Injector Fuel Line: DIY? How hard can that be to make?

[agilmore]

My diesel is not running (after setting for 6 weeks). It sucks fuel, and squirts fuel out the injector line when I disconnect the injector.

So I pulled the injector and want to connect it to the injector fuel line to check for a nice misting action, but it can't be connected because of physical restraints.

I need to make a short fuel line to go from the pump to the removed injector.

The engine is a Westerbeke 11A, and has an injector fuel line that flares out, then in. I am not sure how to fabricate this. Any suggestions?

It sort of looks like this:

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/ \
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Thanks,

Alan Gilmore
Baltimore

[forsailbyowner]

Ive wondered if the brass sleeves out of a compression fitting would work for this. My perkins lines have been rusted and painted so many times they gotta be near the failure point. Some lines came with removeable olives i believe but ive never seen any for sale.

[barnakiel]

I took one to a hydraulics shop and they made an exact copy.

b.

[sailvayu]

The shop idea is best but in all this be very careful not to get ANY dirt into that injector or pump or you will be dealing with bigger problems. i would also suggest you just take the injector into a shop for proper testing. Also just because you see fuel spurt out from a loosened injector line does not mean that fuel is under the right pressure to open the injector. You could still have air in the line and still get fuel. I suggest you barely crack the line and crack for fuel. crank it for a bit and see if you get a nice little pulse of fuel and not just dribbling out.

[agilmore]

Originally Posted by sailvayu

The shop idea is best but in all this be very careful not to get ANY dirt into that injector or pump or you will be dealing with bigger problems. i would also suggest you just take the injector into a shop for proper testing. Also just because you see fuel spurt out from a loosened injector line does not mean that fuel is under the right pressure to open the injector. You could still have air in the line and still get fuel. I suggest you barely crack the line and crack for fuel. crank it for a bit and see if you get a nice little pulse of fuel and not just dribbling out.

I will try cracking the line and check for the pulses of fuel. Thanks.

Also, I just had the injector rebuilt a couple of months ago, so hopefully (fingers crossed) it is okay . . . ???

[gjordan]

Agilmore, there is one more thing to try for getting the line to connect to the injector. Remove the line from the injection pump and reconnect in a different position, so that you dont have to flex, or bend the line to attach the injector. Sometimes that will give you the room needed. As has been stated, be very careful about cleaning. A tooth brush or small wire brush before and after you crack the nut. If that makes it workable, then be VERY, VERY Careful about the direction that the injector aims. Fuel will come out under high enough pressure to break the skin, or take out an eye. Also remember to put a rag or towel over the open injector hole in the cylinder, or you might have fuel that is left in the cylinder, all over your engine room walls. I learned that one the hard way. good Luck._____Grant.

[River Cruiser]

Chances of a injector going bad after sitting for 6 weeks if the engine ran fine before are slim. A little more info may help also what make & model, have the filters been changed recently or any other service performed on the engine?

[agilmore]

Originally Posted by gjordan

Agilmore, there is one more thing to try for getting the line to connect to the injector. Remove the line from the injection pump and reconnect in a different position, so that you dont have to flex, or bend the line to attach the injector. Sometimes that will give you the room needed. As has been stated, be very careful about cleaning. A tooth brush or small wire brush before and after you crack the nut. If that makes it workable, then be VERY, VERY Careful about the direction that the injector aims. Fuel will come out under high enough pressure to break the skin, or take out an eye. Also remember to put a rag or towel over the open injector hole in the cylinder, or you might have fuel that is left in the cylinder, all over your engine room walls. I learned that one the hard way. good Luck._____Grant.

Geniuses think alike. I tried that yesterday, and found that I could remove the exhaust (two bolts) and swing the fuel line out of the way after loosening the fitting at the other end. I tightened the fittings at both ends and cranked the engine, nothing exited the fuel injector. Not a drip. But when I loosen the fitting on the fuel injector it does squirt out.

I wonder if the fuel injector is clogged, or if the fuel pressure is to low to activate the injector.

The fuel injector was rebuilt in the spring of this year.

I bled the system but still the same results.

Alan

[agilmore]

Originally Posted by River Cruiser

Chances of a injector going bad after sitting for 6 weeks if the engine ran fine before are slim. A little more info may help also what make & model, have the filters been changed recently or any other service performed on the engine?

Make/model: Westerbeke 11A
Filters changed:when engine didn't start I removed clogged screen in fuel tank, then installed a 10 micron Racor filter between tank and engine. At that point it still didn't start.

The secondary filter has not been changed since I bought it a year ago. Not sure what the history is, but in those six weeks of non-use, the engine went from running great to not running at all. Do you think think the secondary filter could clog while not being used?

I did put clear hose on the engine intake and cranked the engine with the tube half filled with fuel. The fuel moved quickly through the tube, so I assumed the secondary filter was ok.

Alan

[RaymondR]

All the lines and the injector housing need to be completely filled with fuel before the pump will be able to crack open the valving in the nozzle and drive fuel through. If the nozzle is not pointing downwards so that the air can be displaced the fuel pump will not pump the fuel through, it does not pump enough on each stroke.

If you had the pump in for service one of the checks they should have done is to check the cracking pressure for the injector and the mist pattern from the nozzle. If you are suspicious that it was not serviced properly take it to a different service shop, and ask the technician to recheck it in your presence. The technician should be able to tell you what the cracking pressure should be, it's generally a manufacturers specification and I am going to stick my neck out and say 2,200 - 2,500 psi, tell you what the mist pattern should look like and most injectors make a characteristic sound when they crack which the technician will be familiar with.

If it was not properly serviced I would ask for a detailed invoice of what service was required to correct any problems and go back and raise hell with the person who serviced it only a short time ago. These things are pretty bullet proof and tend to go for years without service being required.

[agilmore]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

All the lines and the injector housing need to be completely filled with fuel before the pump will be able to crack open the valving in the nozzle and drive fuel through. If the nozzle is not pointing downwards so that the air can be displaced the fuel pump will not pump the fuel through, it does not pump enough on each stroke.

If you had the pump in for service one of the checks they should have done is to check the cracking pressure for the injector and the mist pattern from the nozzle. If you are suspicious that it was not serviced properly take it to a different service shop, and ask the technician to recheck it in your presence. The technician should be able to tell you what the cracking pressure should be, it's generally a manufacturers specification and I am going to stick my neck out and say 2,200 - 2,500 psi, tell you what the mist pattern should look like and most injectors make a characteristic sound when they crack which the technician will be familiar with.

If it was not properly serviced I would ask for a detailed invoice of what service was required to correct any problems and go back and raise hell with the person who serviced it only a short time ago. These things are pretty bullet proof and tend to go for years without service being required.

The fuel injector was 'sort of pointing down'. I could retry the test and see if I can orient the injector and fuel line so that is a bit more vertical. On the other hand, I had cranked a lot to bleed the system, and then the injector was pointing down.

The fuel injector ran fine for several months, so I have no reason to doubt the quality of service it received. I only mentioned that to bring you up to speed on the history of my engine.

Thanks for the inputs,
Alan

[River Cruiser]

How fast is the starter cranking the engine, is it slower than it was before this problem started? My Westerbeke gen wouldn't start, I cleaned all the cable connections & it fired right up. I would go ahead & change the secondary filter, when you bleed the air out of the system make sure that no air remains, the pump can't build the high pressure needed to pop the injector with any air in the system. Do you have a hand primer in your plumbing between the tank & pump? If so crack 1 injector line nut at a time while operating the pump, when yo have a good flow of fuel tighten that nut & repeat with the rest. If it still won't start the supple pump pressure may be low, you'll need fittings & a gauge to check this. On the observation of fuel moving thru the clear line that'll happen because of the fuel returning to the tank, did it have any air in it? Good luck

[S/V Antares]

I use an outboard bulb between the Tank and racor to prime the racor and on engine filter up to the fuel pump.

[charliehows]

I think i read this carefully - you didnt mention whether the engine was running before you changed the filters. If it was, you probably created an air leak when you changed them, and you're now embarked on a long and fruitless search for a solution somewhere else. Whether this is right or not, the simple rule is - what did i do before the engine stopped? looking for something else on the assumption that you 'fixed' the last thing you touched is always tempting, and almost equally as frustrating.

[River Cruiser]

Originally Posted by S/V Antares

I use an outboard bulb between the Tank and racor to prime the racor and on engine filter up to the fuel pump.

Works very well to bleed air out of a system.