Diesel Injector Removal

I need to remove my injectors tomorrow. Can anyone who's actually done this on these engines give me any specific tips please.

I'm planning to get the engine hot, then - with the engine running - loosen the clamp bolts until I see/hear the seal on each injector start to leak, then attach mole grips and use a tyre lever to force the injectors out... unless someone suggests a different course of action.

Thanks.

Not tried this myself but soak them overnight tonight in coca cola

Good luck.

Hopefully they'll come out without putting up too much of a fight.

brake fluid, oven cleaner, coca cola - have been used to loosen injectors

what Saj said, soundsw like a good idea on running the car but you might find they dont even budge on idle.

IPA (NOT Indian Pale Ale but Isopropyl Alcohol) seems to eat well through carbon, as a last resort, but make sure you give it time to evaporate out of the cylinder before starting the engine again.

Turning the engine over without the retaining bolts might loosen them but I was warned by Honda to disable (with HDS) / disconnect the injector electrical connection and never run the engine with bolts undone because you could bend / crack the HP rigid pipelines from the rail to the injectors causing leakage, spray, fire, death etc. I work with large systems upto 4000 BAR but 1500 from a HP pump could still cause serious injury or worse.

I think it is advised not to rotate the injectors but you may get away with rotating them clockwise about 5 degrees to get them moving.

One specialist who attempted the job managed to break the tip of a glow plug so I remove the glow plugs before the injectors.

It might be impossible to stop c**p falling down the cylinders so a vacuum adapter or some improvised way of recovering it may be needed. Rock solid carbon could cause serious damage if you run the engine.

If you have a seat cutting tool you can easily adapt it to clean the seat rather than cut. I was quoted 0.05mm tolerance for the depth of the seat so be careful if you need to remove any aluminium from the surface of the cylinder head. The surface of the seat might be torn away with the injector.

Don’t buy cheap copper washers from fleabay! There are several thickness available for this type of injector and sellers don't seem to list which one they are selling. I think Honda use the thicker version and an oversized variety of this version exists. I bought a pack of the cheap ones then got the right ones from HH.

If you get really stuck I invested in a set of Bosch / Delphi injector sockets and puller but the injectors seem more vulnerable to damage with the cap removed. Cleanliness is next to godlyness.

If you do break any and leave the body of the injector in the head there are a few mobile firms who offer to machine them out in situ rather than remove the head.

If it still goes wrong go to the pub and have 8 pints of the other type of IPA.


Good Luck!

Cheers guys... actually the injector removal went fairly well (even though they've been in for nearly 160k miles). Only had a couple of hours free late afternoon, so didn't get much else done, other than drain the sump and then spill around 3 litres of filthy black oil all over the garage floor after accidentally kicking the catch pan... currently there's a whole bag of cat litter scattered over the mess.

Worst part was that one of the clamp bolts was seized and I snapped two T30 torx bits trying to remove it, the third one I found in the bottom of a neglected tool box was a better make and fortunately this one did the trick. I was worried about the bolt snapping, but it didn't. The clamp bolts are very close to the actual injector, which forces you to use tiny torx bits with a 1/4" drive (so not my much beefier snap-on ones that take a 3/8" drive).

I didn't soak the injectors overnight, mainly because I was busy last night and didn't have time to remove the engine cover, but also the injectors sit in a recess, so whatever you use for soaking will drain into the cylinders after injector removal (just seen your post Andrew, and I guess IPA would be OK in this regard). But I did very liberally spray Tesco's version of WD40 all around the injector bases and the clamp bolts (I know PlusGas is better, but wasn't sure if it would work and I'm too mean to waste it).

I loosened each clamp bolt, re-tightened, then started the already warm engine. I then loosened each clamp bolt in turn, only about half a turn, while watching to see if the injector had come loose. Thanks to the WD40, the resulting bubbling was very obvious and allowed me to very quickly move along the line before quickly switching the engine off... the injectors still appeared to be firmly in place at this point.

I then removed the small pipes (both ends) that go from the rail to the injector, unplugged the electrical connectors and removed the leak-back pipework, clearing the area around the injectors. Gently wiggling each injector in turn using mole grips allowed me to easily pull each free in a matter of seconds. Wrote the relevant location number on each part removed and then cleaned and stored all parts.

The copper seals were all in excellent condition and so there was practically no carbon build-up on any injectors... I believe this is how they came out so easily. It seems reasonable to ***ume that when the seal blows then the resulting leakage will deposit all manner of carbon and goo along the injector body and effectively glue them firmly in. So I was lucky, as this was the part I was most concerned about.

I've got a bit more spare time tomorrow, so will hopefully get to the chains then. Replacement (Febi) chains have been ordered from an eBay supplier (£81), but I'm going to buy the copper seals and a replacement oil chain tensioner from HH, and possibly other parts if they don't look reusable. I'm aiming to re-use the timing chain tensioner, as that one can be easily replaced after re-***embly if it's a bit noisy.

[SIZE=11pt]I think you earned a pint of IPA for your efforts. On mine the entire body length of 2 injectors was glued in place with carbon. I guess your's are what they are like when fitted correctly.[/SIZE] Are you planning to replace your chains without removing the engine?

Excellent advice and also excellent work Jon!!

Please be kind enough to share some pictures of your progress. This will make an excellent DIY

I enjoyed this video .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srhckFeqWBs

Andrew - Yes, but I know I'm going to have to undo the engine mounts and lift the engine up a few centimetres in order to remove the sump... I am following instructions in a Honda workshop manual. I know others do suggest removing the engine.

Fahad - I intend to take some photos in the hope that I will one day be able to post pictures and links again.

Rob - LOL, that's scary (and not just because he's a Geordie)!

Lol temporarily switch browsers mate

I'm sure you'll keep us updated with your progress. I was left with oil leaks from the timing chain case and sump gaskets after honda replaced my chains. I've just lived with them thinking the engine had to be lifted and it's too heavy for any kit I've got access to. It will be interesting to see how you get access to the chains.

Yes, I'll let you know. But I will actually be using a heavy duty engine hoist to raise the engine.

Other demands meant I didn't actually get to do much car stuff today, other than order some parts from HH (even with the discount we get, that lower tensioner was still a serious kick to the wallet!), order some engine oil from ECP, remove the engine under cover (shearing 3 of the 10mm bolts, but managed to drill/molegrip the studs out) and almost an hour of properly cleaning up the oil spill from yesterday.

I've realised that - with the injectors removed - it's vital to cover the holes to prevent dirt (or even a dropped screw) falling into the cylinders. Looking down the holes to the point where the copper gasket sits, there is potential for any debris to collect on that surface, and actually it does look like some dirt has fallen in, presumably as I removed the injectors (even though I gave the area a good air line blasting first). Any suggestions on cleaning this ledge, bearing in mind it's at the bottom of a 15-20cm well and I don't want to knock too much into the cylinders? I'm planning to attach a thin tube to the vacuum cleaner and dangle it down each hole in turn, just before I re-insert the injectors, but interested in your suggestions!

First job tomorrow will be removing the crank pulley, just after eating three Weetabix...

Done a few more bits today, BUT couldn't undo the crankshaft pulley bolt.

I've wedged tyre levers through the wheel hubs and down at an angle to the concrete garage floor so, in 5th gear, the engine is well locked and barely moves while I try to undo that bolt. But I can't shift it... even sheared a 1/2" extension trying!

I have ***umed the bolt to be a normal, right hand thread that needs to be undone in a counter-clockwise direction. Please can someone confirm this?

Cheers.

Normal anti clock removal . They are a swine with just a bar and a common or garden half inch will often break , they do em suckers up to 150lb plus and then they be there for a long time . If using a bar you really want 3/4 drive and a length of scaffold ... and what ya really need is an impact gun . Your to far away to borrow mine ..you wanna find someone else with one .

And I probably would not even bother trying the snapon gun on that , I would proceed directly to my Makita 6906 :wub: :wub: :wub: :wub:

I'm using a very long torque wrench, almost a metre, and I am a bit chunky so no surprise about the breakage really... but I'm concerned about the bolt too. I think I need to hire an impact driver. Thanks for the offer Rob.

You will knacker yer torque wrench on that . Proper breaker bar only for that kind of heavy swinging work ... well unless yer torque wrench is like mine in which case it has a ring for attatching a winch and tightens to 1700nm calibrated without multiplyer :lol:

Hi there, do any of you know how to remove a completely carbon seized injector, I think it is the prime suspect in my tractor sounding accord. I bought a diesel injector puller off eBay in the hopes it may work.

Thanks

I will be doing the same tomorrow at work popping in some new timing chains. Hopefully things should go ok. Just one question when refitting the injectors will you be using injector grease?

'Popping in' isn't the phrase I'd use. I must have dealt with more seized bolts doing this job than in all the previous 30 years of car maintenance... I think the problem is that the engine is just so devoid of oil leaks that rust has taken hold of the majority of the screws and bolts. Took me hours to get the aircon pump off and had to drill the head off the lower bolt nearest the centre of the car, it's almost like Honda designed it to maximise exposure to road spray. But at least my injectors came out easily.

My Honda manual doesn't mention grease, but I was going to apply a bit of silicone grease when refitting. Hope you've got some decent copper washers?

Ive got my off today but going to buy another tenersionr as the teeth was found to be worn. guides and sprockets look all ok. no issues with the injectors just a bit of left and right movement with a 30mm spanner done the job. only hard part was getting one bolt out from the engine mount bracket. Yeah im using Honda parts. Chains are Febi.

Not the best photos






Sorry for hijacking

I've also got Febi chains, but Honda tensioner (lower chain only) and injector seals.

Are some of the side links on your Febi oil pump chain orange? I'm a bit puzzled why 3 on mine are!