TheSamba.com :: View topic

Thu Dec 06, 2007 6:10 pm

My van is in my repair shop for some small things to get done.One of the things is to get any hoses that looks likes it might be cracking.Hell after the posts here about fire and leacking gas it was time to get everything looked over. Well he said that my hoses on the fuel injectors are cracked some. Is this a hose that Cruzin Performance replaces? My repair guy likes to just replace old worn parts with new parts. I did see a price of about $125 per injector :-({|= $500 per set! Thats all good but from what some guys like to have here is to have their injectors cleaned and resprayed. After checking Cruzin's site they also" replace hoses for end injectors". Does this apply to me?? Thanks guys.

Glenn

Thu Dec 06, 2007 6:22 pm

First, I've used the service that Rich offers at Cruzin and to get all 4 injectors serviced set me back a mere $80-something bucks including replacing a short bit of fuel hose that is attached to each injector. So, yes, the injector refurb does indeed cover your situation. This is only a small part of your overall fuel hose system, though. If your injector hoses are funky, then you may have funk elsewhere, too. My heap had sprunk a leak by the fuel pump.

I'm not sure what your mech wants to do but I can tell you this: if an oaf like me can replace all of the fuel lines in an afternoon, anybody can do it. I used Goodyear 5/8" high-pressure hose and I was generous with the clamps. Fix it yourself if you can. It feels really, really good to work on your own car.

Anyway, unless you have heaps of cash sitting around or you have a specific reason to buy new injectors, the service at Cruzin is a very good option.

Thu Dec 06, 2007 7:10 pm

The small hose that is connected to the top of the injector is not part of the injector! You should question your mechanic if he wants to replace the whole injector because that hose is cracking. That's crazy. That is standard 7mm fuel line cut to length. And, like deprivation said, if guys like him and me can do it, then you should do this yourself. It is as easy as cutting rubber hose to length, pushing it onto the barbed end of the injectors and fuel rail and installing new stainless steel clamps. Easy peezy. I get my 7mm fuel line from busdepot. This will save you $$. If you were in the Seattle area, I'd offer to help you do it.

I wish I would have taken these injectors to get cleaned and flow tested. I got a set for the 87 westy done last week, and man, they are sweet. Clean, and the numbers are consistent. I think I may put them in my 88 and then take those to get cleaned. For $17 a piece, it's totally worth it.

http://wavanagon.googlepages.com/CIMG3034.JPG/CIMG3034-full.jpg
http://wavanagon.googlepages.com/CIMG3033.JPG/CIMG3033-full;crop:0.13,0.31,0.79,0.75.jpg

Thu Dec 06, 2007 7:12 pm

The fuel lines are not hard to replace, just be sure to use correctly rated hose and good clamps, Mercedes clamps are prefered by most of the Vanagon knowledgeable shops I know. Whether you do it or have a shop do it, just get it done. Every day I drive past a burned van(pre `86 w/camper conversion(not Westfalia)), and know of a `91 Westy Syncro currently side lined after burning, and it has only 38,000 miles on the odometer.

Mark

Thu Dec 06, 2007 9:58 pm

Thanks for the fast replies! I spoke with my mach tonight and I'm going to bite it and get new injectors. They are 24 years old and have serviced me well. I may send then out. But knowing that I have good parts on that will last 25 years is one less worry. My mach is good and has never half assed anything on my van.

Fri Dec 07, 2007 5:30 am

Suggestion:

Cruzin or witchcraft are both good options for cleaning and calibrating your existing injectos. <$100 to do them all.

BD sells both new and rebuilt injectors http://www.busdepot.com/details.jsp?partnumber=390206

http://www.busdepot.com/details.jsp?partnumber=025906031

If this is your daily driver and you cannot wait for them to get serviced, you could also buy a spare set in the classifieds and send those off for cleaning and calibrating and do the replacement when they come back.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=501109

I was down at Boston Engine last week and saw several sets that Boston Bob had in his shop, may want to see if he would sell you a set either freshly cleaned or that you could send off. www.bostonengine.com

Fri Dec 07, 2007 9:12 am

70coupyel wrote: But knowing that I have good parts on that will last 25 years is one less worry. My mach is good and has never half assed anything on my van.

I wouldn't call cleaning and rebuilding old injectors as going half ass, but smart. You will see very little difference in service life between rebuilt and new injectors. A tank full of crud will kill either one. I think Randy has the right idea.

Fri Dec 07, 2007 10:31 am

I'm going to go with the crowd on this one, too. If you have an extra $500 and you would consider that amount small, well good! But But if I could save $400, I sure as hell would.

Cleaning a dirty but otherwise functioning injector is by no means half-assed. If that's what your mech told you, it's total jive, man. If the injector is broken and just flat doesn't work, that's one issue. If it's clogged and has cracked hoses, then unclog it and replace the hoses. You don't throw out your dishes because they're dirty.

Replacing the injectors is super-easy, too. All you need is a socket to remove the bracket and a screwdriver to undo the clamps. I think new seals wil set you back a couple of bucks.

Fri Dec 07, 2007 12:15 pm

^^what he said^^

The ones I had done at witchhunter are amazing. You wouldn't be able to tell that they weren't new.

Wed Oct 08, 2008 6:38 am

I just dug up a random thread about the injectors cause I just installed a set that Rich at cruzin performance did for me.

I really did not feel I had any type of problem other than the hoses on the injectors were dry rotted and when I went to replace fuel lines everywhere else, the prying/movement I created on the fuel rail actually caused one injector to weep through its hose :( It did stop but of course that was always in the back of mind worrying me.

I pulled a set off a junkyard van one day and set up a time with Rich. I was very impressed with him very prompt and fast even though I told him that this was spare set and if need be take your time. They were not terrible according to his flow charts but after his cleaning they were alot more even across the board and sprayed better of course.

I just installed them yesterday using new o rings from Van-cafe. While I though my van ran good before, these injectors makes it run even better. I should not be surprised as I'm at about 135K miles but I am. I did give a hard run in the interstate (ran with a mercedes @85 mph for a few miles even :D ) and while I'm not going to say its faster or anything like that It just feels better overall for some reason. could tell the difference in idle right away and it feels alot smoother running overall.

I am driving the westy daily right now @125+ miles a day when I go to work so I will soon see if it helps with the mileage, I've been pulling in the 17mpg range (auto w/short fat tires on Porsche wheels) which is actually nice because on trips I only get in the 15mpg range because of the trailer and usually loaded to the max.

so if you made it through this much of my happy ramblings my point is if you have an extra $90 and can have your van down for a few days, get the injectors redone. you'll be pleasantly surprised!

Wed Oct 08, 2008 7:30 am

For what it is worth, I did mine last year with rebuilt injectors from www.fuelinjectorcorp.com. $38 each and they have the nice crimped on short piece of hose. I noticed a big improvement in throttle response with the rebuilds.

Wed Oct 08, 2008 7:41 am

I bought new injectors for my 82 air-cooled Westy from Autohause Arizona for $48.00 each. They are still on sale. :D

Wed Oct 08, 2008 3:21 pm

Quote: For what it is worth, I did mine last year with rebuilt injectors from www.fuelinjectorcorp.com. $38 each and they have the nice crimped on short piece of hose. I noticed a big improvement in throttle response with the rebuilds.

Quote: I bought new injectors for my 82 air-cooled Westy from Autohause Arizona for $48.00 each. They are still on sale. Very Happy

Looks like Cruzin's a pretty good deal then= 4 injectors flowed/cleaned/new pintle caps-inlet screens/inlet hoses (crimped like original) and shipped insured Priority mail for $89.90 total. Guess I should add it cost me like 5 or 6 bucks to send them to him.

What's "witchunter" run? Anyone?

Tue Dec 30, 2008 11:37 am

Does anyone know offhand what the length of the injector hose segment is?

Tue Dec 30, 2008 11:51 am

Perales wrote: Does anyone know offhand what the length of the injector hose segment is?

As short as VW could make them. 8) If you are replacing the supply and return hoses, I don't see why they could not be a little longer.

Tue Dec 30, 2008 12:22 pm

rsxsr wrote:
As short as VW could make them. 8) If you are replacing the supply and return hoses, I don't see why they could not be a little longer.
I know, I am just looking for the stock measurement, or another way would be the total measure of the complete BOSCH injector from tip to tail (hose).

Tue Dec 30, 2008 12:37 pm

Perales wrote: Does anyone know offhand what the length of the injector hose segment is?

IIRC Scott posted this at one point. Maybe it was someone else. I just measure the old ones and cut. Being a little longer wouldn't hurt except things are already pretty tight on the right side of the engine in particular.

Tue Dec 30, 2008 1:05 pm

On an aircooled, they are about 35mm.

Thu Jan 15, 2009 2:11 am

I just replaced the fuel injector hose attatchment, as per Ben's article, but used 5/16 inch line, clamped down tight. that should be fine, right? does it have to be 7 mm? or is it the same? engine seems to be running perfectly...

thanks!

Thu Jan 15, 2009 4:45 am

5/16" is something like 7.9mm so you will be OK. Use the good clamps (I like the stainless ABA ones from www.ultimategarage.com myself as they do not cut the hose) and check them for tightness once in a while.