| CPC F02D 41/3845 (2013.01) [F02D 2041/389 (2013.01); F02D 2200/0602 (2013.01)] | 9 Claims | 

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               1. A method for operating a fuel injection system (1) for supplying a combustion engine of a vehicle with fuel, in which method the fuel is conveyed at high pressure with the aid of a high-pressure pump (2), fed to a high-pressure accumulator (3), and injected into a cylinder of the combustion engine with the aid of at least one injector (4) connected to the high-pressure accumulator (3), 
              wherein, to detect any damage to the drive of the high-pressure pump (2), 
            a) the pressure (P) in the high-pressure accumulator (3) is measured and, based on the measured values, a pressure drop (ΔP) in the high-pressure accumulator (3) caused by an injection into a cylinder is determined, 
                b) a maximum pressure gradient is determined during a pressure build-up phase following the injection, 
                c) the determined pressure drop (ΔP) and the determined maximum pressure gradient are put into proportion, and 
              damage to the drive of the high-pressure pump (2) is detected during an injection cycle when the determined maximum pressure gradient changes and the determined pressure drop (ΔP) remains unchanged. 
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