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Fuel Delivery Problems: Lean vs Rich Diagnosis

Pump, injector, and regulator faults each leave a distinct trace in the five gases and on the scan tool.

"Fuel delivery fault" covers a family of very different failures. The 5-gas + OBD picture narrows them quickly once you know what each looks like.

Weak fuel pump / dirty filter

  • Normal at idle (demand is low).
  • Goes lean under load / high rpm.
  • STFT swings positive during load.
  • Fuel pressure drops under flow.

Leaking injector

  • Rich at idle (fuel dripping into cylinder).
  • High HC if fuel doesn't burn (fouls plug).
  • STFT negative (ECU trimming out fuel).
  • Cylinder balance test shows the affected cylinder dominating.

Stuck-closed / clogged injector

  • Lean on affected cylinder.
  • Elevated HC — misfire from lean ignition.
  • Cylinder drop test identifies which cylinder.
  • Injector flow test confirms.

Fuel pressure regulator

  • Stuck low: universal lean, bogging under load.
  • Stuck high: universal rich, sooty plugs.
  • Leaking diaphragm: fuel drawn via vacuum line, classic rich idle with no injector fault.

Confirmation path

  1. Fuel pressure gauge: key-on, idle, snap-throttle.
  2. Injector balance / click test.
  3. Individual STFT per cylinder where supported.
  4. Spark plug colour comparison across cylinders.
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