Protection of piezo stack of a fuel injection valve for an internal combustion engine

A fuel injection valve has a piezo stack actuator (4, figure 1) located in a guide, a valve stem 8 connected to the piezo stack with closing spring 24, a valve housing 6 creating a annular gap 12 for high pressure fuel, a pressure equalising cylinder 11 with annular gap 18 creating a low pressure area behind it in which the piezo stack is placed and flow limiter 13 through which fuel is precisely metered to the combustion chamber. The fuel injector valve is located in an injector housing and fuel is supplied to the valve by an annular space between the injector housing and the guide for the piezo stack. Fuel pressure in gap 12 acting on the cylinder 11 and the flow limiter 13 may assist the closing of the valve due the ratio of surface areas on which the fluid acts.