Expected cost for injector service

Around here (CT) injectors cost about $60 - $80 each to get rebuilt.
That is if you bring them to a shop.

Rather than throw parts at it, buy an injector pop tester off Ebay for a couple hundred dollars and test them yourself.

You might even find it satisfying and economical to rebuild them yourself.

RickB said:

Rather than throw parts at it, buy an injector pop tester off Ebay for a couple hundred dollars and test them yourself.

You might even find it satisfying and economical to rebuild them yourself.

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Yes, gawd yes.This will save you a lot of money over time.Shimming the injector springs so that each injector pops open at the same pressure does wonders for engine smoothness and easier starting.I was shown how to do it but have never actually done it myself.The person showing me matched all the injectors to the one that required the most pressure to pop them open.When I installed them on the old tractor,it was night and day difference on how it ran.Wayyyyyyyy better and smoother.

pop-testing - YouTube

Cool video! I have 2 "oil cars" both VWs
About 5 years ago it replaced the nozzles in my 2000 with oversized ones but never took the injectors apart. I assume know this I should be ok at the very least removing the ones from the Perkins and taking them into a shop?

ben2go said:

Yes, gawd yes.This will save you a lot of money over time.Shimming the injector springs so that each injector pops open at the same pressure does wonders for engine smoothness and easier starting.I was shown how to do it but have never actually done it myself.The person showing me matched all the injectors to the one that required the most pressure to pop them open.When I installed them on the old tractor,it was night and day difference on how it ran.Wayyyyyyyy better and smoother.

pop-testing - YouTube

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There is an easy way to sort of field test the injectors. Before removing them to take them in for service or replacement

All that is required is a wrench and a oil diaper.

With the engine running. Where the fuel line feeds the injector Crack the nut loose. Keep the wrench on the nut. Listen to the sound of the engine.

You will notice a difference right away.

Use the oil absorbent towel to pick the bit of diesel that will spurt out.

If you hear a knock that go's away when you crack the line you will know what injector or injectors need servicing.
A knock is usually caused by an injector that is leaking or dribbling.
A leaking injector puts to much fuel into the cylinder causing a knockwhen it fires.

If you hear no difference at all you will know that that injector is not working.

The difference in the sound of the engine is quite remarkable

The last time I pulled all my injectors I had them tested for $25.00

The spray pattern was checked at the proper pressure took about 15 min.

Sd

There will always be combustion build up on the holes in the injector nozzle.

This can cause smoking and rough running.

On a frequently used engine that gets good hours a year there are chemicals that will help .Stanadine is my first choice.

For 35 year old injectors with internal springs that age differently , along with the low load cruising common on rec boats that carbons the engine , a rebuild/renew is in order.

The fuel burn may only get a bit better , but the smoothness and noise reduction is worth the bucks .

skipperdude said:

There is an easy way to sort of field test the injectors. Before removing them to take them in for service or replacement

All that is required is a wrench and a oil diaper.

With the engine running. Where the fuel line feeds the injector Crack the nut loose. Keep the wrench on the nut. Listen to the sound of the engine.

You will notice a difference right away.

Use the oil absorbent towel to pick the bit of diesel that will spurt out.

If you hear a knock that go's away when you crack the line you will know what injector or injectors need servicing.
A knock is usually caused by an injector that is leaking or dribbling.
A leaking injector puts to much fuel into the cylinder causing a knockwhen it fires.

If you hear no difference at all you will know that that injector is not working.

The difference in the sound of the engine is quite remarkable

Click to expand...

I had a pretty well respected independent diesel mechanic do this to my engine a few years ago because of slight smoking and a slight oil film in the exhaust water. Loosening each injector in turn made no difference in the smoke or film.

The mechanic took a job in Afganistan and is no longer around the area. I'm wondering if the injectors are all equally worn and this is causing the smoke and film?

The engine is 13 years old and has about 3100 hours on it. The PO did not give me the service history.

I have similar symptoms . Port engine idles very rough, bluish smoke above 2000 RPM and a film on the water while idling at the dock.

rwidman said:

I had a pretty well respected independent diesel mechanic do this to my engine a few years ago because of slight smoking and a slight oil film in the exhaust water. Loosening each injector in turn made no difference in the smoke or film.

The mechanic took a job in Afganistan and is no longer around the area. I'm wondering if the injectors are all equally worn and this is causing the smoke and film?

The engine is 13 years old and has about 3100 hours on it. The PO did not give me the service history.

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rwidman said:

Loosening each injector in turn made no difference in the smoke or film.

I'm wondering if the injectors are all equally worn and this is causing the smoke and film?

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After that long it is likely that the tips are worn and/or coated with deposits that alter the spray pattern. It is well worth pulling them to check the popping pressure and spray pattern.

The upside is improved combustion and reducing the chance of liner or piston damage from flame impingement.

Removing the injectors is not that big a job.

It's just a nuts and bolts sort of thing.

Use your camera so you know how to reinstall them.

You will be pleased with yourself when you are done. And you will know more about your engine.

the next thing you know you will be adjusting the valves yourself.

I rebuilt the whole top end on my Cat 3208.

Search the thread on Cat 3208 n.a. coolant leak.

You can do it.

Sd

RickB said:

After that long it is likely that the tips are worn and/or coated with deposits that alter the spray pattern. It is well worth pulling them to check the popping pressure and spray pattern.

The upside is improved combustion and reducing the chance of liner or piston damage from flame impingement.

Click to expand...

The best I could do is probably to remove them and send them out for inspection and repair. If there's unburned fuel in the exhaust, it's fuel that's not propelling the boat.

Any suggestions on where to send them?

BTW: The engine runs fine, no roughness or lack of power that I can tell.

Just check around for diesel systems. Most any place dealing with diesel engines can test injectors.

SD

skipperdude said:

Removing the injectors is not that big a job.

It's just a nuts and bolts sort of thing.

Use your camera so you know how to reinstall them.

You will be pleased with yourself when you are done. And you will know more about your engine.

the next thing you know you will be adjusting the valves yourself.

I rebuilt the whole top end on my Cat 3208.

Search the thread on Cat 3208 n.a. coolant leak.

You can do it.

Sd

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How hard is it to pull the injectors from a 3208?

I pulled my injectors on the Port engine and had them re-built about 300 hrs ago. Cost was around $85/ea.
I was hoping it would have made a difference in the smoke and oil from exhaust at start up, but couldn't see any difference. Perkins 6.534 non turbo, 2,100 hrs.

I had a smoking problem, so bad that I smoked out one of the restaurants that overlooks the marina in Monterey. People coughing, waving their hands in front of their faces, etc. it would have been really funny if it wasn't my boat. Anyway, they just reinstalled the injectors, one on the port was totally "clogged". Haven't gotten the bill but when I do, I'll post it.

Gulfstar 36 said:

I have two 38 year old Perkins 4-236 engines. Last year the surveyor said one of them was making a strange sound and should be services one day.

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Is the engine running smoothly, excessive smoke, hissing or knocking sound or what kind of noise? Was the surveyor a diesel mechanic or . . . . . . just a surveyor? The surveyor has probably never heard your engine run before, so do they sound normal to you? If you're not mechanical maybe it's time to have a qualified mechanic take a look at it.

Lot's of things can go wrong on an engine, burned or bent valves, bad valve springs, loose valve lifters, leaky injector seat, piston wrist pin wear and some engines are just a little bit noisy. See if you can isolate the noise if you can actually hear it. If you're seeing excessive smoke and oil in the exhaust don't automatically assume it's the injectors, it could be wear in the injector pump, pump timing, or maybe even low cylinder compression.

If the injectors have never been checked, by all means take them to an injector shop and have them pressure tested and the spray pattern checked. It's relatively inexpensive for the test as long as you take them out and re-install them. Be sure and buy and install some new injector seats, they look like a spark plug ring or thin flat washer, from the shop to replace the old seat rings on the re-install.

Larry B

The most common cause of lots of smoke is poor compression.

If not protected in some way the moisture in the wet exhaust and in the air will cause rust spots on the cylinder walls when the engine is not used for a while.

AS this rust is scraped off with each start , eventually the cylinders will not hold compression very well.

This is when it takes 140F + coolant temp to stop the smoke.

The next problem on many trawlers is a constant under load , which carbons the rings , sometimes to sticking .

Add in the oil dilution from the fuel passing the rings,at low load , and SURPRISE ! a smoker.

Folks need to be careful with the cost factor on an injector rebuild. I had the four injectors rebuilt on my sailboat engine several years ago. The dealer that did the rebuilt is a well known diesel repair shop in New Bern NC. When they got done they sent me a bill that was twice as much as what they had quoted for the rebuild. They had said around $100 per injector and they billed out over $200 each. A new injector from Yanmar was $175. It took a bit of discussion to get the bill down. They even had the guts to say that the ones I had were now new.

So just make sure you can't buy new for close to what they want to rebuild them.

motion30 said:

How hard is it to pull the injectors from a 3208?

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I brought back an old thread ( Cat 3208 collant leak) that has some good info on breaking down the top end of a 3208. iI should help. Check out post #'s 44 and # 106.

Sd

Good info

FF said:

The most common cause of lots of smoke is poor compression.

If not protected in some way the moisture in the wet exhaust and in the air will cause rust spots on the cylinder walls when the engine is not used for a while.

AS this rust is scraped off with each start , eventually the cylinders will not hold compression very well.

This is when it takes 140F + coolant temp to stop the smoke.

The next problem on many trawlers is a constant under load , which carbons the rings , sometimes to sticking .

Add in the oil dilution from the fuel passing the rings,at low load , and SURPRISE ! a smoker.

Click to expand...

Dead on!

You might want to talk to TAD.... Last time I talked to them, it would have been easier to send them my old injectors as cores, and they would send me back injectors that had already been rebuilt and tested.... Just can't remember the price! But it was so close to the rebuild price that unless you were emotionally attached to your injectors there was no reason not to.

jat said:

you might want to talk to tad.... Last time i talked to them, it would have been easier to send them my old injectors as cores, and they would send me back injectors that had already been rebuilt and tested.... Just can't remember the price! But it was so close to the rebuild price that unless you were emotionally attached to your injectors there was no reason not to.

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tad ?

note: I don't know why but this forum keeps changing the upper case "TAD" to lower case. But who or what is "TAD"?

note 2 OK, this time it didn't. Same question.

Greetings,
TAD=Trans Atlantic Diesel....TAD for perkins engines, perkins diesel, perkins marine, perkins parts, perkins generators, perkins service

RT Firefly said:

Greetings,
TAD=Trans Atlantic Diesel....TAD for perkins engines, perkins diesel, perkins marine, perkins parts, perkins generators, perkins service

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Thank you. I guess that won't be much help to me.

rwidman said:

Thank you. I guess that won't be much help to me.

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They do more than just Perkins.... They do Volvo Penta, Cummins, and others as well. They do however do handle a lot of Perkins items.

TAD for perkins engines, perkins diesel, perkins marine, perkins parts, perkins generators, perkins service

JAT said:

They do more than just Perkins.... They do Volvo Penta, Cummins, and others as well. They do however do handle a lot of Perkins items.

TAD for perkins engines, perkins diesel, perkins marine, perkins parts, perkins generators, perkins service

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My injectors are Bosch. They have a plant just around the corner from me but I doubt that helps.

I recall reading a warning about them sticking or breaking or something like that when trying to remove them. I haven't really tried, but I suspect it's time to have them checked, The PO didn't give me the service records for some unknown reason.

JD said:

Folks need to be careful with the cost factor on an injector rebuild. I had the four injectors rebuilt on my sailboat engine several years ago. The dealer that did the rebuilt is a well known diesel repair shop in New Bern NC. When they got done they sent me a bill that was twice as much as what they had quoted for the rebuild. They had said around $100 per injector and they billed out over $200 each. A new injector from Yanmar was $175. It took a bit of discussion to get the bill down. They even had the guts to say that the ones I had were now new.

So just make sure you can't buy new for close to what they want to rebuild them.

Click to expand...

Sounds like they did not have the expertise to rebuild Yanmar injectors and were use to Truck Deisels.

khhayes said:

Sounds like they did not have the expertise to rebuild Yanmar injectors and were use to Truck Deisels.

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If only that were true. But they do have the expertise and they are the largest boat diesel mobile repair shop in New Bern NC. The major truck diesel repair shop is less that a couple of miles away.

Just tried to be rip off artists. So I help them out when ever I can.