Mattyb

Hi,

I need some advice on fuel related/injector problems with my VU ute with LS1 engine.

Was on the water for 8 weeks with half a tank of fuel. All running well before going on the water, when it had arrived went through a series of tests to become road worthy in the UK.

Noticed when it started blowing excess smoke something was wrong. Pulled into next garage jacked it up and noticed fuel on the underneath of tail pipes. Had a mate with me and removed the plugs only to find the injector had failed.

Disconnected the injector and sparkplug back in left disconnected. Problem came back after being back on the road with both tail pipes showing smoke.

Drove for a bit and then ran out of fuel and no petrol stations in sight. Was towed the rest of the way home.

Questions I need to know are;

Fuel sitting dormant in the tank for that long - has dirt been sucked up into the injectors?

Have I done damage to pistons with fuel pouring into cylinders causing it to run hotter?

Is is a possible fix of fuel tank system cleaner and injector cleaner, new set of plugs and if need be injectors?

What are the steps to take to ensure problem doesn't come back?

Just want to get my pride and joy running as it was.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.


Matty

ScottyBG

Normally 8 weeks is not a problem, there are often cars left that long without trouble. It can depend a little on the fuel, but that is not really long. I have 6 cars and often will not start and run one for that long, in the winter mainly.

Fuel on the underneath of tailpipes sounds like a fuel leak.

Here is what I would do if I were you. I'd get it up on a lift and inspect your fuel lines for leaks from the tank to the fuel rails. You may have a leak back near the tank if its on your tail pipes. Old fuel can cause plugged filter and injector problems, but shouldn't cause fuel to drip down the tail pipes.

Have you changed the fuel filter? If not, that's an inexpensive place to start. The next thing I would do would be to have the injectors serviced by a shop that cleans and tests injectors. You could have a stuck injector. This may not be because of bad fuel entirely. If the injectors were old and have not fired for 8 weeks it is possible for one to seize, or they could just be gummed up. This is normally about 1/2 the cost of buying new injectors, in my experience.

If you've got smoke, and potentially fuel pouring into cylinders, it seems like an injector sticking open may be a likely culprit? That seems more likely than dirt plugging it up where you would have too little fuel, not the case you have, which seems to be too much.

I've never had any luck using additives like fuel injector cleaner to the fuel to fix a problem. Sometimes it made it not so bad, but never really fixed it. I don't waste my money on those products anymore. They are not expensive, but don't seem to do much either.

I doubt you have done any serious damage to the pistons.

Mattyb

Hi Scotty,

Thanks for the notes.
I was told the fuel coming from the tail pipes was cause of over fuelling. I haven't changed the fuel filter yet - will look at the tho. and certainly will be looking at the injectors.
some other points I've found out are;
02 sensor
Vacuum leak
Coils
Coolant temp sensor
Exh manifold gasket leak? don't know about this one.

stevieturbo

History.

Are you 100% sure the vehicle was in perfect working order before this journey ?

And nobody tampered with it during ?

8 weeks is nothing though. Worst case battery might have gone flat if left connected. But there is nothing that sort of trip and duration should pose any issue.

And have you had the injectors tested to prove one failed ? Presumably you replaced the injector and it now runs correctly ?

ie, has any diagnosis been proven ?

Krom

8 weeks on a boat is more than enough time for fuel to turn to ****, and varnish up everything.

Even worse if there is ethanol in the mix Ethanol in hygroscopic, it draws moisture out of the air.

http://fuelschool.blogspot.com/2009/...l-blended.html

stevieturbo

Bollox. I've had cars sit for months, without a single issue. Some even well over a year.

MY_2K_Z

iTrader: (1)

Definitely wrong here. I have multiple vehicles, one rarely gets driven maybe once every 2-3 months but when I do drive it it fires right up every time and runs like new. It maybe gets 2000 miles a year lately.

Mattyb

Hey guys thanks for all your comments and help - thought I'd let you know turns out it was one of the injectors that failed.
But glad it was something simple. All diagnostics checked out ok - no fault codes showed up.
Really great help on here, especially being overseas.

Matt