The spray characteristics of air-assisted fuel injection and its effects on the engine combustion was investigated in this study. The atomization characteristics of a Bosch fuel injector inserted into the air-assist adapter were measured using particle motion analysis system. Droplet size decreased with air supplied and fine spray with below $60mu extrm{m}$ of SMD was acquired under the conditions of air-assist pressure over 0.5bar. The lean combustion performance of a 1.8L DOHC engine equipped with air-assist adapters was tested on the dynamometer. When the assistant air pressure is 1.0bar, lean limit recorded the highest value, and CO, HC emissions were decreased at the pressure over 1.0bar.