Fuel Injector Replacement Cost
July 19, 2023

Chris is Head of Content for FindTheBestCarPrice and is based out of Philadelphia, PA. As a seasoned automotive industry analyst and car enthusiast, he ensures the highest level of quality across all our content and curates our picks for the best deals each month.
Chris studied information systems and marketing at Drexel University and writes about a wide range of topics ranging from car buying tips to troubleshooting common mechanical issues.
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Injectors play an important role in delivering into the engine of a car. If your car's fuel injector is bad, the engine will receive a small quantity or no fuel at all, making it stall. A failing fuel injector would show different signs; if you ignore these signs and the injector fails completely, you'd need to replace it with a new one.
How much is fuel injector replacement cost? The fuel injector itself costs between $100 and $300, while labor costs could reach $100. So, the average cost of fuel injector replacement is around $400. However, there are scenarios where the cost could go above $500 (usually for supercars or higher-end trims).
Table of Contents
What Does a Fuel Injector Do?
Fuel injectors replaced carburetors in the fuel delivery system setup of modern cars. Its function is to spray/supply a specific amount of fuel into the engine cylinders, where the fuel gets mixed with air for combustion to occur in ICE vehicles.
A car may come with more than six fuel injectors; the total number depends on the number of cylinders the engine has – so an eight-cylinder engine has eight injectors, while an engine with fewer cylinders will have fewer injectors.
Regardless of how many injectors a car has, all functions are the same. When driving at top speeds, the injectors would spray higher quantities of fuel into the cylinders, and when you start slowing down, they will spray less. If one injector goes bad, replacing it all at once is advisable.
Fuel injectors are connected to the fuel pump through gas lines, so they receive fuel from the pump and then inject it into the combustion chambers. When your car engine fuel injectors fail, the engine will stall and overheat due to fuel insufficiency.
Fuel Injector Replacement Cost
Fuel injectors are usually sold in pairs at a price of around $100 to $300. Of course, you could find them cheaper or more expensive in some stores, so you may want to check around when buying. But the price quoted above is for the parts only; labor costs are around $100 to $150, depending on who is making the replacement.
The total amount you will spend to replace all your engine's injectors is estimated at $500 to $1,000, with a huge determinant factor being the type of engine you've got in your car. Yes, you can change only one injector and leave the rest (if they're still functioning fine), but it is best to have them all changed at the same time.
Attempting to change your faulty injectors because you want to save on labor costs may result in a deep mess that would cost you much more to fix. It is best to have a professional mechanic do the replacement and equally fix any other underlying fault that you probably don't know exists in your car.
What Causes Fuel Injectors To Fail?
Fuel injectors fail for many reasons; they could get clogged over time or become broken, which will cause them to malfunction. It is advisable to replace fuel injectors at intervals of 80,000 – 100,000 miles; some drivers choose a shorter timeframe. Fuel injectors can get affected due to hard impacts from collisions or accidents.
Furthermore, engine overheating may damage the rubber part of fuel injectors, causing them to fail abruptly and stop delivering fuel to the engine. The most common sign of a bad fuel injector is engine stalling. Notwithstanding, faulty injectors could lead to rough idling and higher fuel consumption as the injector might not be spraying directly into the right place.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can you replace only one injector?
Yes, you can replace only the faulty injector and leave the rest to stay as they are. But once one of the injectors goes bad, it's only a matter of time before the others would follow suit. So, to avoid paying labor costs twice or more, it is best to replace all the injectors when one of them goes bad.
When should I replace my car's engine injectors?
There is no particular timeframe for fuel injector replacement; however, many car enthusiasts would advise you to replace them within 80k to 100k miles of travel. Also, once you notice any sign of failing fuel injectors, you should confirm and replace them as soon as possible.
Can you drive with bad fuel injectors?
Yeah, you can drive with bad fuel injectors. If one of the injectors fails, the engine will still run, but you may experience intermittent misfiring and stalling. Also, you may notice that fuel consumption becomes higher than usual.
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