of the valve element 32 by means of the hydraulic coupler 71 a u201c hydraulic spring u201d acting on the control piston 34 in the closing direction is tensed and this reinforces the ensuing closing process even given the fact that the valve element 32 in the open state is intrinsically pressure balanced in the embodiment shown in fig5 the coupling chamber 50 is formed not between the valve element 32 and the housing 22 but rather between the valve element 32 and an additional sleeve 74 this sleeve is urged against the nozzle body 24 by a spring 76 which is braced on the main body 26 the control piston 34 in fig5 furthermore has a larger diameter d 3 above the annular collar 56 than below the annular collar 56 diameter d 2 this permits an additional degree of freedom in determining the closing and opening properties of the fuel injection device 18 the sleeve 74 permits a marked increase in size of the annular chamber 52 which simplifies the manufacture and design of the main body 26 moreover the increased volume of the annular chamber 52 assures an improved damping property for instance for damping pressure waves.