I'm at 414k on my injectors, originals as far as I know... winter time needs some help from being plugged in, but I also need to replace my gpcm (02 excursion) and a couple glow plugs...

 

I wonder if the PO didn't perform maintenance. There are some people out there that know they are going to replace their vehicle every 2-3 years and they do zero maintenance.

 

This!
And not just injectors. Most everything that clicks and whirs. Correct operating temperature is to machines as oxygen is to us.

 

I'm at 296K miles on my original injectors. I've been promising them some new shims and o-rings for over a year, and have the parts sitting in the garage, but just haven't made time to do it yet. The only reason I'm planning to "shim and ring" them is because I have one injector which has a sticking poppet year round (for about 4 years now), and last winter, a second one began showing that it is right around the corner from the first one. Otherwise, once they are warm and happy, I can still get about 17+ mpg on the interstate (hand calculated), and the engine runs smoooth and strooong.

 

4 years Pete? You've had to have shed a few kids over that time, and dropped the whole direct to consumer filter cover thing. That should have at least freed up one afternoon over the last 4 years to at least take care of the offending side.

 

Mine lasted for 415k although for a couple months I did have it plugged in, bit chilly. Replaced all GP and uvch as well

 

It is posts like this that make me wait until I start to have issues with my stock injectors. My truck runs very well (knock on wood) even when towing heavy in the mountains. I think I got lucky and had the right combination of mods and made sure everything else was 100%.

Like was mentioned earlier, I believe proper operating temperature is key. I don't even start the blades turning on my John Deere riding mower until the engine has had time to warm up.

Proper maintenance is key, but sometimes it is the luck of the draw that gets you.

 

What can I say, Chris?

Yes, we're now down to two kids at home, but keep in mind that I'm now also helping maintain 7 vehicles (including having purchased/sold 10 vehicles in that time frame due to accidents, engine failure, and "I just want something different"). I will say, though, that my participation in the purchases and sales are only from a vehicle selection and transport standpoint -- they purchase their own vehicles and pay for their own insurance. Last year was a complete and perpetual 9 month long drama on the repair front. We've also had a wedding which required a lot of house remodeling before hand, additional remodeling since, a job change to a new company where I now travel for weeks at a time to places like UP Michigan, Maine, and Texas/Lousiiana, and I've helped my wife strip and refinish at least 10 different pieces of furniture in the house.

On the filter cover issue, let's just say that it has exploded beyond any imaginations I could have had 10 years ago.

Still... I DO have the time... BUT... The truth is that the problem only really seemed to be getting worse last winter when the second injector reared it's head. All in all, through this spring and summer, it has not gotten any worse, so I'm just "coasting" with it for the time being while other and bigger things keep jumping in front of me, and my current "spare time" is often spent just catching my breath from regular onslaughts from the other stuff. I'm gearing up for a Thanksgiving or Christmas "round of repairs" which will include the injector shims & rings, and I'll probably pull the HPOP to rebuild the bottom plug and replace its fittings, and I'll probably proactively swap out a starter, replace both batteries, re-ring the oil cooler, and a few other odds and ends. Shoot, I may even choose to rebuild the turbo in that time frame.

Sorry for the hijack.

 

Same here, Pete.. Think, we ordered the shim kit at the same time. Going through this thread, and what Cletus had mentioned is exactly what my trucks' doing now. Temps under 50* and she's done. Just it in Bishop. Morning temp was 40*(torque pro confirmed), and all she did was roll the motor with lots of smoke. Now, is that a GP thing or infectious showing their mileage(269k, originals)

 

My bet would be GPs, but I just had to address these same symptoms last month and this was the fix.

 

Not going OT, as oil quality seems to directly affect injector life:

Which bypass filter do you recommend, and why?

 

Sounds like GP or GP Relay issue to me as well. I do remember us buying the kits at about the same time, roughly a little over a year ago IIRC.

Over a year ago, I deliberately started waiting longer after the WTS light goes off before starting the engine in the mornings, but that is primarily due to the fact that I have one weak battery and need to replace both before it gets too cold, and I've seen clearly that the longer I allow the GP's to run before hitting the ignition, the easier the start and the less battery drain I experience at startup... I'm just milking my battery life for now, but it is easing the injector symptoms at the same time.

The other thing I'm doing now is letting the truck idle until the GP relay switches off, which I did not always do before (I never did the GPR LED mod). Ever since I relocated the relay to the PS fender wall on a piece of hard aluminum angle, I can actually hear the clicking on and off of the relay loudly enough to where I simply wait until it shuts off before I EVER put the shifter in Drive. Even then, during the warmer days, my one very tired injector will take 1-3 tenths of a mile after driving off before I can hear it begin to fire. Colder days like today (around 40°F), I got a full mile and a half away from the house before it fired, and that's after going up and down several tall and steep hills which always help increase the engine warm-up cycle. If this winter is like last winter, it sometimes takes a full 10-12 minutes of hilly driving before it will fire (when it's down below 30°F), but I ALWAYS drive it until that injector is firing off... ALWAYS... even if I have to drive circles around the building where I work for a few extra minutes before parking. I want that puppy to dance before I shut it off for the rest of the day because I don't want the latent engine heat to ever begin "cooking" the oil film between the poppet and the plate to ensure that it doesn't get permanently stuck.

 

If the batteries are in parallel and not isolated, then the weaker will quickly pull the stronger down to its level. I discovered this sad fact whilst building 12v solar systems. It's a function of lead/acid batteries, not their application. FYI

 

Thanks for that tidbit. I understand how the parallel arrangement works. I've always run matched pairs and replaced both together. However, about 18 months ago, one of my Optima Red Tops died at the 3-yr point while the other was still OK. I could only get Advance Auto to replace the one battery, so I've been running a mis-matched pair since then with the plan to replace both this winter to get things back on an even keel again.

 

I have the gpr led, but I found a few months ago, that the pcm was NOT grounding v out the relay, Thus, no light...so, I rigged up a switch to manually set off the gpr. Works great fur now. Guess, I'll need to ohm out them plugs(have new ones with everything else &#128528... Back in January, while in big bear. Same thing, did not want to fire off until weather warmed up. So, last night there, I plugged ur in. Man, she popped right off. Torque pro measured oil at 91*👍