter triage, where our injectors were checked for proper electrical characteristics before moving on to the next step.
The injectors are then baseline tested in a device that simulates typical running duty cycle and fuel pressure. The clear cylinders allow both direct measurement of the amount of fluid delivered over the timed test as well as the spray patterns of the injectors.
Time for a spa day – the injectors are stripped down and bathe in an ultrasonic cleaner that scrubs them internally with high frequency sound waves while the injector pintles are cycled open and closed.
Once the cleaning process is complete, the injectors go back to the test stand for the “after” test, to make sure any problems with spray patterns or flow rate have been addressed.
Here’s our injectors’ scorecard – as you can see, we had two that came in with bad spray patterns and slightly reduced flow, compared to the other six. After cleaning, all eight showed improved flow and passed the pattern test.
The final step before sending our injectors home involved replacing the internal filters, slipping on new O-rings, and individually bagging each squirter for a safe journey back. Now, we have the confidence that comes from knowing we aren’t going to be held back by leaking, plugged, or otherwise malfunctioning injectors – cheap peace of mind for any EFI engine!
