Fuel System: 164: 164 E leaking fuel injector hoses, any advice please

[mark164esaab]

Hi,

Well after all the problems with uneven running in my other post, I finally got good weather to look at the trigger points and TPS, but, when I took the air filter pan off, the first thing I saw was a seriously bulging pipe on one of the short 2" long injector hoses. 3 of my 6 injectors have had the crimped fitting on the injectors removed, and replaced with 2" lengths of pipe with a jubilee clip either end, the other 3 have the original crimped oem fitting on the injector end and a jubilee clip on the injector rail end. Can I just carefully hacksaw the thin tin crimped/swaged fitting off the 3 injectors, revealing the metal tube coming out of the injectors and ues 2" tube on each with 2 off pipe clips. I have bought 1/4" and 5/16" fuel injection pipe, and proper fuel screw clips, but I am aprehensive to start the job, once ive commited, no going back. If I complete all this, and replace the 3 that have already been done just to be sure, when I turn on the ignition, this should pressureise the system to about 30psi, and show any leaks before starting, is that right. Also, if I need to take out the 3 injectors for hack sawing, do they just come out on a bayonet, anticlockwise and pull, as I have read. Looking at the pipework it looks like it should be 5/16" fuel hose.
All this explains why ive had fuel smells, and no obvious signs, im lucky the thing didnt go up in a fireball.....
Many thanks

Mark

[john h]

I recently had the same symptoms and did the job on my 164E. But 5 of my injectors already had the old fitting removed and I chicken out and left the 6th one alone!

So I'm very interested to hear how you get on; thanks.

The good news is that fixing the leak (a very small one in my case) much improved starting and running, particularly tick-over.

Good luck with the job,

John

[Triple-S]

I also had fuel leaks caused by similar problems on my 164TE. I have a sensetive nose and always, after a bit of storage, start the car with the bonnet open, so I can check for leaks - potentially very dangerous.
This all began shortly after buying the car; I saw a fine spray of petrol squirting up from the fuel hose leading to the rail, so immediately shut down! This was perished, as were a couple of those short ones to the injectors, so I replaced them. Fine - then I saw dribbles from two more short ones onto the head (with the air cleaner off) when it was running, then another mist around the return pipe connection - all came from where the clips had deformed the rubber over the years.
Moral of the story - if some leak they all should be replaced: not a difficult job if the old clips undo, but time-consuming.
Whilst doing it, check the rubber hoses round the filter and pump under the rear wheel arch - I had one of these split in my garage when the car was parked, leak masses onto the floor and made the place a time-bomb waiting for a smoker to drop a fag-end on it!

Paul

[B20F]

You can remove the whole injector rail with the injectors still attached to the rail. First loosen the fuel hoses to the fuel rail, loosen the six bajonet fasteners a 1/4 ccw, pull out the electric connectors from the injectors and carefully wickling out the injectors with the fuel rail still attached. On the injectors there are two rubber bushings, one big one on top underneat the bajonet fastener and one smaller one at the tip off the injector. There is also a small rubber ring between the injector housing and cilinder head, replace them all after a good cleaning cause those would have been parished too and can cause a vacuum leak or worse another fuel leak! Work very clean, so no dirt can enter the injectors or the cilinder head. Then you can use a very sharp (stanley)knife and carefully cut the old fuel hose as far under the old clip as you can. Most of the times you are then able to remove the hose from under the old clip. If not take a hacksaw and carefully cut the old clip. Replace the hoses with new fuel injected raited hose and new clips, but don't use those cheese crated clips!). It's a pretty straightforward job, take your time and work clean. Good luck!

[Pigeon]

Ah, this reminds me of when I installed a B20E in my Amazon. Got it all working, and took it out for a test drive. First impression: This goes really well Second impression: But it isn't half using a load of fuel, I can almost see the needle dropping. Still, it went fine, and I did about 15 miles. I was nearly home again when some cack started flying out of the edge of the bonnet and splattering on the screen. WTF is this? Wipers on, screenwash only smears it over the screen. So I stopped and opened the bonnet to investigate.

As soon as I lifted the bonnet the stench of concentrated petrol vapour nearly knocked me off my feet. One of the injector hoses had half come off the injector and petrol had been spraying all over the top of the inlet manifold, then dribbling down over the exhaust. There were puddles of petrol in the depressions between the manifold runners and anywhere else there was a little dip. I'd leaked about three gallons of petrol into the engine compartment over the course of the run.

Of course, it hadn't actually ignited, because there is no exposed spark or flame under the bonnet, and the heat of the exhaust manifold is not sufficient to ignite petrol in a non-turbocharged vehicle with a decently unrestrictive exhaust system. So I shoved the hose back on the injector - which didn't do much good because the crimp was now buggered - drove the rest of the way home, and fixed it properly.

Anyway, the point of all this is, fixing buggered crimps on the injectors is easy, you just carefully hacksaw off the crimped bit of tin, and retain the hose with a suitably-sized jubilee clip.

[mark164esaab]

Thanks for all the replies, I have just finished replacing all of the short pipes, the 3 that were still the old crimped end, I hacksawed down the side of the tin, then bent the last little bit off with pliers, then carefully opened up the remainder with 2 pairs of pliers, all went well, until the last injector, damn, I only dropped it 3" onto the slam panel trying to get the crimped tin off, the very end of the injector where it sprays cracked and a small piece dropped off, 5 done, then fell on the last hurdle, luckily the car part store 2 mins away had recon ones in at £50 each, but still, if I had been more careful, be aware that after 30 odd years these injectors are like thin bone china, so, last new one in, all pipe clips tightened up, battery connected, ignition on to get the pressure up, and im expecting spurts of fuel from everywhere, but nothing, turned the key, it started and ran fine. Took it round the block 4 times, one of the little short hoses was leaking round the top, so repositioned the clip, started up, no leak from there, but, leaking from one of the pipes on the fuel pressure regulator on the fuel rail, hadnt done those 2 short pieces, was going to do them next week, so just done them, started up, no leaks so far. I put new seals on the 3 that I took out, the thick one round the injector body, and the small one on the end, but didnt do the other 3, to be honest the 3 I did were hard and brittle, so the other 3 will need doing, still, its going. The onlt niggle I had was one of the tin bayonnet fittings didnt go round as far as I would have liked, looks like you could buy a c spanner with 2 pegs to do these, dont think it will come off though, off to work in it tomorrow so fingers crossed. It took 5 hours total, would do it again with more confidence, no rushing, and I used 5/16" hose in the end, thanks again,

Mark