Doing Fuel Injectors. Need Intake torque specs, and any tips

black143 · Jan 12, 2004

Hey Guys,

I'm doing my Fuel Injectors on my 88 GT this weekend as they're leaking. I was hoping someone in here had the Torque Pattern and Specs for the Upper to Lower Intake. Also, any tips to make the job go smoother would be great. One question i had, do I need to use RTV sealant on the gasket? Thanks ahead of time.

Brent

TheUser · Jan 12, 2004

torque specs are in the manual...might wanna pick one of those up if you haven't. I don't think there was an order for the upper. I'd say be sure and label your vacuum lines that connect to the back of the intake to eliminate any confusion. If you're replacing the pintle caps and o-rings on your injectors, be careful with putting the caps back on, i cracked 3 lol...i just left the other old caps on if they weren't already broken and pulled the o-ring off over the pintle cap. I'd replace the upper to lower gasket...if you have a GT40 intake or something with a different alignment than stock, be sure and get the correct gasket. Other than that, it's pretty straight-forward...the injectors aren't real hard to get off of the rail or out of the intake, so that's not a big deal. Not sure about RTV, I used High Tak gasket sealent or whatever

black143 · Jan 12, 2004

Thanks TheUser. My manual had the torque specs but not the pattern, thats why I was asking. To make sure there wasnt a certain pattern. I am getting brand new Fuel Injectors instead of replacing the O-Rings and such since I have 140K on my car and new injectors cant hurt anything. I am definately going to label my hoses cuz all it would take is crossing two of them and my car would run like crap.

89lxsport50 · Jan 12, 2004

Don't use RTV on the upper gasket, it goes on dry. As soon as you pull the upper, put a strip of duct tape over the holes in the lower. If you drop something in there you may have to pull the lower. Make sure you get the old O rings out of the fuel rail. If they stick in there just use a small screwdriver to pull them out. Also lubricate the new O rings with light oil. I used 3 in 1 oil. Don't use grease. Be very careful not to over tighten the 4 fuel rail bolts. It doesn't take much to snap the heads off. Torque the upper to 12 - 15 foot pounds. I just used an X type patern.

black143 · Jan 12, 2004

Thanks for all the tips. I hope I can do this job as I dont work on my car very much but I want to learn. I guess the only way I'm going to do it is by diggin in right?? Someone suggested using KY-Jelly for the lubrication. The upper only needs to be torqued 12-15? that doesnt seem like very much. Thanks for the info.

black143 · Jan 12, 2004

I'm going to replace my both my Throttle body gaskets at the same time. Do I need to use RTV on those gaskets?

jrichker · Jan 12, 2004

My favorite trick that saves time and effort is the stay in place gasket. Be sure that you scrape (don't use a wire brush) all the old gasket material off, then clean all the surfaces with acetone or MEK.

When the surfaces are clean, use weather strip adhesive on the head to manifold surface, and on the side of the gasket that mates to the head. Follow the instructions on the tube or can and when it gets tacky, press the gasket down on the head.

Clean the area where the rubber rails mount to the block in front and in the rear with more acetone or MEK and do the same trick with the weather strip adhesive that you did to the heads.

Coat the rubber seals and the gasket area around the water passages with lots of Blue Silicone gasket sealer and put it together. Wala! no leaks, and no gaskets that shifted out of place.

Fuel injector seal kits with 2 O rings and a pintle cap (Borg-Warner P/N 274081) are available at Pep Boys auto parts. Cost is about $2.74 per kit. The pintle caps fit either injectors with a pin sticking out the injector end or 4 with more tiny holes in the injector end. The following are listed at the Borg-Warner site ( http://www.borg-warner.com ) as being resellers of Borg-Warner parts:

http://www.partsplus.com/ or http://www.autovalue.com/ or http://www.pepboys.com/ or http://www.federatedautoparts.com/

Most of the links above have store locators for find a store in your area.

Coat the injector body "O" rings with oil before you use them and everything will slide back together. Take the other advice you got here and run with it.

89lxsport50 · Jan 12, 2004

I'm not sure about the Throttle body. I've heard about the KY jelly too, but I save that for other things. Yeah, I was suprized at the 12 - 15 pounds too, but you will see that it doesn't take much to break them loose. It's not the bolts you have to worry about damaging, it is the lower intake. The aluminum is alot softer than that steel bolt, and can crack if over tightened. Here is a good tip for keeping the gasket in place while reinstalling the intake. Take one of your intake bolts to Auto Zone or even the hardware store, and get 2 more with the same threads. They need to be as long or can be a little longer. Cut the heads off the new bolts, and cut a slot in the end with a dremel or hacksaw. The slot is for a flat blade screwdriver. With the upper off, screw one in the front corner of the lower, and the other in the back. you dont have to screw them in far. Now you can place the gasket on over them. The gasket will stay in place while you put the upper on. Then just remove them and put the bolts back in. Just take your time and label all of the vaccuum hoses and electrical connections and you will be fine.

black143 · Jan 12, 2004

89lxsport50 said:
Here is a good tip for keeping the gasket in place while reinstalling the intake. Take one of your intake bolts to Auto Zone or even the hardware store, and get 2 more with the same threads. They need to be as long or can be a little longer. Cut the heads off the new bolts, and cut a slot in the end with a dremel or hacksaw. The slot is for a flat blade screwdriver. With the upper off, screw one in the front corner of the lower, and the other in the back. you dont have to screw them in far. Now you can place the gasket on over them. The gasket will stay in place while you put the upper on. Then just remove them and put the bolts back in. Just take your time and label all of the vaccuum hoses and electrical connections and you will be fine.

That is a good idea. I will try to see if I have something to cut off the head of the bolt and to make a notch though. I dont want to invest in many tools that I will only use this once. I will research about the Throttle Body gasket. The one thing I'm worried about are the electrical connections on the Injectors since the clips seems to break very easily (I know, I've done it on my IAC and EGR Connections). So once I snap the injectors back onto the fuel rail, I just snap the whole rail with the injectors back into the Intake? That seems too easy.

89lxsport50 · Jan 12, 2004

Take your time with the connectors. Mine were not as hard to disconnect as some of the others in the car. I took a tiny precision screwdriver and slightly lifted up on the tab and slowly pulled the connector off. You don't want to break these. You can either push the injector into the intake first or put them in the rail first if it is easier for you. Just make sure they are seated good. Once you get them all in and bolt the rails down, turn the key to the on position to pressurise the system and check for leaks.
You should probably replace the fuel pressure regulator while you are in there. It is on the back of the passenger side fuel rail. It is only held on with 3 allen head screws.

black143 · Jan 12, 2004

89lxsport50 said:
You should probably replace the fuel pressure regulator while you are in there. It is on the back of the passenger side fuel rail. It is only held on with 3 allen head screws.

If I replaced it with an adjustable one, do I need to do anything to install it or simply replace the unit?

89lxsport50 · Jan 12, 2004

I think the installation is the same. I am not sure though because I used a stock Motorcraft one. If you go adjustable, make sure it is one that will fit under your intake. Make sure you use the little rubber gasket that comes with it or it will leak.

I should have mentioned this before, but you should relieve the fuel pressure in the system before you get started. Some people stick a screwdriver in the schrader valve and shoot the fuel into a rag. I prefer to disconnect the inertia switch (inside back panel of hatch) and crank the engine a couple of times until it won't run. Just remember to connect it back or you won't be going anywhere soon.

black143 · Jan 12, 2004

Yea, I already was going to relieve the fuel pressure. I do know that much. I might just use my fuel pressure tester and squirt the fuel into a container so I dont waste my fuel.

What would be the advantage of replacing my fuel pressure regulator? Do they wear out? How hard is it to replace after I got the intake back on?

89lxsport50 · Jan 12, 2004

They do wear out. If it is the original one it could fail or start leaking. Then you will be kicking yourself, because you didn't replace it while you were in there. It is 10 times easier to replace with the intake off.

black143 · Jan 12, 2004

So now I gotta figure out if I need an adjustable one or not. I dont know how soon (if ever) I'll start really working on my engine so I dont wanna waste the money.

Michael Yount · Jan 12, 2004

16-18 ft-lbs. on the lower if alum. heads; 18-20 with cast iron. No more than 10 ft-lbs on the upper. There is a very specific pattern for tightening the lower and it's counter intuitive. If you don't have it, pm me and I'll pass it along to you.

89lxsport50 · Jan 12, 2004

You don't want ot drive around too long with leaking injectors. You know how people like to throw lit cigarettes out on the interstate. The other day I found a cigarette butt in the radiator support, and one underneath my battery.

My car is basically stock daily driver so I don't need an adjustable FPR. I don't want to have to worry about adjusting it either. The Motorcraft one was about 45 - 50 bucks.

black143 · Jan 12, 2004

89lxsport50 said:
You don't want ot drive around too long with leaking injectors. You know how people like to throw lit cigarettes out on the interstate. The other day I found a cigarette butt in the radiator support, and one underneath my battery.

I'm going to be doing the injectors this weekend. The thing I was in the air about was whether to get an AFPR. I'm definately going to do these injectors ASAP. Can I just go to Napa and get their Echlin Plus Fuel Saver FPR or are they crap? I really appreciate all the help. Like I said, I've never worked this much on my so having half my intake manifold and working with fuel is maknig me nervous. Thanks again.

89lxsport50 · Jan 12, 2004

I don't know about the Napa part. I like to use Motorcraft when I can. It may be a little more, but hey the stock one lasted 15 years and probably has some life left in it. You can't beat that.
I know exactly how you feel. I was in your shoes back in October. I had never done anything this involved to my car. I posted my concerns and the guys on this board told me everything I needed to know. I was nervous. I studied up on it, gathered the tools and went at it. If you have a problem, just ask for help on here. I took my time and was real careful. It took me 5 or 6 hours including a trip to Auto Zone for a vaccuum hose that I had to cut. I could probably do it in 3 hours or less now. It sure felt good when I turned the key and she fired right up, and there was no gas smell. It also felt good knowing that I saved $700 by doing it myself. A mechanic told me he would charge $1000 to do it. I ordered the Ford Racing injectors from Summit for $209, and paid $50 for the FPR. The rest was for a torque wrench. You will do fine.

black143 · Jan 12, 2004

89lxsport50 said:
You will do fine.

I appreciate the confidence. The one problem is the fact I dont have another car and there is no autoparts store around me so if something was to happen, I'd have to bum a ride and that would just take more time and such. I'm going to try and plan as much as possible. Get everything in advance.

Which vacuum hose did you have to cut? I will try to find a local store that sells Motorsport other than Ford itself as I'm sure they'd charge more for it.

Doing Fuel Injectors. Need Intake torque specs, and any tips

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