injector prices, diagnostics

[HISSIN50]

hello again. need advice. i generally dont look too much at parts cuz i end up buying stuff. LOL. i have a bad injector (or wiring to it, yet to be determined). i doubt the wiring is bad, so what are options for injectors? i really just wanted one (cylinder 2, so i can change it with plenum, etc on). i checked local parts stores, and the cheapest i can find one injector for is ~57 bucks (rebuilt at that). im not thrilled. i know summit sells a new set of 8 for ~220. good price if i wanted 8, but i dont really have the extra cash to blow (so that 7 injectors can sit around for awhile).

are there any other alternatives? can injectors be rebuilt? i.e., i take it to a shop and have them do something or other to it? is this just a waste of time? please let me know what you think. sans any advice, i would likely go with summit's deal, as it would be nice to be able to replace them all if i ever get caught up with other crud. please tell me what you think and where you like to get such parts. thanks again guys.

and if anyone knows how to test the injector and its wiring, please let me know (i assume noid light is best). i dont have one on hand; will a test light suffice, or does it draw too much juice? thanks.

BTW, i have an 88 S.D. stock set up (fuel pump, injectors, regulator). what injector size should i go with? i dont know that there is any advantage of going with bigger injectors run at less pressure (i would get AFPR if there is an advantage to bigger injectors). no plans for power adders. thanks guys

 

[5.0Droptop]

ebay

 

[Michael Yount]

I'm with 5.0 - check ebay - but if you're having problems with used injectors, I wouldn't buy a used injector to fix it. If you're gonna keep the car for a while, and you know you're not gonna need larger injectors in the near future, I'd replace all 8. The cheapest place I found was Ford Racing. I think I paid right around $190 for 8 new ones. I know the guys at the dealership here, and they like the car, so I always get FRPP stuff at less than the retail price, sometimes a little less than the jobber. There are places that specialize in injector customization and blueprinting - they may repair but I don't know. Contact RC Engineering at 310-320-2277; they're in Torrance, CA.

www.rceng.com

 

[matm347]

You can check with a screwdriver up to your ear(like a stethoscope) you should hear it clicking....if not, swap to another port....if it still does not then its the injector.

You should be able to get one rebuilt for cheaper than 57!
Check swap meets as well, maybe someone will give one to you.

 

[5.0Droptop]

guy on ebay is selling 6 10.00 each

 

[HISSIN50]

thanks one and all. mike, good stuff. i will give them a call.

Matm, also good info. i should have connected this to the other thread i had on my miss. i did try to listen for clicking, but i suffer from C.H.S. (too many years of riding crotchrockets with no helmet nor earplugs). i think i hear faint clicking, but am not sure. i listened to an adjacent injector and heard the same emanations from each injector.

Shawn, thank you. i did look last night and saw that guy. i havent done injectors before, but since i can access no. 2 easily, i was thinking of just fixing the one for now. while i hate to throw good money after bad (or whatever the saying is), i cheap bandaid would be nice, as i ve gone through a ton of money this month. id do them all in the spring when i have more time and money.

all really good info. i appreciate it all. i think i will look into the noid light idea still (kinda surprised no one has experience with them). this would be nice to have for other diagnostics and they are less than 5 bucks.

as said, i have the feeling i will get some injectors from summit, etc. 2 bills and be done with it (later,though). the previous owner had injectors replaced every 30- 50K at 500- 700 bucks a pop. oouch. do stangs eat injectors or was it just the crappy quality ones he was using ( i put less than 1K miles on the car in the last year, so i dont have a feel.).

i just went out and checked for juice at the suspect injector with a VOM. when probing the non common wire (think its yellow), i get 12 volts running. i think the voltage is pulsing really quickly (what a noid light shows), but the VOM cant begin to show this, so i just get output voltage. in any case, it has juice.
i will let you know how it goes and i really appreciate the help. thanks again. its great to have people to bounce ideas off on when one is unsure if he/she is thinking in the right direction. (let alone all the good ideas you have). i really appreciate it.

 

[ArtMan]

www.injector.com

 

[jrichker]

See http://www.cleaninjectors.com/process.html

You can buy them from the junkyard for $10 a piece and have them cleaned for another $11-$12 each. The result is the same as a reman injector from the auto parts store.

 

[jerry beach]

What Joe said is prolly the best plan. I have the noid lights and they are nothing special. They tell you its getting power and it flashes with the pulsations, but it a glorified bulb I think. The method I suggested in the other thread will tell for sure though. Just switch wires with the neighbor injector and see if the miss migrates with it. I can change injectors out in 45 min. now and do a good job. The parts store rebuilds are crap, my car would not run right with them. I got FRPP from summit. $210

 

[HISSIN50]

thank you all very much for all the info. i have stored it away and will use it this spring when i have more disposable money. i will likely go with the summit injectors. is there any need to upgrade to higher output (with afpr, of course)? i dont envision power upgrades, nor even mass air.

i think i cured it. i was irritated and took the closed end of a box end wrench and gave the injector a good whack. runs smooth now. LOL.
i only put less than a hundred miles a month on the car (and less now that it is winter). i need to finish prep and it gets sprayed. so i will do injectors (with all the good info from you all. ). i am also gonna get a new balancer, as the old one's wobbling is disconcerting.

thank you all very much again. the premise of the B.F.H. comes through again. you guys are always great and always come through. thanks again.

 

[Michael Yount]

I love it - we call that a "percussion adjustment". Spend $3 bucks and run a couple of bottles of fuel injector cleaner through the next couple of tanks of fuel. I wouldn't replace 'em unless they start acting up again. Filter maybe. No need for larger ones - I don't think they can be made to work real well with SD anyhow. Glad it was a cheap trick.

 

[evn_05]

bad injectors

i am getting ready to purchase a set of 19#'s from summit or jegs (like .05 cent diff.) and i was wondering just how hard is it going to be to swap them in. i know im gonna have to take off the upper intake but do i need one of those special fuel rail tools or not. i would like to make this as easy as possible, so if i need to get that tool i probley will.

does anybody else have problems with injectors clogging??? the pas owner replaced one and i am deciding to just put a whole new set on cause its startin to do the same stuff all over again and if im gonna do it im gonna do it right. i was reading in a very technical ford eec guide about how in i think 90' they started putting "deposit resistant injectors" in the 5.0 and since mine is an 89' this sounds like it could be part of the problem. all of the diagnostic problems in this book are exactly what my car has and plus im gettin 12mpg(city) so im pretty sure this is it. any help would be greatly appreciated, gas is goin up and im gettin p*ssed.

 

[5ptslow]

i got a couple sets of 19# they are new take outs less then 100 miles $65

E-mail me if intrested : [email protected]

 

[Michael Yount]

evn_05 - I'd run a couple of bottles of fuel system/inj. cleaner through it first. I'd buy a new fuel filter with the injectors - and replace the filter when you replace the injectors. Run the cleaner through with the old filter so anything it breaks loose gets caught in the old filter, not the new one.

 

[jerry beach]

evn_05 - I'd run a couple of bottles of fuel system/inj. cleaner through it first. I'd buy a new fuel filter with the injectors - and replace the filter when you replace the injectors. Run the cleaner through with the old filter so anything it breaks loose gets caught in the old filter, not the new one.

Yeah and try tapping on them like Hissin, works quite well. I fixed a CFI car that only had one injector that way several months ago. Good work there Hissin. This car would not start, been running fine ever since. I had several leaking, thats why I changed the whole set. My bad one was making a puddle, there was no hope. I would do like Mike said, just ride on and you know which one to bang on if it sticks again.

 

[HISSIN50]

Michael, i had to try it. i have had good luck with the "percussion adjustments" when dealing with windshield wiper motors. i know several reputable mechanics whom tell people to give them a good whack before coming into the shop.
i used to routinely run injector cleaner thorugh the cars, as i have never felt that a little bottle of cleaner in 15 gallons of fuel could do much. i have been leary since reading of Jerry's misfortune with the cleaner (Jerry, correct me if im wrong, but didnt you melt a pump down and send its remnants through the filter, believing the cleaner was at fault?) im not smart enough figure such things out (i would guess that maybe your pump was on its last legs for something like that to happen. or you finally got around to using Xylene. LOL). and thanks for the noid light info. i ve never used one.

evn, the fuel tools are necessary and only cost a few bucks at parts store. id get them. the previous owner of my car had injectors replaced every 30K or so. i dont know or see why. i think keeping the tank full (i seldom go below half. all the crud is in the bottom, not nice to components), and running decent fuel (im anal about filling up at the same place every time. rules out one variable).

good luck and thanks again everyone.