Petrol injectors. A Godsend or a nightmare!

[jimathan]

Petrol injectors. A Godsend or a nightmare!
Don’t ignore them, they won’t go away. Read on. They can be sorted!

Injector cleaning and testing now available at down to earth prices!

I have tried to keep this post short but it’s not realy possible as I have added details not found in my previous post.

This is a follow-on from a previous post in that I have been asked to explain the need for keeping petrol injectors clean, the problems you will encounter if you don’t, and the service that I can now offer.
Petrol injectors are NOT fit and forget. They need maintenance just like any other component on your car. Even new ones are not guaranteed to work correctly. New ones are shipped with corrosion inhibitors in them that don’t always wash away when you start your engine. Old ones have problems to. Over time they begin to clog up with varnish type deposits that have been left behind by the lead replacement additives, along with other chemicals that are found in modern fuels.
Many experts agree that injectors need to be cleaned and checked for consistency every 25 to 30,000 miles. (Google it. There’s plenty of info on the subject).
Certain types of engine installation make maters much worse, & in these the injectors will need cleaning more often.
For example. When the injectors are buried deep under cover, or located in such a way that there is little or no air flow around them. This is because when you turn off the engine the injectors are left in poor airflow with little or no ventilation. This allows them to dry out and bake on any deposits that have been left behind.
LPG is worse still because you are driving around without any fuel going through your injectors to aid in cooling.
All this can lead to injector fowling. Likely symptoms will be hesitation or poor acceleration, especially when cold, rough take up after deceleration, loss of power, and poor economy.
This is how it works. Typical five cylinder Volvo.
The injector on cylinder no1 starts to clog up, just a little, let’s not over do it.
The lambda censor now begins to see un burnt oxygen in the exhaust pipe; this is because you are still drawing in the correct amount of air.
The ECU (electronic control unit) now turns up the fuelling to compensate for the weak mixture until the excess oxygen is used up.
We now have the correct mixture on no1 cylinder. Problem is cylinders 2/3/4/& 5 are now being over fuelled. The result is poor economy and loss of power because the engine is no longer running efficiently, not to mention what it is doing to the environment & your pocket!

So what’s the answer?
Well most garages don’t have the equipment to check & clean injectors. Most probably don’t even know they can be cleaned. (or won’t admit to it) Most of them will tell you they are shot at and must be replaced. Ranging from £40 to £140, and even going to close on £200.00 each for some cars, plus vat, plus the mark up at the garage, plus fitting equals well out of pocket.
The truth is that 90% of all PETROL injector problems can be sorted if they are cleaned in the correct way using the correct equipment.
I recently had a problem with my 98 v70 AWD 2.5T that was injector related.
I found someone that specialises in checking & cleaning injectors. At £16.90 + vat each it wasn’t cheep. But it solved the problem & the car runs better than it ever did.
Being a retired engineer, and sick of being ripped off, I decided I was going to build a machine to do the job myself at regular intervals. (I run on LPG). Say no more.
After searching the net and acquiring all the knowledge I needed, I have built a machine for checking & cleaning injectors correctly. The principle of operation is the same as many other commercially available machines costing upward of three or four grand. (Some cost over ten grand.) It uses an electronic oscillator to simulate the cars ECU. It not only does this while testing the injectors, but also while they are being cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner, while at the same they are being back flushed under pressure to wash out any debris. (back flushing under pressure is an option on most machines)
I CAN NOW OFFER A CHECK/CLEANING SERVICE

This will restore 90% of faulty injectors to their original specification.
The service will cost £6.00 per injector, + return P&P. (The same as it costs you to send them to me).
Injectors should be sent RECORDED DELIVERY, and Insured and well packed. All the injectors that are returned and stated to be in full working order will be guaranteed to function correctly or your money back. If requested, a report can be included stating the condition of the injectors before & after service. This is an “AT COST” service to the members of the forum, but please remember that it’s not just Volvo’s that have injectors.
Any injectors not previously cleaned by me may require adaptors making to fit them on the machine. This only takes a day or les and shouldn’t be a problem. Most injectors can be returned same day.
Anyone interested can mail or PM me for further details.
Please see the pictures Below for details of the cleaning/ checking procedures.

All Injectors are pree cleaned in the ultrasonic cleaner before work commences. Most will arrive like this.



Injector spray patterns are observed here. You can see no1 looks to be restricted, no2 is ok, & three four & five are restricted & just making a fine mist.



Now they are being flow tested. Note how uneven the flow rate is


Here they are set up ready for cleaning.



Then back into rig for observation. These look good now. All spraying the same.



Then onto the flow test. This set looks good & needs no further cleaning. Note how the volume has increased on all five. These came from a car that apparently didn’t have a problem! (Not much)



Bagged & ready to go. Job done!



If you send them to me first class you will get them back the same way. I am looking out for a set of injectors to keep on stock. That way I can offer a service exchange to minimize down time. Any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
PS merry Christmas to you all
Jim.


Post Updated - 26/10/13

Originally Posted by jimathan

Hi everyone.
Due to a recent bereavement this service is no longer available. Sorry to disappoint.
Jim

[liuleichan]

As well as saying thanks for providing a great service for the community, one thing I'd suggest as being good to do is provide these before and after pictures for injectors that you service (it may need some additional fee to cover costs).

Then people can have an idea of the before and after situation - and the reason why I'm keen for this is that it will help owners from a diagnostic perspective - if they know that something has definitely improved with their injectors - or conversely, that there was nothing particularly wrong with their performance - it can help in having ideas for chasing minor gripes with engine performance / behaviour.

Personally, it would help me - when I send mine for service - to know how well they were performing before, and after, then I can have an inkling what else to look at for minor issues.

And as an idea of how popular this offer seems to be, you've only got to look at the number of people who've thanked your post! ;-)

[jimathan]

Hi all. Many thanks to you all for showing your appreciation. I have no problems with taking pics of the process. I will always send back a written report stating volume before and after for each cylinder. If some one requests pictures with there order I will gladly oblige.
Jim

[jimathan]

Just one thing I would like to point out. I would advise anyone considering using this service to get a new set of “O” rings (top & bottom) from their local dealer. They only cost about a fiver for the lot. It is possible to re-use the old ones but not recommended. As time goes on I will try and stock up on all the popular ones to make life easy.

TIP. When refitting the injectors, use a little Vaseline petroleum jelly on the “O” rings. This helps them slide in nice and easy and it won’t damage anything.
Jim

[CTCNetwork]

Hi,

Originally Posted by jimathan

Just one thing I would like to point out. I would advise anyone considering using this service to get a new set of “O” rings (top & bottom) from their local dealer. They only cost about a fiver for the lot. It is possible to re-use the old ones but not recommended. As time goes on I will try and stock up on all the popular ones to make life easy.

TIP. When refitting the injectors, use a little Vaseline petroleum jelly on the “O” rings. This helps them slide in nice and easy and it won’t damage anything.
Jim

I would have though that the "O" rings and possibly the caps (where fitted) should be renewed following your excellent service..

You mention a rub with Vaseline to aid refitting (especially with the new "O" rings), but would a dab/rub with engine oil be as good/effective??

Again you have my thanks for this service. Ace man..
I will be prep-ing my 940 injectors over the christmas period for your clean-up..

Des. . .

[jimathan]

If anyone has any old injectors, regardless of condition that they would be prepared to donate that would realy help. If I can make up a good set it would benefit those that are in a hurry as I could offer a service exchange. Obviously I would guarantee them so no worries there. I will post this request in a new thread as well as it may get more attention, given that this one is rather long and may appear rather boring to some.
Jim

[jimathan]

clean engine oil would be fine. thanks for pointing that out
jim

[jimathan]

96 850 T5 injectors now in stock. (orange tops) These will go on the rig ASAP and if all is A OK, they will be available for service exchange or temporary swap when needed.
Jim

[pjay]

hi there, i have an 850se 10 valve 1995, it hasn't had the injectors looked at for i don't know how long, but it does seem to be a bit sluggish, i know that the 10 valve one's are not exactly fast but are torquey at low revs but mine is not exactly smooth, i have been advised to change my injectors but after seeing your post on here i would like to have mine cleaned and checked, can you tell me whereabouts you are so i can send them to you,and what will be the costs, and can you tell me how long do you need them for, just so i know how long i will be off the road, regards - pjay.

[jimathan]

Hi peewee, im just outside Blackburn lancs. Time scale is in and out in one day. PM me for more info.
Regards jim