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Hard to start - Leaky Injector(s)?

snicklefritz

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Hi all,

I’m trying to figure out why my ute always takes a few seconds of cranking before it starts.

Once it starts it seems to run fine and revs freely/smoothly with the only issue being an occasional slightly lumpy idle.

The fuel pump, fuel filter, plugs, leads and coil packs were just replaced.

I have tried priming the system multiple times before starting and it makes no difference. There is no laboured cranking so I doubt it is a battery issue.

One thing to note is that the oil and filter were changed a couple of days ago yet there is a notable smell of fuel in the oil.

There is an occasional puff of black smoke from the exhaust when starting but it doesn’t happen every time.

I suspect maybe a leaky injector but I would have thought that it would be running rough if that was the case.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers.
 

Caleb dawson

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My vr wasnt starting easy id have to pump the throttle to get it to start,changing the fuel pressure regulator fixed it,now it starts first pop
 

deserthead

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When I had a leaky injector, I noticed an increase in fuel consumption, would leak into the cylinders when sat for extended periods. Longer cranking, until the fuel sucked out of the cylinders. New injectors and problem solved.
Worth checking your reg too. Just pull the vac hose off it. If it smells like fuel or it leaks fuel, its toast.
 

snicklefritz

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Irrespective of the cause, I have ordered a new set of injectors as I have no idea how old these ones are.

I did originally suspect the fuel pressure regulator but about a week or so ago when I pulled the vacuum hose I couldn’t really smell anything but I just pulled the hose again to recheck and there is a quite noticeable fuel smell.

This is a pain because when I previously checked with my suppliers, they all advised that the reg for this engine is a discontinued part. I’m happy to go with a universal aftermarket one, but they don’t make adapters for this vehicles fuel rail.

Can I leave the dud fuel reg inline or do I need to have an adapter fabricated so that I can connect a universal one directly to the fuel rail?

Cheers
 

losh1971

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I believe there is an aftermarket option for the reg that is plug and play. I looked for one and found sparesbox.com stocks them, that was a couple of months ago.
 

snicklefritz

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I believe there is an aftermarket option for the reg that is plug and play. I looked for one and found sparesbox.com stocks them, that was a couple of months ago.

I previously tried ordering a Bosch one from sparesbox (fpr9106) and they cancelled my order saying it’s a discontinued part, I then tried Supercheap and they called me to tell me that that part was discontinued and they checked with the other manufactures they usually stock (pat, afi, fuel miser etc) and they all advised they don’t make it anymore.
 

losh1971

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Oh that is a worry. Yeah last time I looked Sparesbox still had it on their list. Try Car Parts Plus in Lonsdale SA. They should have them on the shelf still, hopefully and should be happy to freight.
 

losh1971

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Just realised you need a VS one. That could be why the VR one came up as available, as I believe they are different, with the VR one being twice the price IIRC. Still try CPP, they carry huge amounts of stock.
 

losh1971

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eBay seems to have some VS Eco stock.
 

snicklefritz

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Yeah it’s a bit of a pain.

If I can find someone handy with a welder i’ll get them to make me an adapter plate out of the old reg and probably just use a decent quality universal one.

Apparently I could just leave the dud reg inline but i’m not too keen on that idea. I don’t intend to get rid of this ute anytime soon and am planning an l67 swap probably sometime next year, so i’m happy to spend a bit to keep it happy in the meantime.

Cheers
 
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