[Cloud9...68]

OK, now that we've had a nice discussion on the expected lifetime of our cars' clutches, my next question along these same lines, which I can't remember seeing discussed before, is how long should we expect the fuel injectors to function within an acceptable performance band?

I just had a follow-up oil analysis (I'll post on that in a little bit), and it continues to show high levels of fuel dilution. My engine used not a drop of oil in the last 3000 miles, and the analysis showed virtually no signs of ring wear, so I suspect the rings and valves are in very good shape from a sealing perspective. And other results from the oil analysis suggest my engine is in perfect tune (I replaced ther plugs, distributor cap, and rotor fairly recently). The analyst suggested worn injectors as another possible cause of the high fuel dilution, which he said is very common in these engines. The injectors have a tough life, opening and closing millions of times over the life of a car, so I'm thinking he may be onto something. Injectors are far from cheap, however, so I don't want to just replace them on a mere hunch. Any thoughts on this? Thanks.

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[jlm968]

It's late on a Saturday, so I'm a coupla-three adult beverages into la-la land (actually, I'm on the road and presently not far from your neck of the woods, Cloud)...

But how does one get fuel into the oil as a consequence of poor injectors?

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[Cloud9...68]

The idea was that they are "dribbling" some fuel, as opposed to turning it into a fine mist, so it isn't all getting burned in the cylinders, and some of it is making it into the crankcase and into the oil. Just a theory, though...

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[Ryan]

I think you can get a set of new injectors for around $169.00. That is not that expensive however they are not OE brand. There is newer technology available in injectors now that provides better atomization of fuel than the units that came in our car. Seems like there was a topic going on this somewhere.

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[Cloud9...68]

That's quite a bit less than I thought. I thought they were close to $100 apiece, but I haven't checked recently. But again, I'm not sure I want to replace them without some idea as to whether they are really having some problems. I suppose I could have them tested...

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[flash]

they are about $100 each for the originals

the new ones that are "all abuzz" have not shown in independent testing the results that one would like - i think pete will be posting something about this soon

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[Cloud9...68]

Is there a reliable way to test ones' fuel injectors? Or is there a mileage figure at which they should just be replaced? It would be good to know when it's time to replace them, as I'm sure worn injectors can have a detrimental impact on performance, gas mileage, and even engine longevitiy if they can cause unburnt fuel to get into the oil.

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[nissanite]

http://injector.com/

The shop that I worked at used these guys. They will check & clean your injectors. They send you a print out before & after & will let you know if you have a problem. Runs less than $30 each. This is a good thing to do if you are troubleshooting. New injectors can be balanced for better performance.

I sat in on a seminar at the PRI show about injectors. It was given by Paul Yaw of yawpower.com. The new Bosch ev-14 injector has a very fine spray for atomization & dead time. Injectors are a very involved science.

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[Cloud9...68]

Yes, I had Marren clean and balance my injectors 4-1/2 years and 24,000 miles ago. Maybe it's time to do it again. I wonder if they can rebuild injectors if they're found to leak. I'll have to check with them...

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[nissanite]

A leaking injector is junk. They cannot be repaired. There are many vehicles in salvage yards from leaking injectors.

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[flash]

if it's leaking, you'll know it

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[Cloud9...68]

"if it's leaking, you'll know it"

What would would be the symptom of a leaking injector?

The more I think about it, I suspect I don't have a severly leaking injector, as my car is giving no symptoms whatsoever. My guess is that the high levels of fuel dilution in my oil (which is a characteristic of these engines), along with my mediocre compression numbers, are simply signs of a gradually aging engine (which runs in perfect parallel with my gradually aging body, despite my best efforts to work out like a fiend to stave off the inevetible [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/huh.gif[/img] ). The one odd (in a good way) characteristic of my particular engine, as I have stated a few times in recent related threads, is its freakishly low oil comsumption, which would seem to suggest solid valve guides and rings. Oh well, these things never seem to make perfect sense...

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[flash]

rough or inconsistent idle, sooty tailpipe, fuel smell, severe drop in fuel economy, and hard starting are a few indicators of leaky injectors

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[Cloud9...68]

"rough or inconsistent idle, sooty tailpipe, fuel smell, severe drop in fuel economy, and hard starting are a few indicators of leaky injectors"

I'm definitely not experiencing any of these symptoms. I'll keep a look-out for them, though.

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