Cleaning Fuel Injectors

[Fitz98]

I had to remove the fuel rails and injectors on my 98 Expedition 5.4 Triton as part of an intake removal process for a separate issue.
Is there anything I should do to clean up the injectors while the rails and injectors are off? Truck was running fine before removal.

 

[David2431]

Use an ultrasonic cleaner - maybe with B-12 Chemtool in it?

 

[cjolson140]

Be aware that you will likely need new o-rings for the rail connections (to avoid a fuel leak) and also o-rings where they plug into the manifold (to avoid vacuum leaks)

 

[Falcon_LS]

If the car is going to be out of commission for a while, drop Trav a line. He has really fast turnaround, and would clean them up on an ASNU machine, put new o-rings on and have them ready to go right back on the truck.

 

[demarpaint]

PM Trav. He'll do them right, they'll be like new or better when he's done.

 

[Linctex]

If they go into the ultrasonic cleaner, they'll need a blip of voltage once in a while to cycle the "plunger" -

otherwise, there can be trapped air in places inside where the solvent can't reach

 

[atikovi]

Send them to a service that cleans and tests them. Cleaning is only half the job, you still want to test them for flow and spray pattern. And just immersing in ultrasonic cleaner isn't going to clean the inside. You need to have a set up that flows cleaner through the injector.

 

[Mad_Hatter]

Originally Posted by cjolson140
Be aware that you will likely need new o-rings for the rail connections (to avoid a fuel leak) and also o-rings where they plug into the manifold (to avoid vacuum leaks)


You should always use new rings. RA sells repair kits with the O-rings and pintle cap.

If you can't afford the downtime of sending them out, hook up a 12v to the injector and give em a good spray/soak with Gumout, clean up the cylinder side and call it a day. Will it be as good a cleaning as sending them out to a shop, no. But it's better than nothing and you'll get your truck back in service sooner. But if it were me, I'd try and find a way to suffer through the downtime and get them professionally cleaned since you already have them out.

 

[Donald]

Contract Trav. They should be tested after cleaning.

 

[LeakySeals]

Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
Originally Posted by cjolson140
Be aware that you will likely need new o-rings for the rail connections (to avoid a fuel leak) and also o-rings where they plug into the manifold (to avoid vacuum leaks)


You should always use new rings. RA sells repair kits with the O-rings and pintle cap.

If you can't afford the downtime of sending them out, hook up a 12v to the injector and give em a good spray/soak with Gumout, clean up the cylinder side and call it a day. Will it be as good a cleaning as sending them out to a shop, no. But it's better than nothing and you'll get your truck back in service sooner. But if it were me, I'd try and find a way to suffer through the downtime and get them professionally cleaned since you already have them out.

Where to get pintle caps for example.. 2003 Maxima other that RA?

 

[Kestas]

Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
... hook up a 12v to the injector and give em a good spray/soak with Gumout...
I was told not to hook up 12v to the injector -- this was too much voltage.

 

[Mad_Hatter]

Originally Posted by Kestas
Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
... hook up a 12v to the injector and give em a good spray/soak with Gumout...
I was told not to hook up 12v to the injector -- this was too much voltage.


It's just a solenoid. It gets approx 12v to open. This is the voltage you would look for (along with checking ohm's) if you were attempting to diagnose a faulty injector.

Maybe leaving at 12v for an extended period of time might damage the the coils because injectors normally pulse on/off for a fraction of a second but I'm just speculating here. I've done this method of cleaning on my bench at home and I'm only energizing long enough to spray some Gumout then I'm good. Maybe I've just been lucky, dunno but there are tons of DIY articles and YT videos describing this method.

This article is pretty good and has a complete how to video that describes using 12v and DMM to check the solenoid operation and even test the spray pattern.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-test-a-fuel-injector

https://www.autoblog.com/2016/07/15/how-to-ensure-fuel-injectors-are-receiving-the-correct-voltage/

 

[Mad_Hatter]

Originally Posted by LeakySeals
[Where to get pintle caps for example.. 2003 Maxima other that RA?


Dealership possibly. Kia for example has a part# for the O-rings+ pintle cap for my model year. Or, try eBay or Amazon. Or worst case, your neighbors Maxima...‚

Of course this is the advantage of sending the injectors out for professional cleaning. They typically will replace all that as part of their cleaning service.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Originally Posted by LeakySeals

Where to get pintle caps for example.. 2003 Maxima other that RA?


Just buy new injectors. Bosch, Beck/Arnley, or Hitachi. Along with valve cover gaskets and ruthenium plugs too. Then you will never have to pull the intake again