injectors

[Doug]

Ok I am looking into replacing the injectors on my 81 rabbit. It has a rough idel, lack of power and poor mileage (36mpg) all of which from what I have read can be caused by faulty injectors. The car has 92,000 miles on it but it was parked in a garage for 20 years.

20 years is a long time to expect anything to be viable. Plan on attacking all of the fuel system - separator, filters, pump, injectors. Then think about the engine mechanicals as they don't have an indefinite shelf life either depending on how the engine was put into storage. All the seals and rubber pieces will be hard, age cracked and ready to leak after a bit of use. Just drive it until something develops but replace the timing belt and idler NOW before you even turn it over again. If it is +20 years it will fail imminently leaving you with a wrecked top end and an even higher renewal cost.

[theman53]

Not forever on running seafoam, but a little bit won't hurt.

I have had great success with autohaus.

[phantom59]

That was fun!!
Just when I thought removing the injectors was the fun part I had to get the heat sink out of that hole.
I hope I didn't hurt anything but I had to use an impact to remove the injectors and a slide hammer to get the heat sink from 3 of the holes. Can I use the impact to put the injectors back in if I am carefull? If not how tight should they be?
I am going to take them in tomorrow to have them tested would it be worth the extra money to have the local shop do the rebuild?
As for bringing it out of storage that was done by the person I bought it from and he took it to a shop for all the necessary work to make it ready to drive, Timing belt, oil leak, brakes, struts, belts and hoses and I am sure other stuff

[theman53]

in a word on the injectors + impact
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Do NOT use an impact to install them. If I remember correctly you torque them to 51 ft/lbs  AND you push the torque wrench toward the head you DO NOT pull the wrench toward you. There is very little material in front of the injector and many a head is RIP because of this...I myself did it to one long ago

The heat sheilds are commonly a bear to get out. I wouldn't worry too much unless the bottom of the holes are scarred up. The heat sheilds do a great job sealing normally.
Just clean everything well and look at it. While the injectors are out it would be good to test compression.
If the person you bought it from took it out of storage and someone did the timing belt amoung other things I would start there. Not every timing belt has 100% perfect tolerances, and the injection pump locking pin isn't perfect either. I would contact that person who did it and see what it was timed to or if he timed it at all. I have had about a 50/50 shot on timing belt replacement and not needed to touch the IP timing and with these engines timing is almost everything.

[theman53]

Andrew posted while I was posting. I would always revert to his #s over mine.

[madrogers]

If I can add my 2 cents, you really do not know who or how experenced the person was how changed the timing belt, the first step would be to check the timeing complete, pump and camshaft like the book details,once you know that is right then work with the injectors , getting them tested. careful not to break the head while removeing them.
just to throw this out there, has the air filter and intake pipe been checked? and muffer checked for being pluged after sitting for 20 years?

[phantom59]

Thanks for the information I will let you know what I find out tonight about the injectors and if they do need rebuilt I will let the local shop do it. Less hastle with ordering and if there is a problem they are here.  As for damaging the head I don't believe anything bad happened I was very gentle with the impact and the threads look good.
You mentioned the fact that you have to reset the pump timing after a belt change I will bet that didn't happen.
I am guessing that there is a special compression tester  for a diesel and none of my normal ones will work?
I am not sure about the intake pipe but the muffler is new.
One thing if there is a hole in the end of these injectors it must be small because I don't see anything but a flat surface.

[theman53]

Get a bentley manual and have the pump timing set. The injectors don't really have a big hole, very tiny.

[phantom59]

I have the manual just not the tools. Never been a diesel mechanic before but with the lack of compent ones around here I guess I am about to become one.
I just couldn't justify buying a bunch of special tools to work on one car it was easier to let someone else do it.

[theman53]

http://www.vwdieselparts.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=771

The point of driving these cars for ME is they are cheap. They are great cars, but need worked on and I have found eventhough I am not a VW diesel mechanic sometimes caring about your car is better than knowledge. I know I care more than the guy getting 12.00/hour that tells me he can't do that take it to VW. Bonus is once you make these tools they are yours.

[phantom59]

I agree about the knowledge I used to be that way about my old Cadillacs. But some times it is hard to convince wife when it comes to tools since I spent several hundred dollars on a Snap ON code reader a colple years ago and it has lived on the shelf in the garage ever since.

[madrogers]

The tools ae very basic , a bolt, shaft or tap  to set the pump gear. a flat plate of steel and feeler gauges for the cam and a dial indicator and magnetic base to set the satic pump cam timeing or lift the dial guage is about $30.00 from Pricess Auto in Canada or your discount place in the States ( do not know where you are). By the way if you post that some other forum member may come out and give you a hand , thats what its all about, right. At least I would.

[phantom59]

I agree most of the time I pay someone to fix anything I end up redoing it so I just do it myself.
I am located in southern Indiana about 20 miles East of Evansville.

[phantom59]

Well bad news
All the injectors checked out good so back to the drawing board. I guess I will run a compression test while I have them out I just need to find a Diesel compression tester.

[phantom59]

Well to me the injectors were the easiest fix. So while I have them out I am going to run a compression test then if that turns out ok I will move on to the pump. I know you said to allways replace the heat shields and it also says this in the book but the person at the rebuild shop who is Bosh certified said I could just clean them up and reuse them.