Crazy fuel issue lifting fuel rails

bmmckl said:

Ever get this issue fixed? I’m experiencing the exact same issue on my 2003 GT. Ford told me I’m missing all the fuel injector retention clips, but this is my 3rd New Edge Mustang and I’ve never had clips on any of them (my first was an ‘01 I bought new, so they couldn’t tell me someone removed them). I’ve blown 7 injector o-rings over the past 5 months, always due to a fuel pressure spike on cranking, and it lifts and bends my fuel rails, as well.

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bmmckl said:

Yes, the injector retention clips solved my 03' GT fuel rail problems. As I noted, these were NOT installed on new SN95 'Stangs from the factory, despite my local Ford parts and service departments arguing otherwise (try to find a pic on-line of a 4.6L modular with them installed... you won't find any). It is very clear to me that Ford realized the problem here long after the last New Edge Mustang rolled off the assembly line in 2004. They made clips and added them as a normal part in their parts diagrams (as though they were installed at the factory), then silently swept the issue under the rug. Shame on Ford here, as they really should have recalled these vehicles and installed them since this is a potential fire hazard and risk to human life.

Note, though, that these appear to have been hastily made. While they really should be bent at a 90-degree angle, they are closer to 95 or 100 degrees, so they won't just fit nicely out of the package. When you buy them, expect to have to place the longer ends into a vise and gently tap the shorter ends down to 90-degrees before you install them on your fuel rails. Also, my local dealer wanted to charge me $10 apiece for them, but I found them on-line from other Ford dealers for half that, so I ordered them on-line. I would also recommend you ensure the fuel rails are not bowed at the centers and that the two mounting brackets on each side are still at 90-degrees. I removed the 4 bolts (2 on each rail), popped out all the injectors, re-installed the 4 bolts, gently tapped the rails near the mounting brackets to get them back at 90-degrees, then gently tapped the center of the rails to get them straight again (use a clean, thick, metal straight edge to test for rail straightness). Then I removed the bolts, reinstalled the injectors with fresh O-rings, remounted the rails, installed all the new retention clips (properly bent to 90-degrees), and haven't popped an O-ring since. I hope this helps you and others.

Unfortunately, Ford really did drop the ball on this one, and my respect for them wanes as they continue to make poor decisions like this. As there are now fewer SN95 and New Edge vehicles on the road, the problem is just fading into silence. Meh.

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