Your fuel injectors are vital to the performance of your diesel engine. And the type of injector the engine has impacts the way it operates, as well as what kind of failures you might encounter.
To keep your engine running at its best, it’s important to know what kind of injectors your engine has, how they operate, and what issues you might experience from them. In this post, we’re taking a look at different kinds of fuel injectors, specifically the electronically-controlled unit injector (EUI), how it differs from mechanical injectors, and common issues you might encounter with them. About EUIs As you might guess from the name, an EUI is a fuel injector that relies on electronic signals to determine when to inject fuel. Mechanical injectors, on the other hand, rely on pressure in the line to trigger the fuel release. The Switch From Mechanical Injectors Around 1994, many diesel engine manufacturers, like Caterpillar and Detroit Diesel, began to move away from mechanical injectors, instead building engine with electronically controlled unit injectors. The first examples of them producing engines with EUIs were the Caterpillar 3406E and the Detroit Diesel Series 60. You might be wondering why engine manufacturers wanted to switch over. Well, the reason was simple—more precision in the fuel system. How EUIs Work Mechanical injectors and electronically controlled injectors work differently. A mechanical injector can only disperse fuel according to line pressure, which sometimes results in injection lag or uneven fuel distribution if the pressure is not uniformly applied. The EUI, on the other hand, is controlled electronically. This means that the correct amount of fuel is released, typically in a finer spray. This increases atomization and improves fuel economy. An EUI has some flexibility, because the timing is controlled electronically. This can result in better performance, better fuel economy, and lower emissions. A mechanical injector doesn’t have this same flexibility, as it operates with fixed injection timing. Common EUI Issues The issues you might experience with electronically controlled unit injectors can depend on the engine you’re running. In some, you might have water or air contamination that causes the injector tip to crack or break off. In other models, you could have poor injector seating, which allows fuel or heat past the injector cup. This can causes premature wear on the injector. If you experience injector failure, you’ll want to make sure you diagnosis the root cause of the failure. You don’t want to spend the time and money installing new injectors only to have them fail again right away because the actual issue wasn’t addressed. How HHP Can Help Here at HHP, our ASE Certified Technicians are available to answer all your fuel injector questions. We want to help you find the cause of your problem, not just sell you a part! We know you want to get the job done right the first time, and our staff has the experience and expertise to help make that happen. Give us a call. From diagnosis through delivery, we’re Highway & Heavy Parts!Related Videos:
