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Fuel Injector Nozzles: Less Care Is Better

That’s the fuel injection line and nozzle for the front left cylinder on a Lycoming AEIO-320 engine mounted on a Citabria 7KCAB. Yes, that’s bug splat—this is a working airplane.

They’re smaller than your thumb, inject a metered amount of fuel into each cylinder of your fuel-injected engine and rarely cause problems, but their maintenance needs should be understood as part of knowing the whys of your engine’s operation.

Fuel injection was developed to overcome some of the disadvantages of carburetors, notably unequal distribution of the fuel-air mixture to the cylinders. Currently, there are two fuel injection systems used commonly in our GA airplanes, Bendix-RSA and Continental Motors.

Rick Durden

Senior Editor Rick Durden has written for Aviation Consumer since 1994 and specializes in aviation law. Rick is an active CFII and holds an ATP with type ratings in the Douglas DC-3 and Cessna Citation. He is the author of The Thinking Pilot’s Flight Manual or, How to Survive Flying Little Airplanes and Have a Ball Doing It, Vols. 1 & 2.