Going to change injector o-rings this weekend.I've been under the valve cover but haven't pulled injectors.was wondering what tips or warnings anyone might have for me.thanks for any help! 2001 sd 250 7.3l new uvch ,IDM,frx,hpx,intake inserts,c-coated bellowed ups,hutch+pooned,new fuel pump,filters+oil,.50 mod.,fuel pressure gauge,scan gaugeII

 

Inch pound torque wrench.....Mighty Vac to suck residual oil from cylinders.

Or, just find Tugly's sig....it all there.

 

I have the whole thing in my sig? Oh... the cup link. That's a lot of reading. Fast-forward to near the end, where I talk about the tools I used.

If you can work it out with the Mity-Vac, drain the cylinders through the nozzle hole or the glow plug hole (same size). If you can't arrange a tube that small, then you can only get what's in the cup - and you have to purge the rest of the oil/fuel by way of cycling the engine slowly (42-pin connector disconnected, injectors in, glowplugs out).

The passenger-side bolts near the heater core can be easily reached from the wheel well underneath - unless it's an Excursion. 13mm flex socket, loooong ratchet extensions, 13mm deep socket and a universal, 1/4" drive 8mm deep socket, universal, and an extension (with the 3/8" adaptor for the torque wrench). The passenger side will be your bane, hence the "reach around" tools.

Do I hear snickering?

After everything is purged and put back together (valve cover off), the 42-pin connected and cable secured from moving parts, and heater hose secured - this is time to police the area. Your IC tubes are off and the unfiltered intakes (spider and turbo) are black holes that will suck paper towels, tools, beverages, pets, and even light into the thrasher.

It's going to be a cranky beech before she starts. I suggest 10-seconds on the first try, give it a minute for the starter to cool, then 5-second cycles with about 30 seconds to cool When it does fire off, it will likely lope, stink, knock, and generally sound scary for a few seconds, then over time it will smooth out.

Remember, the VCs are still off - but it won't make a mess, and you want to observe the oil spouts. Take pictures, videos, drink a beverage (at least 50 feet away, you don't want the 7.3L to suck it right out of your hand)... just wait for the engine to get to full temp. This the best way to burn yourself when you put the passenger-side lower VC bolts on, but more importantly - re-torque all your injectors with engine off and warm! You'll get anywhere from another 1/4 turn to 3/4 turn out of the bolts with the engine warm. OR... you can ignore this step - if you enjoy pulling the VCs off.

 

Just to clear up any ambiguity, don't turn the engine over with the injectors out. Not with the starter or by hand. You'll push oil through the HPOP, into the rails and it will just end up back in the cylinders. As an added bonus, if you turn it over with the starter with the injectors out and forget to pull the fuel pump fuse, you'll also send fuel in there.

 

IIRC, the "correct" procedure ( I put quotes around correct because it's best to use a mity-vac) was to re-install the injectors without plugging them in, but remove the glow plugs. Then turn the engine over to force any residual oil out through the glow plug holes. Re-install the glow plugs, check to make sure the engine isn't hydrolocked before completing the re-install of everything else (and not forgetting to plug in the sticks...)

 

Wire brush the tip of the injector and find the smallest needle you can to clean the spray orifice's just be sure not to dig into them to far and close the hole they are very small. I changed mine recently and spent about 10-15 minutes on each injector brushing-poking-blowing-and cleaning and it made a world of difference as mine were caked with soot. Start with #2 because its the easiest to work on and you will get the feel for it. Just take your time and you will be fine. Make sure too leave the 42 pin disconnected while you are clearing and priming the fuel and oil rails I left mine connected when I changed an injector and the glowplugs detonated the fuel in that cylinder and back fired out the exhaust. Scared the hell out of me lesson learned

 

Brass wire brush - it's softer. The nozzle can be hurt, so be careful.

Hey gang, thanks for reminding me to explain the purge process better, I went back and added to my original post.

42-pin connector off, injectors in (after re-ringing), glow plugs out.

 

I don't think using a brass wire brush on an injector nozzle does anything. You've got some small holes ~.006 and maybe 20,000 psi when the HPOP is at 3000psi. That combination is a good hole cleaner.

 

Another thought: make sure to remove ALL used copper washers. Sometimes they stay in the cups, sometimes the are stuck on the injector and are hard to see. You definitely don't want to double up by mistake.

 

It makes the nozzle pretty - like the steering wheel everybody wanted me to buy.

 

you guy's make me laugh!! bright and shinny is important!! Tugly I did read everything you have in your sig.that's why I feel I can do this.thanks .been reading this site over a year and that's why I decided to get this truck.GOOD INFORMATION!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Do you need to do anything about cleaning the old residue from inside the cups after pulling the sticks? To insure good seal on new orings.

 

That's a good question. I've inspected my cups more closely than most people, and I haven't really seen any issues. Remember, the cup is only in contact with the last fuel O-ring, and there's not a lot of pressure there - at least not much more than what some have in their household plumbing.

The main seals to worry about are the copper washer (usually not a problem), and the oil seal on the steel neck of the injector hole. While this is pretty easy to clean, I personally refrain from going wild with the brake cleaner. I don't know if this compromises the sealant on the cups.

 

I use a good quality paper towel and a wooden dowel. The dowel is the tool to rotate a wad of paper towel. Then I have a look with a decent flash light for ickkies.

 

Was wondering what size hose fits down the cup hole?trying to get all the stuff together for this weekend.would brake clean be better than carb. cleaner in the holes. should I be concerned about cup( leaks or cracks ) if I don't have any stuff in degas bottle.thanks