Fuel Injector Removal

[dale farley]

I need to check my injectors to see if one or more are leaking. I called Detroit Diesel to see if they can do it without removing them, and they said they could not. Since it is a 360 mile round trip to the closest DD in Montgomery, I thought I might just pull them out myself and have them tested at a local injector shop. Does anyone know if this is something I can do without a whole lot of trouble and frustration on the 8V92 engine? Any known pitfalls in doing this?

Where is the best place to buy DD parts such as fuel injectors? Do I call the corporate office, one of the 4 Regional Offices or a Service Center? Thanks. Dale Farley

[Jerry Winchester]

Well this is a good news / bad news kinda deal. Can you pull them out? You bet and in one respect, pulling out DDEC injectors is better than the mechanical kind because of all the "other" things that have to come out with them. In fact, getting them out is seldom the problem.

The problem is getting them back in. And adjusted, etc. What makes you think they are leaking? If it's fuel in the oil? It is more likely the fuel supply / return tubes. I also think a failed seal on the fuel gear pump will cause fuel to leak via the blower aux drive back into the case.

And you can buy injectors (especially rebuilt ones) from many places. If you have them tested at a good injection shop, they can either sell you rebuilt ones or rebuild the ones you have. Many truck service locations, Peterbuilt, Kenworth, International, etc., are all Detroit Diesel service centers, so they may have injectors in stock.

And believe it or not, you can buy new injections all day long on eBay, but if you don't know exactly what you have to have, this is a risky way to buy them.

[dale farley]

Jerry, The reason I think one or more injectors may be leaking is that I can let the engine idle a few minutes, and when I accelerate, I get a cloud of white smoke like unburned fuel. I talked to Detroit, and they said it is probably caused by an leaking injector. Others on the forum also validated this as a probable cause.

I am surprised that the injectors have to be adjusted once I put them back in since they are electronic controlled. I haven't found anything in my manuals, but Detroit said the injectors are under the valve covers. The injectors were all external on all the other diesels I've owned.

[Jerry Winchester]

Ok, leaking like out the injector tip. Yep they are under the valve covers.

I'm not trying to convince you not to do the job, but to pull the valve cover on one side, you have to loosen the exhaust manifold expansion joint that runs to the turbo charger inlet which is usually seized up and among other things, unless I had done this or seen it done and had a shop to do it in, I would probably defer to DD or a local shop.

You just have to weigh in the part where you get it back together and it won't start and you have to call the DD service truck out or have the wrecker haul it in. Not fun.

[4BAJA]

DALE , Not sure about DDEC controlled 8V-92 , Did most of my own valve & injector adjustments on previous mech. 8V -92 , any access to injector involves R&R of jakes & exhaust rockers/bridges , readjusting all lash / rack
Shelly

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Dale, These are the reasons I previously suggested the the fuel addative injector cleaning method. It is usually worth trying (one time) many auto dealers and repair shops use this method with good results. It would be worth asking the DD shop if they ever use this cleaning method in their shop and what result to expect. I am not necessarily advocating it but suggesting that you look into it and decide for yourself.

[dale farley]

Well, all the comments have given me things to consider. I don't want to get into problems with the exhaust, because I know what a bear that can be if anything about it is seized. I also wasn't aware that removing the injectors would inpact the Jake or valve settings, and I would not be comfortable with trying to adjust them afterwards.

I may see if a local shop seems to know what they are doing with my particular engine. I still have the problem of no DD shop within 150 miles. I will ask to see if cleaning the injectors via an additive is an option.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Dale,

The turbo inlet pipes are not slip joints and they will remove easily. The covers will also come off easily and you can work on everything if you want to from the rear of the coach. I know because I serviced my Jake solenoids once and it was easy.

I am not sure I would mess with my injectors however.

[dalej]

Dale if you have a hand pump with a pressure gauge on it you can hook it up to the fuel filter(there is a port for it) pump diesel into the lines and see if the pressure moves down over time. I watched my DD guy do this to find a leak in the line under the cover.

[Ray Davis]

Even if you have DD do the job, check your jakes before driving far! I had a tune-up, injector replacement at DD when I first got my bus, and my jakes failed to work after that tuneup.

Took it back to DD, and they said "jake connectors were not making good contact". Yeah, in my speak that said "oops, we forgot to reconnect your jake connectors!"