Broken injector tip!

[greenlight]

Hi all,

I was working on replacing an intake manifold gasket that was leaking coolant, and the nylon/plastic tip of one of the injectors broke off as I was removing the fuel rail. I managed to retrieve the broken piece from down by the valve stem, but am not sure what to do about the injector. I haven't found a source for that particular piece yet, though the entire injector is about $66 or so from the dealer.

Injector tip with and without the plastic piece:

top_view_1_small.jpgtop_view_2_small.jpg

Any ideas on 1) where the plastic piece could be obtained, 2) how important it is (beyond keeping the o-ring in place when the injector is removed)?

- G

[andyg]

Get a few injectors from the junkyard for $10, the 3.3's are VERY common and finding a flex fuel one isn't too bad either.

[DaveInColumbus]

If that seal is at the interface of the injector and the manifold, then it is a critical part because air will leak around it. I don't have a diagram of the intake to know if that's the purpose of this part.

Injectors are everywhere, so I wouldn't buy one from the dealer. Junkyards, discount auto parts stores, and the internet are flooded with them. There are 10's of millions of these, so everybody has them new, used, and reconditioned.

There is something else you could try: an O-ring. I cannot say for sure if this will work, but other vehicles on which I've played with the fuel injectors used simple O-rings to seal the injector at the manifold. Auto parts stores have O-rings, as do most home improvement stores or hardware stores.

[alvin]

My guess is that the plastic piece is there to protect the sealing ring from being nicked by the sharp edge of the machined bore in the manifold.
With some care, you might be able to do without it.

[greenlight]

If that seal is at the interface of the injector and the manifold, then it is a critical part because air will leak around it. I don't have a diagram of the intake to know if that's the purpose of this part.

The broken piece isn't the seal - it appears to be the seal retainer, possibly also helping to shape the spray pattern.

My guess is that the plastic piece is there to protect the sealing ring from being nicked by the sharp edge of the machined bore in the manifold. With some care, you might be able to do without it.

Thanks; I'm becoming more convinced that's the route I may take until I have more time available to take care of this -- in which case I may spring for a set of matched reconditioned injectors (lots of places sell 'em). I'll just have to be careful next time I pull the rail off so the o-ring doesn't fall into the engine.

My thinking is that I'm having to weigh the effect of a single replacement injector causing a mild cylinder imbalance issue, vs. the potential for an undetermined amount of change in the injector spray pattern. Not sure there's a perfect answer, but with the very limited time I have right now...

- G

[RadioPrune]

I'd just buy a reconditioned one instead of risking using the one you have, but you could always try and see if it works if you're in a bind.

The broken piece isn't the seal - it appears to be the seal retainer, possibly also helping to shape the spray pattern.



Thanks; I'm becoming more convinced that's the route I may take until I have more time available to take care of this -- in which case I may spring for a set of matched reconditioned injectors (lots of places sell 'em). I'll just have to be careful next time I pull the rail off so the o-ring doesn't fall into the engine.

My thinking is that I'm having to weigh the effect of a single replacement injector causing a mild cylinder imbalance issue, vs. the potential for an undetermined amount of change in the injector spray pattern. Not sure there's a perfect answer, but with the very limited time I have right now...

- G

[andyg]

Replacing one injector will not cause any imbalance issues. The PCM will change the fuel trim as it sees fit to make everything perfect.