Replacing Injector Seals - How hard?

[slowesty]

I am going to Baja in November and have been slowly replacing parts here and there in anticipation of the trip (and because the wife is cool with me working on the van for the trip, so I have been going quite a bit overboard).

I bought the Volkscafe fuel line replacement kit and have replaced most of the fuel lines, but am hesitant to try and replace the injector seals. As an average mechanic I am worried I that I may open a can of worms 2 months before we leave (and lose all the goodwill I have built up with my wife!).

How tough of a job is this? Is it something I want to try or should I leave it to the pros?

Thanks.

[tencentlife]

Just the seals? Easy greasy. Just remove the single M6 (10mm hex) bolt that holds each injector pair retainer plate to the manifold end. Lift the injectors away, and the actual seals are just the little square-section rubber rings that go over the nozzle tips. They may stay behind in the manifold ends when you lift out te injector pair. The bigger rubber rings aren't seals, but they go around a groove on the injector body and act as retainers under the retainer plate. Replacing them is optional if your old ones aren't cracking; they just help hold the injectors in place.

If it's the stub hoses you're concerned with, they are replaceable as well, but you want to take some care. There may be metal sleeves around the hose stub where it goes over the injector input nipple. You need to grind off the sleeves, or use a Dremel with a small cutoff wheel to cut them open. Then pry them off and chuck 'em. You have to be careful not to cut thru to the plastic hose nipple. Once the sleeves are removed, it's just a matter of slipping new hose stubs (length is not critical, but they should be equal) onto the nipples, and use new hose clamps in place of the sleeves.

[Wildthings]

Hardly any job is easier than injector seals, very straight forward and hard to mess up. But while you are working in that area of the motor there are other things to at least take a good look at if not just go ahead and do. As Tencentlife says there are the short hoses on the injectors, you can do them yourself now or do as many do and just leave them to the pros to do when you ever have your injectors cleaned. The other thing to do in that area is the sleeves on the intake manifolds, they get dry and brittle with age and can cause a hard to find vacuum leak. Take a good look at yours too make sure they are not beginning to crack. To replace them requires removing each manifold in turn. Still pretty easy. If you do them, in addition to the new sleeves you will need new intake manifold gaskets and be sure to clean the area very well so that nothing falls into the intake ports while the manifolds are off. I blow the area off well and then keep rags stuffed in the ports the entire time the manifold are not in place.

[VWGeorge]

I like to lube the injector seals with Muti Purpose Lube from Radio Shack before they are installed into the intake, I also like to use large wire ties on the intake manifold sleeves. The ties put some tension on the parts but not enough to keep them from moving when the engine expands/contracts. I would go over all of those rubber bits with the upmost scrutney, the wife will think your a hero when the Van DOES NOT BREAK DOWN!

[fortheloveofvdub]

The replys above were all perfect. I would like to add a bit of caution to you on the two plastic distribution rails on either side, connected to the injectors with the short little "stub hoses".

On mine, I pulled just a little too hard on the old hoses and broke one of those plastic nipples. Luckily I was doing an engine swap and had extras; it was still a bummer though. As our vans get older so does the integrity of the original plastic parts...

[r39o]

Yes, this is a SIMPLE job, *IF* you do it right. Use good clamps. Many times the original ones are not so good anymore. Use good GERMAN fuel line. I got my minor items from Bus Despot.

I had my injectors gone over at http://www.cruzinperformance.com (??) and had them put on new crimped on stub lines. In fact, I sent many injectors at the same time just to be sure I got a well matched set back.

I am happy. Can not say I notice any real difference, but I have a lot of peace of mind now.
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[vanaglobal]

Hey guys I'm about to do this too and had a question. I am having my stock injectors refurbished and will replace the seals.

I saw on youtube that Mansispeed's new injectors put two o-rings on the tip.
One for spacing and one for seal. Would my stock injector benefit from two o-rings as well?

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[MarkWard]