Injector and Fuel filter questions

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Denise Kilgus

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Nope. Try as I might to be gentle I bent the left side fuel rail.
That's the side you (apparently) can't just order. I suspect because it has the fuel rail pressure sensor on it.
I found one on Amazon that should get here next Monday (yay rural living!). I think it is for the L87 vs the L86. If it visually fits I might try and install it.

All that being said it is a slight bend. I might try and bend it back or install it as is, depending on parts availability.

Funnily enough, I ran across this TSB trying to find the fuel rail: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2020/MC-10176632-9999.pdf
Stumbled across this thread on accident, which is weird given I’ve been living this nightmare for the last 6 months (and last $5k to repair shop and dealer)! Best advice is DON’T USE THE BENT FUEL RAIL! First repair shop did after I asked them to check and replace if necessary. The bent rail kept injector from fully sealing and had “blow by” w the combustion coming back up into the intake area. Happy to send you pics of all the damage….all around inj #6 was charred! I’ll be following as my truck’s still not running right and everyone’s kind of thrown their hands up.
 

ReaperHWK

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That driver side fuel rail is probably available somewhere in dealer stock. I couldn't order the high pressure line S-pipe anywhere online and called my dealer. They said it's on national back order but gave me a list of dealers that still had them on the shelves. I found a dealer about 20 miles from me that had 5 in their inventory and went and got it. I'd call and see if you can get that rail from a dealer. You'll pay 20% more but atleast you'll have it!

Like stated above I agree not to use the bent rail. I'm going to be extra careful taking mine out seeing how these things are fragile.........
 

ReaperHWK

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Stumbled across this thread on accident, which is weird given I’ve been living this nightmare for the last 6 months (and last $5k to repair shop and dealer)! Best advice is DON’T USE THE BENT FUEL RAIL! First repair shop did after I asked them to check and replace if necessary. The bent rail kept injector from fully sealing and had “blow by” w the combustion coming back up into the intake area. Happy to send you pics of all the damage….all around inj #6 was charred! I’ll be following as my truck’s still not running right and everyone’s kind of thrown their hands up.

What's your codes and what did they replace so far? 5k man, that sucks.
 

ReaperHWK

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Got this all done today. The rail was almost impossible to remove I had to crow bar it out and destroyed it. Bought a new rail and installed everything. It’s all assembled now and I’ll drive it tomorrow. Hopefully it’s all good!
 
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GeoffM

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Stumbled across this thread on accident, which is weird given I’ve been living this nightmare for the last 6 months (and last $5k to repair shop and dealer)! Best advice is DON’T USE THE BENT FUEL RAIL! First repair shop did after I asked them to check and replace if necessary. The bent rail kept injector from fully sealing and had “blow by” w the combustion coming back up into the intake area. Happy to send you pics of all the damage….all around inj #6 was charred! I’ll be following as my truck’s still not running right and everyone’s kind of thrown their hands up.
This forum keeps suggesting your posts in the "Similar threads" section. I've spent my entire driving life ragging on American vehicles. I finally decided to take a chance. Being that this is my first ever American vehicle and I kept running into problem after problem I was very worried that I made a (expensive!) mistake.

Jury is still out of that but I did fix the truck lol. All 8 injectors and spark plugs too. Reused the wires and intake gaskets.

I used this drivers side fuel rail: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B08QZXW47S?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
If the link ever breaks: OEM 12618333 Fuel Injection Fuel Rail W/Fuel Pressure Sensor 12673824 Left Position 5.3L 6.2L V8

Despite Amazon very clearly telling me it would not work. (See attached screenshot). Fit is identical to what I removed. Fuel pressure sensor looks exactly the same - I did have to turn my connector around - but it worked just fine.

BENT RAIL:
So the dealer had already done the passenger side rail. I didn't look at it because I figured "Hey, they're the dealer they probably did it right!". lol. After I installed the new drivers side rail I noticed the passenger side was very slightly bent. Kinda a bummer. Being that I'm fairly rural and Amazon (or really anyone) takes at least a week to ship I decided to reinstall it.

One thing I noticed for both rails: They wouldn't just slide in. If they're as fragile coming out they'd be just as fragile going in, right? So, I took a 13mm socket and put it on top of each of the "nodules" where the fuel injector slides in, and tapped it with a hammer. Idea being the socket would spread out the force and not dent the aluminum fuel rail.
I tapped each of the 4 nodules 1 by one, tightened the bolt by hand, tapped again, repeat etc, until the rail bottomed out. Then tightened to spec. I (hope) that installing them this way I eliminated any chance of it bending going back in.


Anywho, after doing that I took it on a few short test drives and a longer one (90ish) miles through some mountains. The obvious engine issues are gone. Handled acceleration perfectly until 90mph. There's a slight wobble but I don't think that's the engine. It's also kind of difficult to identify problematic engine noises BC my other cars are Hondas and they sound VERY different.
 

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GeoffM

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Got this all done today. The rail was almost impossible to remove I had to crow bar it out and destroyed it. Bought a new rail and installed everything. It’s all assembled now and I’ll drive it tomorrow. Hopefully it’s all good!
How'd your injectors look? 2 of mine had visibly separated as I pulled the rail. Didn't matter since I had 4 new ones, but I'd worry about the other 2. If there was some minute stress fracture that wasn't easily identifiable.
 
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GeoffM

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That driver side fuel rail is probably available somewhere in dealer stock. I couldn't order the high pressure line S-pipe anywhere online and called my dealer. They said it's on national back order but gave me a list of dealers that still had them on the shelves. I found a dealer about 20 miles from me that had 5 in their inventory and went and got it. I'd call and see if you can get that rail from a dealer. You'll pay 20% more but atleast you'll have it!

Like stated above I agree not to use the bent rail. I'm going to be extra careful taking mine out seeing how these things are fragile.........
Amazon part number: B07JVKDKZC

They have it in stock for $59. Little more than I paid for Rock Auto but at least they have it.
 
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GeoffM

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Stumbled across this thread on accident, which is weird given I’ve been living this nightmare for the last 6 months (and last $5k to repair shop and dealer)! Best advice is DON’T USE THE BENT FUEL RAIL! First repair shop did after I asked them to check and replace if necessary. The bent rail kept injector from fully sealing and had “blow by” w the combustion coming back up into the intake area. Happy to send you pics of all the damage….all around inj #6 was charred! I’ll be following as my truck’s still not running right and everyone’s kind of thrown their hands up.
I addition to my multiple posts above:

I can't believe I forgot! 7/8 of my injector seats were filled with crud. Either a mix of sand (that had somehow accumulated in and around the injectors) or with carbon crud deposits.

I ended up spending probably 4 hours over a few days cleaning them. I used the brass brushes from a gun cleaning kit, a LOT of paper towel, and some engine degreaser.

Very vaguely remembering the steps I took:
1. Spray degreaser on a folded up piece of paper towel. Put it on a brass brush sized for a 12 gauge.
2. Violate the injector seat hole, twist a pull a few times. You want to break up some of the grit, but you also want that degreaser to settle on it.
3. Discard the paper towel.
4. Use the brass brush to twist and pull directly in the seat hole.
5. New paper towel (dry or soaked, your choice) use your finger with the towel to try and wipe out the crud.
6. Repeat steps 2 - 5 until you want to move onto a new hole. Remember, the name of the game is to let the degreaser sit. You can come back later.
7. Use a .22 sized brass brush deep into the injector hole, going past the seat. Try and pull the crud that fell into the hole back towards you.
8. Repeat on all the cylinders that need it.

Cleanup:
After each time I did this I vacuumed the intake hole and the injector hole. I tried to use as small of a shop vac nozzle as I could.

Once you're done before you put everything back together: I had the spark plugs out. I formed a piece of copper tube to fit down into the spark plug hole (from the outside of the engine) and I used pressurized air on the other side. Idea being that it is pressurizing the cylinder and hopefully forcing air out of the injector hole.

In reality the compressed air probably didn't do anything to the inside of the cylinder. It DID blow a lot of dirt away from the spark plug hole, so idk maybe it was helpful?
 

ReaperHWK

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Yeah I destroyed the rail getting one out. All my injectors were slightly bend coming out and #8 actually broke off the rail and was lodged in the block. I literally had to use a 4ft crow bar to get that rail to move. I got it out with several methods. Mine is a 2015 with 120k miles and those injectors were practically seized in the block. I did clean out the bores with a nylon brush and the new injectors and rail went in but I had to massage them with a rubber mallet and slowly cranking the rail bolts to get them to seat.

Yeah thanks for the Amazon links; I bought my rail at the dealer and paid $200! They did have it in stock though same day.
 

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