Fuel Injectors, clean vrs replace

[Curtis]

I know there's a handful of you out there that can address this question. Many an injector has been replaced by forum members, but I've heard of getting them cleaned and making them serviceable again. I suspect that this may be significantly cheaper than replacement if it's appropriate for a given circumstance.

The question is two parts;
1) When is it warranted to replace, rather than clean a cng fuel injector after having a problem like random misfires for example. I know that the coil packs can also cause this symptom, so just reply to the injector side of the issue.

2) Who and where could you send the injectors in question to have this service done. Are they autoclaved or can you take a can of parts-dip and do it yourself? I've seen posts where enthusiastic shade tree mechanics have tried to clean their own injectors and ended up with more problems than when they started.

PS What about having them replaced vs rebuilt? Is that an option?

[ajgiorgi]

Re: Fuel Injectors, clean vrs replace

Hey Curtis,
I had my injector replaced because it was misfiring on cylinder one and the engine light came on. Took it to Honda after replacing plugs, wires, cap, and coil and they tested it and told me it was probably the fuel injector. I replaced it with a new one and it worked fine after that.

I then found out a month later that you can have them rebuilt at Lindertech.com . Not sure if they come with a warranty or anything, but at 70 dollars rather than 375 for a new one, its definitely worth a shot.

I have never tried cleaning them myself, I just stick to removing and replacing.

[Devo]

Re: Fuel Injectors, clean vrs replace

I spoke with an individual who said he was able to find an injector at an after market store like Autozone for ~$100-$150.

I also know there's a company in Utah that has experience cleaning/rebuilding them, but I was not able to find their website again. Anyone know their name?

[CraziFuzzy]

Re: Fuel Injectors, clean vrs replace

I spoke with an individual who said he was able to find an injector at an after market store like Autozone for ~$100-$150.

I also know there's a company in Utah that has experience cleaning/rebuilding them, but I was not able to find their website again. Anyone know their name?

I think i have read on here (or elsewhere, can't remember) that some people had poured some standard injector cleaner solution in the bowl of their coalesing filter, and ran it through the engine. This was on fords, not sure it it's a possibility for your civics, but the reports were that it worked.

There are a number of shops nationwide that do injector cleaning/refurbishing, though most of them are geared around racing, so are not very 'economical'.

[ajgiorgi]

Re: Fuel Injectors, clean vrs replace

I think i have read on here (or elsewhere, can't remember) that some people had poured some standard injector cleaner solution in the bowl of their coalesing filter, and ran it through the engine. This was on fords, not sure it it's a possibility for your civics, but the reports were that it worked.

Go ahead and let me know what happens.

[olescarb]

Re: Fuel Injectors, clean vrs replace

We have been cleaning and flowing gasoline fuel injectors for years but just in the last few months a lot of our customers have been bring us CNG injectors for service. The filters in many of these CNG injectors are almost plugged with debris and what looks like a black carbon powder which is restricting the flow from the injectors. The flow rate of the injectors also seems to vary by as much as 10 to 20% from injector to injector. Gasoline injectors should flow within 3% of each other so i assume the CNG injectors should also conform to the same standard. We have flowed a few sets of brand new CNG injectors that were being used on very high horsepower gasoline race engines that had a flow variance of 20% but because the computer could be programed for the flow variance this was not a issue but i would still prefer to have flow matched injectors.

Has anyone else had experiance with cleaning and flowing CNG injectors? the flow bench/ ultrasonic cleaner we use is ASNU unit from Ace Fuel Systems.

Thanks Henry @ olescarb

[tslater]

Re: Fuel Injectors, clean vrs replace

Anyone have any experience with injector whse (injectorwhse.com but you have to call them at the time being because the cng's are not listed online)? It seems they have the fuel injectors for 34.95 a piece rebuilt and I'm curious to give it a shot.

[ccappaul]

Re: Fuel Injectors, clean vrs replace

I dont know about the warehouse. But I just recently cleaned my own injectors. It was easy and the car is running great. Maybe I just got lucky but after reseasrching and talking to a couple shops. This was the way to go for me to start. If it didn't work I always had the option of going broke buying new.

Get to the 2nd and 3rd page

http://cngchat.com/forum/showthread.php?7184-Dedicated-98-crown-vic-missing-and-running-horrible

[olescarb]

Re: Fuel Injectors, clean vrs replace

We charge our customers $15.00 each ($120 for a set of 8 or $150 for a set of 10) to clean the injectors in a ultrasonic bath while the injectors are being cycled by the bench and then flowing the injectors to be sure they are flow matched. Most of the companies we clean and flow injectors have fleets of CNG shuttle buses and several of these companies have given us spare injectors so we can have some back-up injectors on-site to use if one or more of thier injectors have a flow variance of more than 3 to 5% different from thier other injectors.

FYI, many of the CNG injectors we have serviced have had filters (the internal press in filter) that were flow restricted with black carbon like debris that would only be repaired by replacing the filters in each injector.

Henry @ ole's carb & elec.

[onefasteg]

Re: Fuel Injectors, clean vrs replace

I know there's a handful of you out there that can address this question. Many an injector has been replaced by forum members, but I've heard of getting them cleaned and making them serviceable again. I suspect that this may be significantly cheaper than replacement if it's appropriate for a given circumstance.

The question is two parts;
1) When is it warranted to replace, rather than clean a cng fuel injector after having a problem like random misfires for example. I know that the coil packs can also cause this symptom, so just reply to the injector side of the issue.

2) Who and where could you send the injectors in question to have this service done. Are they autoclaved or can you take a can of parts-dip and do it yourself? I've seen posts where enthusiastic shade tree mechanics have tried to clean their own injectors and ended up with more problems than when they started.

PS What about having them replaced vs rebuilt? Is that an option?

I have a 99 Civic GX, and the injectors from Majestic Honda online are around $400 each, wouldn't it be possible to use the 06+ Civic GX injectors on the 99 since they are around $90 a piece, just buy all 4???

[Lakewood90712]

Re: Fuel Injectors, clean vrs replace

I have a 99 Civic GX, and the injectors from Majestic Honda online are around $400 each, wouldn't it be possible to use the 06+ Civic GX injectors on the 99 since they are around $90 a piece, just buy all 4???

Let us know if that works. If it does not , you are out $ 360 . Very little demand for '01 and later injectors. 98-00 Injectors are the ones in demand. If you look at the post on '# 3 cylinder mis fire " the injector issue is dicussed in detail. See thread http://cngchat.com/forum/showthread....ire-Cylinder-3

[onefasteg]

Re: Fuel Injectors, clean vrs replace

Let us know if that works. If it does not , you are out $ 360 . Very little demand for '01 and later injectors. 98-00 Injectors are the ones in demand. If you look at the post on '# 3 cylinder mis fire " the injector issue is dicussed in detail. See thread http://cngchat.com/forum/showthread....ire-Cylinder-3

Nice, thanks for the find.

[olescarb]

Re: Fuel Injectors, clean vrs replace

The Honda fuel injectors were brought to us to check, we found that injector #3 had a lower loaded resistance than the other 3 injectors. We also noted that injector #3 would not cycle at injector pulse comands higher than idle speeds, without cutting the injector open to look at the windings i would assume that the injector coil wire insulation is the problem.


Henry @ oles carb

[onefasteg]

Re: Fuel Injectors, clean vrs replace

The Honda fuel injectors were brought to us to check, we found that injector #3 had a lower loaded resistance than the other 3 injectors. We also noted that injector #3 would not cycle at injector pulse comands higher than idle speeds, without cutting the injector open to look at the windings i would assume that the injector coil wire insulation is the problem.

Henry @ oles carb

I am assuming heat plays a factor with this?

[olescarb]

Re: Fuel Injectors, clean vrs replace

I am assuming heat plays a factor with this?[/QUOTE]

I assume it would be from the insulation breaking down, this could be from poor insulation on the coil, heat or exposure to the fuel being used (CNG). General Motors had an issue with the fuel degrading the internal injector o-rings of thier multec fuel injectors which allowed the fuel to then attack the insulation of the injector coils thus creating a shorted coil, my question is could the CNG be leaking past the o-rings inside the injector and then causing the injector coil insulation to fail like the multec injectors did with gasoline?

Henry @ oles carb