How Long Do Fuel Injectors for Bobcats Last? — Fuel Injector 101

If you’re the owner of one of the well known Doosan D18, D24 or D34 engines commonly used in Bobcat skid steers, excavators, track loaders, tow compressors and more, many people like to know how long they should expect their fuel injectors to last. 

If you need a quick guide on the role of a diesel fuel injector, check out this article. In short, a diesel fuel injector sprays fuel from its valve and into the engine. 

The Doosan engines have been known to be reliable, and fuel injectors used in this engine have improved significantly over the years. These new engines are built to require less fuel consumption while producing the same amount of power. Although advancements have been made on these machines and their counterparts, we still see fuel injector failure being one of the leading causes that arise when one has an issue with their machine. 

On average, fuel injectors can last for up to 100,000 miles. After 100,000 miles you should be looking at replacing your injectors even if they are still working. Starting at the 50,000 mile mark is when you may also be looking at replacing your injectors. The key to ensuring that your injectors can last up to 50,000 to 100,000 miles will be dependent on several variables. These include how often you maintain and clean your fuel rail system, when and where you use your machine (e.g. weather, road conditions), the fuel quality you use and whether you’re purchasing high quality parts or purchase a faulty fuel injector. 

Maintenance Cycle

Regardless of what others say, we believe that fuel injectors need maintenance for the type of work that these machines are put under. Maintaining and cleaning your fuel injectors along with the fuel system will be critical. One of the most important parts to look for when conducting at-home maintenance is your fuel filter. The fuel filter in any engine is responsible for preventing any dirt, rust and other contaminants. The fuel filter is what stands in the way from your injectors being contaminated with debris. This is often an easy and cheaper fix when considering preventative maintenance. If you’re looking to be proactive by scheduling maintenance on your machine, we recommend taking your fuel injectors to get cleaned every 10,000 to 15,000 miles OR every ~250 hours. If you are experienced in cleaning your injectors at home, you can also look at purchasing some cleaner for this process. Be careful when performing maintenance on your own. If you’re not familiar with your engine, we recommend taking it in to your local mechanic. 

Driving Style

This may be an obvious one, and perhaps not such an issue for the audience working with tractors and industrial machines, but your driving style can affect how long your fuel injectors last for. Consider what you typically use your machine for and whether that machine can withstand certain driving styles that it is put under. Driving fast or in areas with hills that require constant acceleration can impact the longevity of your fuel injectors and/or other diesel parts. For example, skid steer loaders are known to provide higher travel speeds compared to a track loader. Therefore, a skid steer might be ideal for certain agricultural tasks, asphalt applications and snow removal. And a track loader might be ideal for construction and landscaping. Considering the use case and likely driving conditions will be important. 

Fuel Quality

We have talked about it before in other articles, but fuel quality is the number one cause for fuel injector problems. Fuel contamination from dirty diesel that includes dirt, red diesel, and other debris must be avoided. Make sure you purchase your fuel from reliable sources. Additionally, water in fuel can also lead to fuel contamination due to the corrosion it causes. 

Weather

Extreme cold or hot weather conditions can also play an effect on your injectors longevity. In the point above, we mentioned that water is another leading cause of fuel contamination. If you live in an area that experiences freezing or hot temperatures, or an area that has a lot of moisture, turn to your owner’s manual for guidelines on how to best prepare your machine to be used during these conditions. 

Signs of a Bad Fuel Injectors Include: 

• Check engine light turns on

• Rough idling problems such as bouncing, shaking or an engine knocking

• Slow to start

• Engine misfire

• Fuel efficiency decrease 

• Gas odor coming from your engine

• Fuel leaks by the fuel injectors

Keep in mind that these signs above are not guaranteed signs of fuel injectors, but can be some signs. If you are noticing any of these issues, we recommend taking your machine to a mechanic right away. 

We hope that this article gives you more insight into how long fuel injectors are expected to last for. The longevity will ultimately vary, but we hope these points mentioned will be taken into consideration in order to increase the odds that your parts last for thousands of miles to come. If you do find that you need to replace your injectors, reach out to us via email at contact@expertdieselparts.com and we’d be happy to assist you in finding replacement parts. 

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