VK Fuel Injection

[85_Calais]

Hi,

I have had my car converted to LPG for nearly three years now. Last year I started a new job and was barely driving it at all and as a consequence, the fuel went off in the tank and I now appear to have clogged injectors. The car running really rough on petrol, but OK on gas.

I have run a few injector cleaners through the tank as this worked on the same problem with the VT, but these just don't seem to be freeing up.

I have contacted an EFI specialist and they have quoted me $30 per injector and about $200 labour, so about $380 to have the system cleaned out - a lot for a car I barely drive. When I have a look on one of the franchise mechanic websites, they talk about doing fuel injection clean outs from prices like $169. Does anyone know if there is any difference in the kind of service performed, or whether there is anything else I can do to fix this problem myself?

[ari666]

first of all, what makes you believe its the injectors? have you done the checks everywhere else? i.e. pressure in the fuel line, spark plug condition, fuel filter/air filter condition?

it would suck if you went through all the effort of getting your injectors cleaned and it was something as simple as a blocked reg or return line.

[Darren_L]

agreed ^^ I'd be checking everything else first before spending money on injectors

there is generally 2 different ways to clean injectors.
cheapest method is to run an injector cleaner through the engine. They usually hook up a pressure can of injector cleaner directly to the fuel line and run the engine on it for about 10 minutes.
the more expensive & most effective method is to remove the injectors and individually clean them - usually a sonic clean

if you want to save money on the second method, then remove & refit the injectors yourself - might save you a fair bit of labour cost

[85_Calais]

Thanks for the advice.

I'm pretty sure it's not the spark plugs and the air filter because it runs fine on gas. It could be a fuel pressure or fuel filter issue though. I think I'll check those out and if that fails, maybe buy a set of remanufactured injectors off Ebay and install myself.

[vkberlina]

flush out your tank, flush out your metal fuel lines, flush out the fuel pump change your fuel filter and replace the rubber fuel hoses. remove the injector rail about 20min work flush it out andtake the injectors to be ultrasonically cleaned, flow tested and new O-rings fitted.
I regularly have problems with fuel going off in my VK normally after 6+ months of it sitting around.
Clogged fuel lines & filter could give funny readings on fuel pressure etc
Also make sure your air flow meter is ok, clean it and make sure there are no air leaks between the AFM and the throttle body.

cheers
Scott

[85_Calais]

Thanks for the detailed advice Scott. I always thought old fuel wrecking your fuel system was a bit of a myth, but it so isn't!

[vkberlina]

Thanks for the detailed advice Scott. I always thought old fuel wrecking your fuel system was a bit of a myth, but it so isn't!

It goes like a gluggy varnish and nolonger smells like fuel. I am now at the stand with my VK the next time I pull the tank out to clean the crap out I am putting a tap or putting a sump plug setup in to drain the fuel when I store it each time I am jack of doing my fuel system every 12 months .

cheers
Scott