It is hardly ever enjoyable to notice an injector noise on your BMW 4 Series. It is a noise that appears regularly, usually when you accelerate or your engine is idling. However, this sign may be linked to different kind of problems with your vehicle injectors. It may not be anything major, but when a persistent noise arises, you have to be sure. Especially since fixing your BMW 4 Series’s injectors can be expensive. That’s why our team decided to write this content in order to support you see more clearly, learn about the different plausible failures and distinguish your trouble. To do this, we will first look at the normal functioning and usefulness of the injectors in your BMW 4 Series, then at the plausible triggers from which an injector noise may come.
Attributes of the injectors
Injectors are a very significant element of the operation of your engine. They were introduced to the modern cars about 20 years ago. Before their introduction, more conventional carburettor-type intake systems were used, which handled the intake of air and fuel into the engine cylinders. With the injectors, manufacturers now have the possibility, thanks to the injectors pump, to control electronically each stage of the intake process very precisely (quantity of fuel injected, air/fuel mixture) via the analysis of the data collected from the various sensors equipping the vehicle (engine temperature, acceleration level, engine speed, etc.). Their purpose is therefore to inject under high pressure a precise quantity of an air/fuel mixture at a perfect timing to obtain the best possible combustion in the cylinders.
The different causes of a clicking or knocking noise based on the injectors of your BMW 4 Series
Experiencing injector noises on your BMW 4 Series may come from different sources, we will now concentrate on the potential causes of these. In general, the regular noise of a faulty injector is of the snap type. Here are the several origins of these noises and the solutions to be applied to stop them. If you notice another clicking noise but it is not from your injectors, we advise you to examine this content about clicking noise on BMW 4 Series to find the trigger.
The causes for injector clicking or knocking noise BMW 4 Series
A clicking or knocking noise from your injectors can be justified by different causes. Indeed, the injectors of your BMW 4 Series have three main missions, to control the vaporisation of the fuel, i.e., to convert the liquid into “gas” during injection, to facilitate its combustion. Then, its objective is to manage the air/fuel dosage and finally the homogeneity of the mixture, always with the goal of improving combustion. If one of these three characteristics is modified, the main role of the injectors will be disrupted and this will lead to poor combustion. This bad combustion will be a violent explosion in the cylinders resulting from bad timing, or a bad quantity of mixture or finally an inhomogeneous mixture and will trigger thoses knocking or clicking noises on your BMW 4 Series. The main trigger of these situations generally comes from a particle that gets into the injectors. The accuracy of the injector being in the nanometer range, any possible obstruction will inevitably cause a malfunction of the injector. If after verifying, this noise comes from another part of the engine of your BMW 4 Series, read this content for more infos.
The repercussions of injector noise on BMW 4 Series
Now that we have examined the different reasons for injector noise on your BMW 4 Series, we will end by stating the possible end result of malfunctioning one or more of your injectors. Whether only one is obstructed, or broken, or your entire fuel rail is involved, you cannot escape these consequences which can fairly quickly become serious….
First, you risk destroying your exhaust system in the long run, because the unburned fuel residues that will end up in your exhaust system can corrode the metal in it.
One of the most basic effects felt by drivers is a severe loss of power. Indeed, if your engine is running on 3 out of 4 cylinders for example, you will inevitably have a loss of power
Finally, you risk deteriorating one of your pistons or your engine. Poor combustion will fairly quickly harm your cylinders or pistons and your engine may tighten.
Here are three little tips to limit the risks linked to your injectors and protect you from engine failure:
- Do not drive at the bottom of the tank, as you may absorb impurities
- Use quality fuel
- Think of swapping your diesel fuel filter regularly>
