Changing fuel filter

[Terranical]

Replaced the fuel filter on my '94 T2 today, and followed this advice given to me by a retired mechanic.
Instead of filling the new filter with clean diesel I filled it with injector cleaner, and after pumping out the air started the car.
The neat injector cleaner then goes straight to where it's needed, cleaning out all the accumulated gunge. Grey/white smoke for the first few seconds, then hardly any smoke at all (I was getting a lot of black smoke on blipping the throttle before).
Even if the filter doesn't need replacing this seems to me to be a better way of getting the cleaner into the engine.
Anyone got any thoughts on this?

 

[stinka]

I've always done this. We did this when I was a mechanic 10 years a go

 

[clivvy]

ah bugger, just done mine today!! Great Idea though, I might remove mine and re fill with injector cleaner :thumb2

 

[Banshee]

ah bugger, just done mine today!! Great Idea though, I might remove mine and re fill with injector cleaner :thumb2

2nd that!!!! I wish I'd have done that now when I replaced mine a few weeks ago

 

[micktheshed]

What a cracking idea, wish I'd heard about this earlier. Will def do it next time!

 

[rustic]

Ok, what injector cleaner is the best one to use in the fuel filter? :nenau

 

[(RIP) PLANK]

i do this too, and i use whatever injector cleaner i can get for nowt :naughty

 

[briggie]

this is the one i use , it cleans the fuel system not just the injectors , and does 2 tankfulls of diesel , allthough i just put the lot in one go ...... does it work ? ......... well i dont get as much smoke and my truck seems to run smoother and more responsive ..... make your own mind up .

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Redex-Diesel-System-Cleaner-250ml/dp/B002J9C936

incidently at the mo its only £2.50 at tescos

 

[(RIP) PLANK]

this is the one i use , it cleans the fuel system not just the injectors , and does 2 tankfulls of diesel , allthough i just put the lot in one go ...... does it work ? ......... well i dont get as much smoke and my truck seems to run smoother and more responsive ..... make your own mind up .

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Redex-Diesel-System-Cleaner-250ml/dp/B002J9C936

incidently at the mo its only £2.50 at tescos

I would give it a go just for the price alone! :thumb2

 

[briggie]

im a bit apprehensive of injector cleaners , but this stuff cleans the fuel system too ...... ive definately noticed a difference when putting the stuff in ..... of course some might say its the placebo effect ....make your own mind up i guess ......

 

[Terranical]

Replaced the fuel filter on my '94 T2 today, and followed this advice given to me by a retired mechanic.
Instead of filling the new filter with clean diesel I filled it with injector cleaner, and after pumping out the air started the car.
The neat injector cleaner then goes straight to where it's needed, cleaning out all the accumulated gunge. Grey/white smoke for the first few seconds, then hardly any smoke at all (I was getting a lot of black smoke on blipping the throttle before).
Even if the filter doesn't need replacing this seems to me to be a better way of getting the cleaner into the engine.
Anyone got any thoughts on this?

Sod it! The black smoke when I blip the throttle is back!
When I had the injectors replaced the guy that fitted them said the small copper washers that fit at the bottom of the nozzles weren't necessary and didn't refit them - I'm starting to wonder now if the black smoke could be due to them not being there - anyone know what their purpose is?

 

[solarman216]

as a diesel engineer of long standing, I never rated injector cleaners at all, wast of money, nothing dissolves carbon and hard burnt on carbon in the nozzle is what you are trying to shift , the other injector problem is a sticky needle or incorrect spring pressure, sounds to me like one or more of your injectors are not seating correctly or are sticking, when I was fitting truck engines in the 70's it was common to have a truck with smoke problems, remove the injectors and have them serviced only to find it was the same, buy a set of new injectors problem solved, we had our own injector test rig but it only tested cold, when hot things change, to illustrate the tolerances we are working to, if you take the average injector element and remove the needle then place the body on a cold metal surface and hold the needle in your hand for a few mins, you will not now be able insert it into the body from which it came until the temperatures equalise, this is the fine tolerance that diesels run to, Rick

 

[stinka]

Have u tried a new maf ? Mine was black smoking and overfuelling due to maf being dead

 

[Banshee]

Sod it! The black smoke when I blip the throttle is back!
When I had the injectors replaced the guy that fitted them said the small copper washers that fit at the bottom of the nozzles weren't necessary and didn't refit them - I'm starting to wonder now if the black smoke could be due to them not being there - anyone know what their purpose is?

Aren't they there to bridge the gap between the seals :S ??

 

[Kishada]

Terranical:

Having just fitted these small ones at the bottom and the larger copper ones at the top, I got the impression that the small ones are there as a firstline defence to the combustion pressure or principle gasket.
I had a perfect ring of carbon on the ends of the injectors up to where the crush washer funnels sealed, except for one where the washer wasn't properly centred and I think the combustion gases had passed the washer and corroded the threads in the head for the injector. The combustion gases hadn't got past the bigger copper washer so i'd call that a secondary gasket.

 

[briggie]

Sod it! The black smoke when I blip the throttle is back!
When I had the injectors replaced the guy that fitted them said the small copper washers that fit at the bottom of the nozzles weren't necessary and didn't refit them - I'm starting to wonder now if the black smoke could be due to them not being there - anyone know what their purpose is?

my truck puffs out black smoke when i press the loud pedal too enthusiastically too , but i was told its a normal thing :nenau

 

[solarman216]

Sod it! The black smoke when I blip the throttle is back!
When I had the injectors replaced the guy that fitted them said the small copper washers that fit at the bottom of the nozzles weren't necessary and didn't refit them - I'm starting to wonder now if the black smoke could be due to them not being there - anyone know what their purpose is?

washers or no washers they will not be causing your smoke problem, as kishada says they will be to stop gasses getting to the injector threads and corroding them, but they will not have any bearing on combustion unless their absence is causing injector deformation, as I said in an earlier post injectors are very fine tolerance bits of kit, I have not had any of these injectors out as yet so have no first hand knowledge of them but find it hard to think that the absence of the lower washer would cause deformation of what is a very substantial lump of metal, Rick

 

[Terranical]

as a diesel engineer of long standing, I never rated injector cleaners at all, wast of money, nothing dissolves carbon and hard burnt on carbon in the nozzle is what you are trying to shift , the other injector problem is a sticky needle or incorrect spring pressure, sounds to me like one or more of your injectors are not seating correctly or are sticking, when I was fitting truck engines in the 70's it was common to have a truck with smoke problems, remove the injectors and have them serviced only to find it was the same, buy a set of new injectors problem solved, we had our own injector test rig but it only tested cold, when hot things change, to illustrate the tolerances we are working to, if you take the average injector element and remove the needle then place the body on a cold metal surface and hold the needle in your hand for a few mins, you will not now be able insert it into the body from which it came until the temperatures equalise, this is the fine tolerance that diesels run to, Rick

Thanks for that Rick - would appear that I wasted my money having a set of s/h injectors refurbed (new nozzles), then compounded the problem by having the fitter choose not to refit the four copper washers immediately below the jets!
Question now is can I justify the cost of a brand new set of injectors (with someone different fitting them), or do I put up with the black smoke and hope it passes it's next Spanish MOT!

 

[Terranical]

Terranical:

Having just fitted these small ones at the bottom and the larger copper ones at the top, I got the impression that the small ones are there as a firstline defence to the combustion pressure or principle gasket.
I had a perfect ring of carbon on the ends of the injectors up to where the crush washer funnels sealed, except for one where the washer wasn't properly centred and I think the combustion gases had passed the washer and corroded the threads in the head for the injector. The combustion gases hadn't got past the bigger copper washer so i'd call that a secondary gasket.

Ta for that Kishada, reading Rick (Solarman's) last comment on this it would appear that you are right, which means looking elsewhere for the black smoke cause.
Since I changed the fuel filter I am not getting nearly as much smoke when wellying it up a long hill, but I still get an impressive cloud when starting or blipping the throttle - could be I am worrying about nothing!

 

[solarman216]

just noticed yours is a 94 TD so it may not be an injector problem at all what is the state of your turbo, if it is sluggish then this will promote smoke, it is all to do with fuel/air ratio to much fuel not enough air = smoke, Rick