Method and apparatus for attenuating fuel pump noise in a direct injection internal combustion chamber

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for attenuating fuel pump noise in a direct injection internal combustion engine (22). In one proposal, the direct injection fuel nozzle is suspended from a fuel rail (32) in a fashion that avoids direct metal-to-metal contact between the injector and the engine block (24). The direct injection nozzle may also be connected to the fuel rail (32) by a pair of spaced-apart seals which equalize the longitudinal pressure on the nozzle during operation. Enlarged diameter fuel reservoirs and/or a restricted orifice (96) may be provided fluidly in series between the fuel pump (36) and the direct injection nozzle in order to attenuate noise resulting from fuel pump pulsation.