Check your injectors

[Albynsw]

I was at my local mechanic getting a service and he is currently rebuilding two motors from injector failure. One was a Isuzu D Max and the other a Hyundai something or other. The Hyundai had burnt a hole through one piston only and he has re sleeved the bore and replaced that piston only to save the cost of a full rebuild
The Isuzu had also burnt a hole through one piston but had also scored the bore so is up for a new motor.

Both of these issues and big $ repairs could of been avoided if the injectors were periodically checked to see if they were in spec

 

[typhoeus]

And keeping filters clean, or changed regularly

 

[CTL]

@Albynsw what year Dmax mate?

 

[Albynsw]

@Albynsw what year Dmax mate?

Sorry but I don’t know, I was in his office so didn’t see the vehicle he just showed me the piston with the hole in it and told me the story.

 

[CTL]

thanks, I was just curious as I have another Isuzu powered vehicle

 

[Albynsw]

thanks, I was just curious as I have another Isuzu powered vehicle

I can’t remember which of the two for sure but I think the Dmax had 180k on it

I think the most important take away from this regardless of vehicle brand or model is to keep your injectors in spec. I changed out my injectors in the 78 when one was borderline on spec just to be sure but they had done 230k at that stage.

 

[Krumpy]

How do you check though? I guess a trip to a diesel specialist every year or two is cheap insurance

 

[Albynsw]

How do you check though? I guess a trip to a diesel specialist every year or two is cheap insurance

You can buy a scan tool and do it yourself or get your mechanic/ dealer to do it

 

[discomatt]

A scan tool is an essential part of modern car ownership these days, I wonder if dealers or mechanics ever check them as part of a service as they should.
Bloody expensive in some cars to replace injectors though, more inbuilt redundancy

 

[phs]

And keeping filters clean, or changed regularly

Questionable a dirty fuel filter will filter better than a clean one, the light will come on when the DP Is reached and fuel flow is close to being reduced

clean fuel is the key, and a pre filter / secondary water separator

changing the primary filter more often than needed allows contaminates to enter the fuel system

 

[a1bert]

Told to change my primary filter every 10,000 k's by my diesel mechanic, not that i do it!

 

[CTL]

Told to change my primary filter every 10,000 k's by my diesel mechanic, not that i do it!

Old school mechanic is my guess. Some find it hard to adapt to new vehicle tech.
My current, and past, owner’s manual both said to only change the fuel filter when the warning light on the the dash came on. Guess the manufacturer’s know a thing or two about their vehicles

 

[Albynsw]

A scan tool is an essential part of modern car ownership these days, I wonder if dealers or mechanics ever check them as part of a service as they should.
Bloody expensive in some cars to replace injectors though, more inbuilt redundancy

I have never heard of mechanics checking them as a service standard either, probably because it is not a service book requirement but also they need to do it with a cold motor.
Whenever I have had it done I have had to leave the vehicle overnight so they could check them cold the next morning.

 

[Toyasaurus]

My experance has been an time the mechanic plugs in a computer there goes another hundred bucks.

 

[Albynsw]

My experance has been an time the mechanic plugs in a computer there goes another hundred bucks.

a couple of hundred V 20 plus thousand for a new motor. Not that bad a deal for piece of mind

 

[discomatt]

You can’t expect a mechanic to have all the computers and programmes to read, clear faults and upload new software for every vehicle and not pay for it.
having your own will pay for itself in no time, I paid 350 for a second hand one that does everything on the D4, better than being stuck in limp mode when it’s a easy read and clear to get going again

 

[TimNWVic]

So how does someone use a scantool to check the injectors? My Ranger is fairly new so I'm not concerned about the injectors yet, but I have a Scan cable and the Forscan software, would be interested in how it's done for future reference. Google didn't help much.

 

[discomatt]

You need a good one that is vehicle specific to read the individual values, cheap generic rreader won’t cut the mustard

 

[Hylux]

Toyota have done a cold test on my hilux twice. $80 on the first second they didnt even charge during a service. You get a 3 page report on just about everything including injectors showing min/max specs and actual. 190,000km and everything well in spec.

 

[Hoyks]

3.2 Ranger and BT50 have a nasty habit of burning a hole in the top of No.4 piston if the injectors are allowed to go too long. It generally rears its head after 150000km mark.
I just changed mine at 180k and it was around the $3k for 5 new injectors and the feed tubes. You also need to re-program the ecu so it is happy with the calibration of the new injectors, aren't computers wonderful?

It was a bugger of a job as 1/2 the engine bay has to come out to get to them. Took me a full day, but it was my 1st time. On the plus side, I could feel the recovered kW's from the new injectors.