Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) leaking injector at base

[Hootguy]

I have noticed a samll leak comming from tightening nut at the injector base,,,notning major,,but when on a 24 hour drive to forida non-stop,,it had leaked onto the exhaust manifold a fair bit.

The truck runs and idles great,,no miss at all. .

I do run a blend of WVO and jet fuel at about 50/50,,,and the truck always starts great and runs excellent even in the cold weather we have been having lately.

Is it recommended to simply remove the injector line and tighten the collar nut more??

Thanks

 

[Timebomb]

You can take a 15/16 or metric equvalent and sometimes you can get to the nut but #1 cly is tricky. Also you want to make sure its not the inj. line nut or inj. return line bolt that is not what is causing the leak and the fuel is leaking down on the base making it look like the base nut is leaking. Most of the time its the inj. line nut or inj. return line bolt.

 

[Hootguy]

Hi.

Yesterday,I did tighten down a bit on the injector line nut as well as the fuel return manifold line,,i will check it again after i drive it a bit today. ,,

When i checked yesterday after driving around for a bit,,it seemed to be still sweating,,but it may have been because i hadn't clean all of the oily deposits perfectly.

Could a small leak like that cause engine damage?

Like is said,,the enngine doesn't have a miss to it at all. .

Thanks

 

[Timebomb]

No that leak should not cause engine damage. Also somtimes a little piece of dirt or whatever can get traped in the compresion fitting of the inj. line, with the truck running crack the inj. line open until fuel comes out. That should clean out what may be in there.



Also for quik leak cleaning to see if its still leaking I warm the truck up some and spray a small amount of starting fluid on the area that will clean away the oily diesel fuel and crudd deposits and evaporate very quik. DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!! Ive never had a problem doing it, but there could be a risk of the fluid flashing from the manifold.

 

[RWorth]

I am experiencing this problem. I installed a set of DDP Stage 2s about 3 to 4 weeks ago. Today I noticed a ticking noise. What I found was a noise that sounded like an exhaust leak and cylinder 4 injector was leaking at the base. Pulled the injector lines and re torqued all the injectors. Cylinder 4 injector was loose. There is still a light ticking. I can feel light compessed air at cylinder 6 injector. I guess it is possible that I have disturbed the new copper washers at the bottom of the injector. Talked to DDP and I am going to pull the injectors and install new washers. Injector tube was pretty clean but I am going to run a brush down the tube. Will a 12 gauge cleaning kit brush work for this?

 

[CumminsPower98]

I replaced my #2 injector when I did the head gasket because it was leaking every so slightly in the threads where the two pieces screw together. It wasn't even enough of a leak to run down off the head but there was a bit of a mess around the injector. Just another potential place it could be coming from.

 

[R.ebel]

Leaking Injetor

I got a leaker from DDP. The injector was leaking from the treads where the injector tip screws on. The fuel was welling up around the hold down nut. For a while I thought it was the connection at the injector/injector line, very tough to nail down the leak. I had some pretty high EGT's due to the leak causing the injector to pop off later than all the rest of the cylinders in effect making for retarded timing on just one cylinder



The good news was that DDP did replace the injector

 

[RWorth]

I got a leaker from DDP. The injector was leaking from the treads where the injector tip screws on. The fuel was welling up around the hold down nut. For a while I thought it was the connection at the injector/injector line, very tough to nail down the leak. I had some pretty high EGT's due to the leak causing the injector to pop off later than all the rest of the cylinders in effect making for retarded timing on just one cylinder



The good news was that DDP did replace the injector

I re-torqued all the injector hold down nuts. Thought that cylinder 2 & 3 started leaking but as of today they are dry. What I thought was a leak on 2 & 3 was probably fuel that dripped from the injector line when re-installing. The injector that was leaking is on cylinder 4 as of today it is still leaking but now there is another problem. I can hear and feel a compression (air) leak and the leak is from #6. The leak is coming from the injector line nut or this is where it seems to be coming from. I first checked to make sure that there was not any diesel with this leak then I put my hand above the injector and I can feel the compression leak. I ran my fingers down to the return line and I can feel just a little leak but when I get to the top of injector line nut that is where the leak is the strongest. I made sure that my work area was very clean when I pulled the lines but I wonder if something is wrong with the end of the line or the compression fitting that goes to the injector. I guess I could buy a new line. What started this whole thing was a ticking noise which turned out to be this compression leak that appeared out of no where and that is when I found the leaking injector. Does anyone have any ideas on the compression air leak and a possible fix?

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

There are several things to be sure are done correctly. Clean the injector wells so there is no grit at the sealing surface on the bottoms of them. You can put a pushrod into the hole for the injector tip and blow the wells out with compressed air. run a rifle bore brush through the holes into the cylinders. Wipe out the sealing areas with q-tips. You can use a hollow 5/16" pushrod that is partially squashed near the end to retain one end of the Q-tip so it can't fall into the cylinder. Cleaning the wells is especially important with the thin . 020" washers as they have less imbedibility than thick ones. If there was any tiny grit on the injector parts when they were assembled, they will leak at the threaded junction between halves of the bodies. If you torque the injector hold down 24 mm nuts too tight, you will crack the bodies. Stay with the specified 44 ft lb. The returns can leak, but this line is at a much lower pressure than the fuel feed area. The sealing ball area of the line can get dirty or corroded. Usually cleaning with fine aluminum oxide or emery paper (600 or 800 grit) will take care of it. Be sure to spray off the area so no grit remains on the surface or inside the line. Don't torque the line nut over 25-30 ft lb; put a little grease on the threads to get a smooth torque reading.

 

[Crowhurst]

At 170,000 miles my stock 175 HP injectors are leaking diesel and air bubbles from the square-cut rubber seal at numbers 3,4 and 5. Injectors 3 and 4 are only slightly leaking, but 5 is rather more than is acceptable. Is it worth messing with these injectors at that mileage, tightening the mounting nuts and replacing the copper washers, or should I replace all 6 with new injectors?

Nick.

 

[SSage]

I've fought leaks off and on and the best way to solve injector leaks for me is to pull the injector and inspect. See if the washer is an even color all the way around, look to see if its been leaking air. Clean the hole with a brush, use a new washer of proper thickness and torque to 44 lbs. Use a new horse shoe washer or heat up the used one to soften it and reinstall. I've had some washers just refuse to seal, so buy some extra to have on hand.



Make sure all is clean etc. . Make sure its not the fuel line connections, fuel can leak down in the hole making it appear its the injector or the base washer leaking. Get everything hot and and dry after the work to make sure the loose fuel is gone. I thought I had another one leaking after I fixed a bad leaking #5 injector and it was actually just some fuel trapped in the #4 hole from the return line drips.



I ended replacing my #5 370 injector and sent it off to test it. For some reason I could never get it to stop leaking. So, sometimes it is the injector... But, not usually.

 

[SSage]

At 170,000 miles my stock 175 HP injectors are leaking diesel and air bubbles from the square-cut rubber seal at numbers 3,4 and 5. Injectors 3 and 4 are only slightly leaking, but 5 is rather more than is acceptable. Is it worth messing with these injectors at that mileage, tightening the mounting nuts and replacing the copper washers, or should I replace all 6 with new injectors?

Nick.

If your staying stock I would trouble shoot.



I guess it depends on the value of your time. I would go ahead and pull the injector and look at the washer and reinstall with fresh washers. Making sure to clean out the injector holes with a brush. Go through the horse shoe washers, the return line washers can be softend with heat and reinstalled. Make sure the supply lines are not leaking, put a wrench on them and check the tightness. I've had the return lines loosen on me and the fuel ran down into the injector holes making me think it was the base washer.



Injector R&R takes me about two hours taking my time.

 

[Crowhurst]

I very much appreciate your reply, and I'll do what you suggest. When torquing the injectors to 44 ft lbs, can I use a deep socket, relying on the ball to hold the injector against the torque, or should I get a crow's foot extension for the torque wrench to enable the top of the injector to be held by an open-ended wrench? Thanks again.

Nick.

 

[SSage]

I very much appreciate your reply, and I'll do what you suggest. When torquing the injectors to 44 ft lbs, can I use a deep socket, relying on the ball to hold the injector against the torque, or should I get a crow's foot extension for the torque wrench to enable the top of the injector to be held by an open-ended wrench? Thanks again.

Nick.

I just use a deep socket, I think its 24 mm, 1/2" drive. The injector's ball bearing locks in a slot and holds it in place. A normal deep socket is all you need.



Just loosen all of the fuel line clamps so, the hard feed lines can be gentlty moved out of the way with the socket. I pull the valve cover where the lines cross over the head for more working room.

 

[Crowhurst]

That's great. Many thanks. Nick.

 

[Crowhurst]

I have a couple more dumb questions before I start this job next week.



1. To bump the starter for bleeding the high pressure lines, do I need a second person to assist? In some vehicles there's an over-ride button under the hood which activates the starter solenoid. I can't find any such device on the Ram, but I thought I'd ask. I'll be doing this job in an unheated garage in MN, so the DW won't be too enthusiastic if asked.



2. I've bought the Cummins stainless steel brush for cleaning the injector wells. It's a close fit in the wells. If I rotate this in the wells, won't the debris fall down the hole into the engine? I have the q-tips, an extender and carb cleaner. I have all new copper gaskets, and the correct sockets, crow's foot wrenches and torque wrenches.



I know these points will seem obvious, but I've been wrenching on UK vehicles for 45 years, so this is new territory for me.



Nick.

 

[SSage]

I have a couple more dumb questions before I start this job next week.



1. To bump the starter for bleeding the high pressure lines, do I need a second person to assist? In some vehicles there's an over-ride button under the hood which activates the starter solenoid. I can't find any such device on the Ram, but I thought I'd ask. I'll be doing this job in an unheated garage in MN, so the DW won't be too enthusiastic if asked.



2. I've bought the Cummins stainless steel brush for cleaning the injector wells. It's a close fit in the wells. If I rotate this in the wells, won't the debris fall down the hole into the engine? I have the q-tips, an extender and carb cleaner. I have all new copper gaskets, and the correct sockets, crow's foot wrenches and torque wrenches.



I know these points will seem obvious, but I've been wrenching on UK vehicles for 45 years, so this is new territory for me.



Nick.

With the engine off, there is no pressure, just take the lines off.



When cleaning the wells or just pulling injectors some light grit may find its way in, no big deal. Before I pull the valve covers for more working room I clean between the covers. Brush off the area or use compressed air. The injetor wells shouldn't be very dirty they have a seal. My 1995 truck was very clean in there, just some fine black grit or rust like stuff. I just got done fixing my #5 injector, it went pretty smooth. Do you have a pulling tool? The injectors usually need a puller or some gentle leverage to get them out. You'll need the correct size nut or a lug nut, a threaded bolt or rod to make a slide hammer. Or, 3/4" pipe 1 3/8" long or so and use the truck's lug nut. Tighten the nut over the pipe to pull the injector. Some times a large flat screwdriver or vice grips work too. I used some eletrical conduit and a lug nut one time while on the road, it works great on #5 and #6 where you have very little room.



Video:YouTube - Injector Removal tool 5. 9 Cummins 12 valve

 

[Crowhurst]

Thanks again for your prompt reply. I've made an injector puller from a 3/4inch close pipe nipple and lug nut.

My query regarding bleeding by bumping the starter is for after the injectors are re-installed, and the high pressure lines need to be bled. Thanks again. I can only do these jobs with guidance from this great forum

Nick. .

 

[SSage]

Oh, my bad.



I just crack the high pressure lines to the injectors and crank the engine. It usually does not fire the first time, tighten the lines and crank again and mine usually fires and dies. Blows smoke and shakes a bit for 20 seconds or so on the third start. Only does that if I do all of the injectors at once.



It didn't stumble much at all when I only break open three at a time. I do it solo, never needed a helper. The last time I did injectors it took three trys to start it and for it to keep running. Don't over heat the starter, let it rest between cranking.

 

[Crowhurst]

That's just what I needed to know, thanks. Now I'm all set to do the job next week, after a 1,500 mile drive to MN. Thanks again.

Nick.