Difference between revisions of "Injector Cleaning"

Revision as of 11:40, 13 February 2013

Overview Guide
Ford Model:	Mondeo_Mk3
Petrol/Diesel:	Diesel
Estimated Cost:	?
Difficulty?	Easy/Medium
How long does this take?	?
v • d • e

Procedure

To open up the injector turn it upside down gripping the two flats in a vice so that the nozzle is pointing vertically upwards then apply a socket or ring spanner to the nozzle nut. Once you've slackened it lay it horizontally on a piece of clean white paper (so that you can easily see the small parts)

The passages and jets in the injectors are small and easily blocked and the clearances between moving parts are also very small so it is essential that you work in a clean environment. (Note: The upper part of the injector shown below differs slightly from our injectors.)

Note the sequence of parts.

Working up from the calibration pin down to the nozzle there is:

Calibration pin.

Valve spring

Valve

Valve body

Adaptor plate

Injector spring

Injector needle

Injector Nozzle

The calibration pin may remain in the solenoid half of the injector but be sure that it doesn't drop out and get lost.

Whilst it's important that all the above parts are clean and free from any grit or fluff I think that the most important part to get clean is the inside of the injector nozzle. This area is likely to have carbon build-up that may cause less than perfect sealing of the injector needle. Due to the fine tolerances of injector parts it's important that you don't attempt any scraping or other abrasive cleaning so that the original C2i calibration codes can be re-used.

The only way of cleaning the parts effectively is to use an ultrasonic cleaning tank with a suitable cleaning fluid. I bought a small second hand industrial tank that has an 80 watt power rating. There are some relatively cheap tanks available new that claim a 60 watt power.

Clean all the parts except for the upper body of the injector that contains the solenoid and electrical connector.

The correct cleaning fluid is important. You have to use water based fluids for ultrasonic cleaning because at a micro level high temperatures are generated. I used this fluid diluted 10 parts water to one part fluid. http://mistralie.co.uk/products/ultrasonic-cleaner-for-carburettors-machine-parts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BNhOQ4GxwXc

The pictures on the left are before and those on the right after 15 minutes in the cleaning tank. The difference isn't dramatic but I think you can see an improvement looking into the nozzle to where the needle sits.

My injector needle does show signs of wear where it seats in the nozzle but there doesn't appear to be much scoring down the sides.

When re-assembling the injector, the locating pins in the adaptor plate and valve body should ensure correct alignment of the parts.