It is rarely ever relaxing to hear an injector noise on your Citroen C3. It is a noise that arises repeatedly, usually when you accelerate or your engine is idling. However, this sign may be connected to multiple sort of problems with your automobile injectors. It may not be anything severe, but when a frequent noise comes out, you have to be sure. Most importantly since repairing your Citroen C3’s injectors can be costly. That’s why our team decided to prepare this article content in order to support you see more clearly, learn about the different possible failures and determine your trouble. To do this, we will first look at the normal functioning and usefulness of the injectors in your Citroen C3, then at the possible causes from which an injector noise may come.injector-noise-citroen-c3

Purposes of the injectors

Injectors are a very useful part of the operation of your engine motor. 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 opportunity, 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 received from the various sensors equipping the automobile (engine temperature, acceleration level, engine speed, etc.). Their goal 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 origins of a clicking or knocking noise caused by the injectors of your Citroen C3

Experiencing injector noises on your Citroen C3 may result from different locations, we will now look into the potential causes of these. In most cases, the usual noise of a faulty injector is of the snap type. Here are the several sources of these noises and the solutions to be put into practice to stop them. If you hear another clicking noise but it is not from your injectors, we advise you to go through this article content about clicking noise on Citroen C3 to discover the cause.

The explanations for injector clicking or knocking noise Citroen C3

A clicking or knocking noise from your injectors can be justified by different explanations. Indeed, the injectors of your Citroen C3 have three main tasks, to manage the vaporisation of the fuel, i.e., to convert the liquid into “gas” during injection, to facilitate its combustion. Then, its mission is to deal with the air/fuel dosage and finally the homogeneity of the mixture, always with the aim of improving combustion. If one of these three characteristics is altered, 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 as a consequence of bad timing, or a bad quantity of mixture or finally an inhomogeneous mixture and will provoke thoses knocking or clicking noises on your Citroen C3. The main cause of these situations in most cases originates from a particle that gets into the injectors. The precision of the injector being in the nanometer range, any possible blockage will inevitably end in a malfunction of the injector. If after checking, this noise originates from another part of the engine of your Citroen C3, read this article content for more informations.

The end result of injector noise on Citroen C3

Now that we have examined the diverse reasons for injector noise on your Citroen C3, we will end by stating the possible side effects 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 effects which can fairly quickly become severe….
First, you risk destroying your exhaust unit 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 common effects experienced by drivers is a serious loss of power. Indeed, if your engine is running on 3 out of 4 cylinders for example, you will obviously have a loss of power
Finally, you risk degrading one of your pistons or your engine. Poor combustion will fairly quickly damage your cylinders or pistons and your engine may tighten.
Here are three little recommendations to limit the risks relating 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>