Changing rotted vacuum lines on my 86 2.8 has started me on the adventure of broken bolts and a damaged (aka broken) mid manifold that I need to replace. I am looking to avoid any addition problems especially with the removal of the fuel rail. I've searched PFF and you tube with no clear results. It appears that the fuel rail magically removes itself as do the injectors as there is no information or instructions that I can find. So, how do I safely disconnect the injector harness and then remove the rail without snapping, bending, cutting, deforming and otherwise destroying the rail, wiring, injectors, fittings etc. I've ordered and received new stainless vacuum lines, the proper gasket set for reassembly, and have sourced a replacement mid manifold. The heat is on in the garage and the beer fridge is stocked. I thank in advance the brain trust that is PFF for the help.
The rail and injectors can all come off together once you get to it that is. The wiring you can unclip first though, that is pretty straight forward. To get to all the you will need to take off the upper intake that is above the fuel rail.
I do have a question for you, when you say sourced all the gaskets, where did you get them from? I have one in particular in mind, the one on the bottom of the fuel rail that has the o rings built into. Fiero Store sells them but I have read not so good reviews on their piece.
I would suggest cleaning out the area around the injectors with compressed air, to remove any debris. Because that stuff will fall into the engine when you pull out the injectors. It's also a good idea to put a squirt of penetrating oil in each injector hole, to help loosen up the O-rings. They tend to stick in the intake manifold. You can wiggle the rail back and forth, to help the penetrating oil soak in.
You can remove the fuel rail and injectors all in one piece, if you're careful. First, work loose the 3 injectors on one side, then work the other 3 loose. Just don't "ape" on it. The ends of the injectors are plastic.
You might also have a few O-rings that stay in the intake manifold when you remove the injectors. Check each injector and see if any O-rings are missing. Then look into the corresponding injector hole(s), and remove the O-ring(s) with a pick.
When you're ready to re-install the fuel rail and injectors, it's a good idea to put some oil or grease on the injector O-rings. That will make it easier to insert them into the intake manifold. and will reduce the risk of damaging them.
[This message has been edited by Blacktree (edited 01-18-2018).]
Thanks to all! One last question before I dive in, How do the injector clips come off? I don't want to snap one trying to figure out if I depress or pull the retaining clip or pull op or down on the clip.
Double checking..... As I see the injector on the rail there is a metal clip that appears to hold the harness to the injector. Is this the clip I rotate or is there a clip on the injector itself that I rotate to remove the injector from the rail? Steve
The wiring connector clip is removed by pushing it towards the injector. This seems backwards, but it is because pushing on the clip forces the two ends apart, allowing the wiring connector to release. Do not grab them with pliers and do not pull the clip away from the connector, you will just have to reattach it later. Push on the visible part of the clip, which just looks like a plain metal wire going across the face of the connector. While pushing on this, pull the connector up and away from the injector. The clips holding the injectors into the rail are also fragile, these are not made of wire but are washer-shaped, with a gap and a tab. Pushing the tab sideways rotates the washer in it's groove, allowing the injector to release from the rail when the gaps line up. All of these clips are relatively costly to purchase, so proceed carefully and you should be able to retain and re-use the ones you have.
CJB118, very good description. Anyone looking at the rail should be able to understand those directions.
While you might get lucky and not have any problems if you lose or damage one of the harness clips, you still risk the chance of one of the harness plugs coming disconnected. You don't really need to worry about the injector clips, though. Once the injectors and fuel rail are in place, the injectors are captured between the rail and lower intake and aren't going anywhere. Some have suggested that the clips are there only to hold the injectors in the rail until installed in the engine assembly process at the factorhy. So don't fret a missing or broken injector clip.
Spadesluck's advise to have your injectors rebuilt is really good advice. Lots of people have reported a very noticeable difference in performance and efficiency after having done so.
Some have suggested that the clips are there only to hold the injectors in the rail until installed in the engine assembly process at the factory. So don't fret a missing or broken injector clip.
IMPORTANT DETAIL: The injector-to-rail clips may or may not be necessary if you are re-using the original injectors...BUT, if you are replacing the injectors, carefully check the overall length of your replacements against the originals. If the replacements are shorter, even by a couple mm, the clips must be used! Shorter injectors can move down ("out" of the rail) by that amount when the rail pressurizes, and fuel will spray out of the gap, past the o-ring and onto the top of the motor. I posted about this last summer during my fuel system refurb...
There is an excellent product I recommend using for this area, a gas and oil resistant thread seal, with a temp resistance of 600f degrees, the fuel rail lives in a very high temp zone just above the engine...
