Understanding fuel injection system in

automobile engines
Do you know how fuel is supplied into the combustion chamber in automobile engines? Am sure you
are not thinking of a carburetor but a fuel injector. They are now bygone most especially for internal
combustion engines. An effective process used is known as fuel injection system.

Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in internal combustion engines, mostly automotive engines,
using injector. This process was introduced to keep up with emissions and fuel efficiency laws. Over
the years, car manufacturers saw great advantages of fuel injectors which is where the downfall of
carburetors began.

From 1980 onward fuel injection became an alternative of carburetors on petrol engines. Well, the
difference between fuel injection and carburetion is that fuel injection atomizes the fuel through a
small nozzle under high pressure. Whereas, carburetors rely on drawing fuel into the airstream
through a venturi tube.

Research has shown all diesel engines use fuel injection by design. Gas engines can use gasoline
direct injection, where fuel is directly delivered into the internal combustion chamber. Indirect injection
can also be used, where the fuel is mixed with air before the intake stroke.

Today we’ll be looking deep into the definition, functions, parts, types, working principle, problems, as
well as advantages and disadvantages of the fuel injector system in automotive engines.
What is a Fuel Injector?
Fuel injectors are small nozzle which are controlled electronically to atomize fuel under high pressure
into an engine’s combustion chamber. It contains valves that are capable of opening and closing
many times per second.

Before the existence of fuel injectors, carburetors have been highly used on engines, and till date this
engine still exists. In fact, many other machines like the lawnmowers and chainsaws still use
carburetors. But because the component got complicated trying to control all requirements on
automobiles, a better alternative was released.

Carburetors were first replaced with throttle body fuel injection systems. This system is also known as
single point or central fuel injection system. It is electrically controlled fuel-injector valves into the
throttle body.

This was almost the best alternative, which allows auto manufacturers don’t have to make drastic
changes to engine designs.

Gradually, as new engines were designed, multi-port fuel injection replaced the throttle body fuel
injection. This multi-port fuel injection is also known as port, multi-point or sequential fuel injection.

The system contains fuel injector for each cylinder which spray right to the intake valve. It provides
more accurate fuel metering and quicker response.
Functions of fuel Injector
Below are the functions of fuel injectors in an internal combustion engine:

● The primary purpose of fuel injection system in diesel engines is that their design is heavily
influenced by the component,
● Fuel injector helps to deliver fuel to the cylinders.
● It enhances the engine in term performance, emission, and noise characters.
● Fuel is delivered under extremely high injection pressures.
● Its materials are designed to withstand higher stresses for durability that match the engine
working.
● Another purpose of the injection system is that fuel is injected at the proper time. That is,
the injection timing is controlled.
● Correct amount of fuel must be delivered to meet the power requirement of the engine.
This is why the injection metering is controlled.
● Injector are made of greater manufacturing precision and tolerance to ensure its working
efficiency. It also avoids leakage.
● Fuel injector atomizes fuel into very small fuel particles ensuring every small droplet of fuel
evaporates and undergoes the combustion process.
● There is enough oxygen to mix with the atomized fuel and ensures complete combustion.

Read: Understanding Engine Lubrication System

Major Parts of Fuel Injection System

Below are the major functional parts that enable the working of fuel injection in automobile engines
and names of components in a fuel injector:

The major parts of the fuel injection system are divided into two which include the low-pressure and
high-pressure side, the low-pressure parts are the fuel tank, fuel filter and fuel supply pump. While the
high-pressure side includes a high-pressure pump, fuel injector, accumulator, fuel injector nozzle. The
injection nozzle has different actuation designs for various types of fuel injection systems.

As fuel needs to be transferred from the fuel tank to the injector system, the role is a low-pressure fuel
system. Whereas, from the fuel injector to the combustion chamber is the high-pressure system.
Below is the role of the following parts stated above:

● Fuel tank – the part is where the fuel is stored.

● Fuel pump – it pumps fuel from the fuel tank to the fuel injection system.
● Injection pump – this part is a metre and pressurised fuel for injection.
 ● Governor – supply fuel in accordance with the load.
● Fuel injector – supplies fuel from the injection pump to the cylinders.
● Fuel filter – to filter dirt, duct and abrasive particles from blocking the injection system.

Image below shows the major parts of a fuel injector:

Fuel injection systems work fully precisely to provide the correct amount of fuel for every operating
condition. The engine control unit (ECU) is used to monitor most parts of input sensors. Below are few
parts that uses sensor for precise working:

● Oxygen sensor – note the amount of oxygen in the exhaust, which allows the ECU to
determine if the fuel mixture is rich or lean. It makes adjustments accordingly.
● Throttle position sensor – this sensor monitors the throttle valve position to know how
much air that enters the engine. The ECU responds quickly to changes, increasing or
decreasing the fuel rate as required.
● Mass airflow sensor – let the ECU know the amount of fuel entering the engine.
● Coolant temperature sensor – determine when the engine reaches its proper operating
temperature to the ECU.
● Manifold absolute pressure sensor – determine the pressure of air in the intake
manifold.
● Engine speed sensor – monitors the engine speed, which is why it is used to calculate the
pulse width.
 ● Voltage sensor – determine the system voltage in the car to know when the ECU raises
the idle speed. This may be when the voltage is dropping which will indicate high electrical
load.

Read: Conventional and Non-conventional types of automobile chassis

Types of Fuel Injection System

Below are the common types of fuel injection system seen in older and modern vehicles:

Single-Point or Throttle Body Injection:

The single-point type of injection system is the earliest and simplest fuel injection that replaces
carburetors. It contains one or two injector nozzles in the throttle body, which is the throat of the
engine’s air intake manifold.

This injector system is not precise as the system that followed but when compared with carburetors, it
has better control, less expensive and easier to service.

Port or Multiport Fuel Injection:

In multiport fuel injectors, separator injector nozzles are contained in each cylinder, at its intake port.
This is why the system is sometimes called a port injector, shooting the fuel vapour close to the intake
spot, ensuring it’s completely drawn into the cylinder.

One of the benefits of this injector is that the metre's fuel is more precise when compared with the
single point. It is also perfect for achieving the required fuel air ratio and it virtually eliminates the
possibility that fuel will condense or collect in the intake manifold.

Sequential Fuel Injection:

This type of fuel injector is also known as sequential port fuel injection or time injection. It is a type of
multiport injection even as basic multiport uses multiple injectors. They all spray their fuel at the same
time or sequentially, making the fuel to hang around for as long as 150 milliseconds when the engine
is idling.

The benefits of sequential fuel injection are that the system responds more quickly if the driver makes
a sudden change. This is because the valve only has to wait for the next intake valve to open, rather
than the complete revolution of the engine.
Direct Injection:
Direct injection is common in diesel engines, although starting to be common on gasoline engine
designs. It is sometimes called DIG for direct-injection gasoline. In its process, fuel is injected directly
into the combustion chamber, past the valves.

Fuel metering is more precise than other fuel injection types. Direct fuel injection gives engineers
another variable to influence precisely how combustion occurs in the cylinders. The science of the
engine design examines how air-fuel mixture swirls around in the cylinders. And also how the
explosion travels from the ignition point.

The direct injection in a gasoline engine can handle things such as the shape of cylinders and pistons.
Also, port and spark plug locations, timing, duration and intensity of the spark. Number of spark plugs
per cylinder. All these affect how completely and evenly fuel combustion in gasoline engines.

Working principle
The working of a fuel injector system is quite interesting and easier to understand. The main working
is from the fuel injector to the combustion chamber after fuel is pumped to it from the fuel tank.

As earlier said, the fuel injector is an electronically controlled mechanical device that is responsible for
fuel spraying. The injector gets energised and an electromagnet moves a plunger that opens the
valve. This valve allows the pressurised fuel to squirt out through a tiny nozzle. The nozzle is
designed to atomize the fuel, which responsible for making the fuel to easily burn,

The amount of time the fuel injector stays open will determine fuel supplied to the engine. This is
known as “pulse width” and it is controlled by an ECU device. Fuel injector systems are mounted
directly to the intake manifold so that fuel can be sprayed directly to the intake valve.

There is a spring inside the conventional injector that holds the needle valve in close position. It holds
this needle valve until a high pressure line meets a specific value. There is a pipe called “fuel rail” that
supplies pressurised fuel to the injectors.

Right amount of fuel supplied to the required parts. Different parts of the engine are equipped with
sensors that give information to the ECU about the amount of fuel and make adjustments if needed.
The various sensors have been listed and explained in the above part of this article.

Watch video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgeucJ8vjAs
Symptoms of Bad Fuel Injectors and How
to Prevent Them
Failure occurs on fuel injector after overworking, and if not regularly maintained, it can develop
serious faults or become clogged. Below are the symptoms of bad fuel injectors and how to prevent
failures:

● Rough engine performance

● Complications while starting the vehicle
● Fuel odours
● Oil thinning
● Failed emission
● Engine fails to reach the full RPM
● Poor performance of the vehicle
● Catastrophic engine failure
● Smoke emission
● Increased fuel consumption
● Pollution

Problems often occur on fuel injector when there is dirty, carbon particles, oil fuel or accumulation of
residue leading to clogged fuel injectors. Issues happen after the filter basket collects debris that
prevents fuel from flowing through it.

The proper way to prevent fuel injectors from failing is regular maintenance. The vehicle’s parts must
be inspected on a regular basis. Even though fuel injectors have great tolerances, inspection should
still be made on the components.

For more reliable results, adding moisture, drawing ethanol or additives, visual supervision,
conducting ultrasonic cleaning. And also, actual flow patterns for volume and spray testing will help.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Fuel

Injection System
Advantages:
Below are the benefits of fuel injection system:

● Precise fuel mixture of fuel and air ensures maximum possible fuel efficiency and power
production.
 ● Combustion process is significantly much more efficient in a fuel injected engine.
● Fuel injection engines are more economical and they maximise and minimise the emission
level.
● Cold starting is eliminated in fuel injected engines, making no need for manual choking.
● It’s also used on modern performance motorcycles.
● Fuel injection system automatically balances the air-fuel mixture considering the
environment situation.
● Engine vibration is reduced and spark plug fouling issue is minimised.

Disadvantages
Despite all the benefits of the injection system some limitations still occur. Below are the
disadvantages of the system:

● It is a complex electronic controlled device that works with few electronic sensors.
● Maintenance and repairing of the system is very limited. That is, not all workshops can do
their work.
● Fuel injection system is quite expensive.
● Good quality material and fuel is highly recommended.
● There is no solution for low cost and low capacity.

In conclusion, the fuel injection system has totally replaced carburetors in automobile engines. We've
discussed its functions, one of which is to deliver fuel at high pressure into the cylinder. Fuel injection
systems of different types which include throttle body and multi-port, we also revealed its components
on low-pressure and high-pressure sides. it working, symptoms and advantages and disadvantages of
the fuel injection system.