In recent years internal combustion engine manufacturers have faced the challenge of increasing the power output of engines while also improving fuel economy and reducing emissions. One manner of meeting these challenges has been the production of fuel injectors that more finely control the injection of fuel into the combustion chamber of the engine. One of such fuel injectors created by Caterpillar Inc. is a hydraulically-actuated electronically-controlled unit fuel injector that employs two electrically-controlled mechanisms to regulate the injection of fuel.
To permit control of this type of fuel injector, each of the mechanisms is electrically connected to a control device, such as an electronic control module (“ECM”). Therefore, the exterior of the fuel injector is equipped with two sets of electrical connectors, one for each of the mechanisms. The electrical connections between the ECM and the electrical connectors are typically created by control wires. Control wires from the ECM may be directly connected to each set of electrical connectors, but connecting the control wires is often difficult and time-consuming due to the orientation of the electrical connectors and the close proximity of other engine components to the fuel injector. This difficulty is not only realized upon initial installation of the fuel injector but also at any time when the fuel injector must be removed or re-installed, such as during routine servicing. Therefore, there is a need for an electrical adapter that will permit quicker and easier connection of the control wires to the fuel injector, and therefore quicker and easier installation and removal of the fuel injector.