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Can Fuel Injectors Cause Check Engine Light? (Explained)

Check engine light is an essential indicator in a car. It helps to provide insight to a driver if there is a problem in the engine that needs to be addressed before using the vehicle. Check engine light turns on due to various reasons.

You may ask if fuel injectors cause check engine light. Let us investigate to find the answer you are looking for and provide some essential information regarding this matter.

Can fuel injectors cause check engine light?

Fuel injectors can cause check engine light. If the fuel injector is dirty or clogged, it will obstruct the flow of fuel in the engine. As a result, the engine will not receive enough fuel to run. This will cause the check engine light to turn on because they are causing a malfunction in the engine.

Fuel injectors are an essential part of a car. It helps in the flow of fuel in the engine. But it can get dirty and clogged due to lack of maintenance and runtime of the engine. Therefore, it cannot supply the necessary amount of fuel to the engine.

This lack of fuel supply can cause a malfunction in the engine. When there is a malfunction in the engine, it causes the engine to stall or choke. Thus, the check engine light turns on. 

Check engine light is an essential indicator in a car that provides necessary waring to the driver whenever there is a malfunction in the engine.

There are various conditions of fuel injectors that can cause check engine light. You might try to know which conditions of fuel injectors can cause check engine light. Here are some common conditions of fuel injectors that can cause check engine light:

Dirty fuel injectors:

Dirty fuel injectors can cause check engine light. Over time, dirt, carbon, and many other things can start to build up in the fuel injectors. All of these make the fuel injectors dirty, which causes check engine light due to lack of fuel in the engine.

Clogged fuel injectors:

Clogged fuel injectors can cause check engine light. Clogged fuel injectors are a curse for engines. Due to clogged fuel injectors, the fuel injectors cannot provide the necessary amount of fuel to the engine. Therefore, the check engine light will warn the driver.

Will bad fuel injectors throw a code?

Bad fuel injectors will throw a code. Bad fuel injectors are bad for cars. It causes a lot of problems. The most prominent one is a misfire in the engine. 

Due to bad fuel injectors, the engine will not receive the necessary amount of fuel in the engine, which will cause the engine to stall, choke or stop running. Therefore, it will cause a misfire in the engine cylinders and result in serious issues.

When there is a bad fuel injector in the car, it will warn the driver by check engine light. It will also throw a code to the driver. The code will be P0300 – P0308. These codes indicate that the engine is seeing a misfire in the engine.

Even when you receive the code, you can check more closely in which fuel injector the problem is happening. 

You just have to use the dashboard and look into the misfire data of your dashboard and you can find the bad fuel injector through the numbers of misfires in each cylinder.

4 reasons why fuel injectors cause check engine lights to come on

There are many reasons why fuel injectors cause check engine lights to come on. You may ask for the reasons as well. Here are 4 reasons why we think fuel injectors cause check engine lights to come on:

Fuel injectors are clogged and dirty:

Fuel injectors can get clogged and dirty over the course of time. This will cause the engine to misfire in the cylinders. Therefore, the check engine light will come on.

Fuel injectors are causing a blockage in fuel supply:

Blockage in fuel supply can cause the engine to stall and choke. Therefore, the engine will have a hard time keeping itself running. It will stop momentarily as well due to this issue. Thus, the check engine light will come on.

Fuel injectors are causing a leakage:

Leakage in fuel injectors is common. It can leak due to the fuel injector being loosely connected to the engine. It can also be broken. Therefore, fuel will leak in the engine. 

The leaked fuel will cause massive waste and the engine will not receive the necessary amount of fuel to operate correctly. Thus, the check engine light will come on.

Fuel injectors are malfunctioning:

Bad fuel injectors can cause the engine to malfunction. This will cause serious damage to the engine. It will cause misfire and damage the pistons & cylinders in the engine. Thus, the check engine light will turn on to warn the driver about the issue.

What are signs of fuel injector problems?

Fuel injector problems are a big problem for drivers of a car. It causes various issues that can lead to catastrophic events and damage your car. There are many signs of a fuel injector problem. Let us discuss the common signs to identify fuel injector problems:

The engine will make a lot of noise and it will vibrate:

If you have a fuel injector problem, it will cause a lot of noise in the engine. It will cause a lot of vibration as well. Due to the lack of fuel, the cylinders will vibrate a lot and vibrate your car’s engine.

The engine will stop working after short periods:

Fuel injectors may cause problems in the fuel delivery system of the engine. It may cause a lack of gas supply in the engine. Therefore, the engine may not get the amount of fuel required to run the engine smoothly. 

As a result, the engine will shut down automatically after a short period of time.

You can smell burning fuel and fresh fuel:

Problems in fuel injectors may cause the engine to run dry. As a result, you may get the smell of some burnt oil from your car’s engine. You may also smell fresh fuel from your vehicle if it leaks fuel from the fuel injectors.

The check engine light will turn on:

If there is a problem with the fuel injector, your engine check light will turn on. You will also get a code between P0300 – P0308 depending on your problem with the fuel injector.

How to reset check engine light turned on by fuel injector?

There are multiple ways to reset the check engine light turned on by fuel injectors. The easiest way to reset the check engine light is to clean the fuel injector. Here are the steps that you can follow to reset the check engine light turned on by fuel injectors:

Almost empty the fuel tanks:

Before you reset the engine fuel tank, you will have to empty all the fuel in the tank. Drive the car as much as you can in a controlled environment. Run the engine until the tank is almost empty and the fuel warning indicator turns on.

Fill the fuel tank with fuel injector cleaner and top it up with gas:

Purchase a can of fuel injector cleaner and pour it all into the fuel tank. Fill the rest of the tank with gas. This will help mix the fuel injector cleaner in the engine and help clean the dirty and clogged fuel injectors.

Drive the car until the tank is empty:

After you fill the car, drive the vehicle as much as you can. Drive it for 1 – 2 hours each time you start the engine. You will need a few days to empty the fuel tank. Do not empty the fuel tank in one run. 

When you empty the tank, refill the tank and your check engine light will reset. If yet unsolved, use another can of fuel injector cleaner and try again.

Where fuel injector problem cause check engine light?

Fuel injector problems cause check engine lights in vehicles dashboard. Vehicles are often driven in various conditions. Besides, drivers drive their vehicles in different ways. Moreover, they are maintained in various ways. 

This causes the vehicle to get into a fuel injector problem which may cause a check engine light.

It is mainly seen that lack of maintenance causes the fuel injectors to get clogged and cause the check engine light to turn on. There are more reasons behind fuel injector problems in a vehicle. But lack of maintenance is one of the biggest causes of this problem.

Final Thoughts

Fuel injectors can cause check engine light. Fuel injectors can cause some kind of blockage in the fuel supply system of a vehicle. It can be a clog or leakage in the fuel supply system. This can cause the engine to choke or stall and cause the check engine light to turn on.