Your car’s fuel injectors play an essential role in supplying fuel to your car’s engine. The fuel pump and fuel injectors are responsible for getting fuel to your vehicle’s engine. The fuel injectors spray a fine mist of fuel into the engine’s intake manifold, which mixes with air and is compressed inside the combustion chamber. As a result, dirty fuel injectors can significantly impact your car’s performance; if you notice any signs of dirty fuel injectors, see your mechanic as soon as possible.

One of the first signs of dirty fuel injectors that you might notice is poor fuel economy. When the fuel injectors are working correctly, your car will get the advertised fuel economy. However, when insufficient fuel gets to your engine, performance and fuel economy will suffer.

While several factors can cause your car’s engine to idle rough, dirty fuel injectors are among the most common. When your vehicle is stopped, you may notice that the RPMs fluctuate, and your car may even shake or vibrate. If your car is idling rough, it indicates a mechanical problem that needs to be diagnosed by a professional.

The check engine light can indicate several issues. Still, dirty fuel injectors can cause an error code that causes the check engine light to come on. The car’s Engine Control Unit (ECU) monitors the vehicle’s emissions to determine if the fuel/air mixture is correct. Therefore, dirty fuel injectors can cause an error code related to an incorrect mixture.

Another common sign of dirty fuel injectors is engine misfiring. When insufficient fuel enters the engine’s cylinders, the firing pattern of the engine’s cylinder will not be correct. Dirty fuel injectors aren’t the only cause of misfires but are one of the most common.

If your car’s engine won’t start, and you can rule out the battery or starter motor, dirty fuel injectors might be the cause. If not enough fuel gets to the combustion chamber, your car’s spark plugs may not be able to ignite the fuel/air mixture.

If you notice any signs of dirty fuel injectors, don’t ignore them. Eventually, your car will stall or not start if the fuel injectors can perform their job. See your car care professional as soon as you notice any of these signs to get your fuel injectors back to working as they should.