Menu
What's new
By:
Advanced search...

Removing diesel fuel injectors

F

Firefox

Members
Messages
15
Reaction score
0
Location
Windsor
Car
Honda Accord
Hi
My first post on this forum, although I have already found the information on this forum very useful (had a faulty pressure relief valve on my common-rail).

I have a Honda Accord 2.2iCTDi 2004 ~140K miles. I have only had this a few months and would like to remove the injectors and get them tested (and refurbished if necessary).

Removing the high pressure pipes and ***ociated fittings seems an achievable task for my ability. However, I'm not sure how easy it would be to pull out the injectors once I have removed their clamping bolt.

Can this be done by hand?
Or is it advisable to buy an extractor tool? (if so, can you recommend a reasonably priced one).

I suspect the injectors on the car have never been removed. I realise there's always a possibilty that 1 could be stuck. However, I am looking for other people's experiences on this car and whether in general I would be able to pull out injectors by hand or not.

Many scare stories on internet (mainly from companies offering to do the job for you).

Thanks
 
What makes you think the injectors need refurbishing... did replacing the fuel rail pressure-relief valve not completely cure the starting problems and you think the injectors might be at fault? You can test for excessive leak-back/leak-off without removing the injectors as a reasonably straightforward DIY. Some degree of injector calibration is also possible using a Honda Diagnostic System, also without having to remove the injectors.

Do to problems with my TA account I am unable to post links or cut/paste info, but if you use our search box (with 'forums' selected) for the word 'torx' then my thread 'removing diesel injectors' can be found (post #7 describes exactly how I did it).

Unless you've had a leaking injector seal (which should be obvious with the cover removed) then you shouldn't have a problem and you won't need special tools. Do also look for the thread where I give details on refitting the injectors, as you will need new seals and the injector seats will need careful cleaning and inspection to avoid leakage after refitting. Do not clean the tip of the injector, however tempting this might seem!

Welcome to TypeAccord Kully.
 
Thanks for posting those links Brian.

Do you know how to calibrate/balance the diesel injectors using HDS? I wouldn't mind having mine checked some time.
 
Thanks Jon and Brian for all information and quick responses.

Sounds scary loosing injector bolts while car is idling but I like the idea and will try it.

Pressure-relief valve fixed the starting problem.
I tried the DIY leak back test and all injectors seemed fine. No fuel leaking from injector seals either.

However I have black smoke on acceleration. I realise unburnt diesel could be due to numerous things ***ociated with lack of air or too much fuel.
My mobile phone app shows no error codes from Car. It's mpg is okay (42 mpg for mixed; I was expecting closer to 50mpg).
Air filter needs changing (I have bought it but not gotten around to fitting it). However, I would be surprised if this was the only culprit. Fuel filter was changed 3 months ago (by guy who sold car to me, so I doubt it is a Honda genuine part). Currently trying Shell V-power diesel to see if this helps (on first tank but no difference so far).

Given the car has done 140K miles, I thought it wouldn't hurt to get the injectors tested. Please correct me if black smoke cannot be due to injectors.

I was intending on taking out injectors myself and taking them to a company called Lynx diesels(Wokingham) who will test and rebuild them if necessary (they do not take them out of the car though).

Cost of rebuild is about £95 per injector. Is this reasonable ?
Is the rebuild, just a disassemble and clean? Can (should ) I do this myself?
Thanks
again for your help.
 
I'd want to try a few other things before pulling the injectors... I have heard others blame excessive black smoke upon an inefficient air filter and I know independent tests have shown the Honda air filter to be significantly better than the alternatives, so maybe try that first. Also check the boost pipework and intercooler for signs of leaking (never tried, but I understand that soapy water can be useful in doing this). Taking the injectors out is a 'high risk' job and people do sometimes have trouble, maybe I was lucky? It isn't fuel that leaks out when the copper injector seals (actually called 'gaskets' by Honda) blow, it's exhaust gases which then carbonise around the injector and so glue it firmly into place.

The only injector problems I've heard of in relation to these Honda diesels is excessive leak-back, but never over-fuelling. I think it's unlikely you could refurbish these injectors yourself.

Having a non-Honda (actually made by Bosch) fuel filter could well cause problems in the future, but I can't see how this might cause black smoke issues.

Loosening the injector bolts with the engine running is frowned upon by some people, but was recommended to me by a neighbour who services/repairs farm equipment and claims to have never failed to get injectors out easily this way. I was careful not to put my head above the injectors while doing this in case they shot out, but it only took me a minute or so to move along all the clamp bolts and loosen them half-a-turn or so.
 
Pulling injectors should be last resort. After other things have been eliminated. You could snap an injector and then you will have a host of problems removing the head etc
 
Black smoke = lack of air, change the air filter as advised I am not sure how the intercooler works on our cars but on our boat engines they consist of a can with a matrix inside it, the can gets air pumped into from the turbo, and the matrix carries cooling water, if the outside of the matrix gets clogged with foul substances i.e bits of ****roaches and seagulls then there is less air to be drawn into the combustion chambers this causes black smoke and lack of power. However by giving a diesel the beans from a low load situation will also give the same effect, be gentle with her! unless some burk in a BMW is trying it on. LOL
 
Sounds like an expensive and risky way to get rid of a bit of black smoke. How bad is the smoke?

I would definitely start with a good service and a fresh air filter first. Perhaps consider cleaning the egr valve and inlet manifold too.

Has the engine been remapped or does it have any kind of tuning box attached to the fuel rail?
 
Listen to the advice above mate, I've read nothing yet to suggest your injectors are bad and need removing.

I would do the obvious and easy stuff first and then have a good look for a boost leak, maybe a punctured intercooler or pipe as John said.

Furthermore you could have a slightly knackered egr valve not fully closing and even a bad remap.

I offer a diagnostics service and can check things like your egr and injector calibration.
 
Update for those interested.
Changed my air filter as suggested. This made a huge difference to black smoke (first car I've owned where changing the air filter has made so much difference; old filter did not seem too badly clogged up).

Now I only get the greyish smoke (like on cold foggy days after a cold start) during hard acceleration. After this acceleration it appears fine. I'm happy that this behaviour is nothing for me to worry about.

Thanks for all the pointers.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top