2003 was mainly california emmisions so there is a few more hoses and junk to take off above the fuel filter i just did my other 4 injectors not to bad but like the guy above said above buy a 5 mm short allen socket i bought a blue point set for around 80 90 bucks helps alot i make sure to blow out the bolt heads REALLY good and make sure ur socket goes all the way in the bolt head before u break it loose its way easier then sripping it then dealing with trying to get it out stripped if u kmow what i mean

How often do the injectors need replacement? The spark plugs in the new gas engines last longer than these injectors from some of the write :humm:ups I see here.

Pretty much 01-04.5 had injector problems

I am at the point I am re-installing the lower valve covers. Do I need to use Lock Tight? How about Anti-Seize as they are steel bolts in aluminum heads?
Thanks,
Jack
I sure appreacate this post, I could not have done it w/o it...

Need a lil inlightment...
 

This is my first diesel. I figure i have a bad injector...here's my issue,i have to prime it everytime and use a touch of starting fluid to bust if off everytime now...I know not to use a lot of fluid cause it'll damage the glowplugs and rings. Once it's running,idle is slightly rough, sounds like a gasburner with a sparkplug fowling out...kinna hickups every now and then. When it does this,it puts out a lil white/greyish smoke. it has striaght pipe so it rolls coal when i hammer on it...i'm just worried about the white smoke...I runs fine tho,no loss of power. It's tempermental tho, so sometimes it'll show some white smoke while ideling and other times it's purrin like a kitten and only black smoke when i hammer on it. Is this injector problem or does it seem more extensive like CP3? And how do i determine WHICH injector needs replacing? GM diagnostic appointment or what? :humm:

great write up man, helped out tramendiously.

if you dont have the tools to check the balance rates or return rates then it may be time to take it into the dealer and have then look at it.

when they tell you that you need to replace some/all of the injectors at a tune of so many thousand dollars, you now have a choice of paying them or saving a bunch doing it your self if you can. even if you have to buy some tools to do this it is still way cheaper doing it your self and you get to keep the tools after too

Again I get the pleasure.
 

I am replacing my injectors again. Did them 14 months ago and found this write up and it was the best thing ever. I have replaced my injectors five times already and am getting frustrated. All I ever hear is that it is the fuel these days. Any Ideas? I added a fass fuel pump to gain the added filter and still have trouble. I cant get the pictures to show up like they did before to print off to reference as I am doing the repair.

wow, you must be getting pretty fast at replacing them. if they would last as long as they are supposed to you would probably have a million mile truck:choochoo:

300,000 miles. Its been a great truck other than having to change the injectors every year and a half.

I've had my 2002 LB7 since it was new. Currently 288,000 miles and the injectors have been replaced 3 times (once by me). NEVER had a problem starting due to injectors, but I did crack the plastic bleeder screw on top of the fuel filter once and that caused it to not start unless I bled the system each time I wanted to start it.

you had a rare situation indeed. at least 50% of the time it is due to high return rates that prevent the engine from starting. just google "Duramax injector ball seat erosion"

i would say that all of the failures likely fall into one of these five categories: cracked bodies, ball seat erosion, stuck/sticking pintle, clogged or worn nozzle or failed solenoid.

the cracking was solved with a new/better alloy.

for the ball and seat issue, Bosch started hardening and chrome plating the ball and seat. this helped but did not solve it.

suck pintles and clogged nozzles, nothing Bosch could do here but better filtration helps.

failed solenoid, i seem to be the only one with this??? had two go out like this.

injectors can also fail with more then one of these issues.

This is awesome but pics arent showing anymore...

Thanks for the time involved.

Pic r still their just need wifi

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Just got mine put in running good this post was a great help when pretty smooth took a while but worth it 2002 first set put in at 84000 at dealer 2nd set put in at. 162000 has been going bad for last 10000 mi glad to have them changed last time I like my truck but this is a costly problem had a 96 dodge cumins 234000 no problems with motor at all just needed crew cab 1 more problem with duramax Goinng back to dodge

Well, here it is, ~4 years and 84,000 miles later and I'm doing injectors again. At least it's predictable. Stumbled on a new "trick" for getting valve cover bolts out. Several comments on this thread about stripping out the allen head valve cover bolts. This happens because over the years and miles, the allen "socket" in the head of the bolt fills with dirt and crud, and when you stick the allen wrench into the bolt head, it won't go all the way in. I've been using small ball peen hammer to drive the allen driver into the bolt and that works good... until you get back by the firewall and you have no room to swing the hammer. Here's the trick---- A Torx driver works great here. Specifically, a size 30A Torx bit fits perfect but you don't have to drive it in with a hammer. It fits good enough to break loose the tightest bolts - so if you're having the same problem, try it. Works great!


Edit: I really hate having to do this every ~80k miles but just did some math. If you're doing the work yourself and paying $201.75 for injectors like I am, it cost about 2 cents a mile for injectors. Not bad, but still a royal PITA I could do w/o. Just don't want to pay $55k for a new truck that has all that pollution crap on it.

Hello new to the forum. Great write up alot of time to do this!!
I have been turning wrenches for many years & have been using valve grinding compound on fasteners so the tool wont slip & strip out it works great. Just put a dab on fastener head or inside tool & I very seldom use allen sockets I use torx bits they usually fit (sometimes a little tap with hammer) & don't strip out as easy. Try the compound it really works great & has saved me countless hours over the years.. Just make sure to clean it out good if using on lubed parts like inside engines or transmissions!!!

Finished installing this set of injectors. Also adjusted the valve lash while I had it torn down. I didn't spend any time trying to measure how much clearance they had before I adjusted them but I would say they were at anywhere from .015 all the to maybe .025 - possibly more on a couple. Anyway, it made HELL of a difference in how loud the motor is when running. Wished I had done it last time I changed the injectors!

wow!! looks like a lot of work but awesome nice job!! :choochoo:

Attachment 28124

Just about done with mine also.

Attaching valve adjustment guide, and pdf version of this write up.

Attachment 28125

Attachment 28129

Attachment 28127

Attachment 28128

A few tips from a just finished job.
 

I didnt take the time to read all 12 pages so I apologize if I duplicate info.

1. Getting the upper valve cover off was super easy by using a tall socket ( I used a 1/2 inch drive wobble) to use as a pedestal to use a crow bar style pry bar the tap up. Broke the seal free very easily.

2. I had a crazy no start condition after I was done, a day of mucking about with it and it turns out to be a few bent pins in the lower big connector mounted on the drivers side valve cover.

I also changed the CP3 and replaced with a LBZ because it was less expensive. So far no idle or run problems with the LBZ FPR. Hope one of those tips helps someone else out there.

I just did this job over the weekend, about 12-15 hours total, first time doing it, no manual, just this post (fantastic BTW). Basic tools and a garage can make this an easy but lengthy DIY job. I will be doing the Dual Cat filter and lift pump addition shortly along with addatives to help this set live longer. My truck is new to me but had injectors changed at the dealer at 154K and now has 206K.

First time attempt to replace fuel injectors
 

Thank you for your excellent post. 3 months ago I was getting fuel in my 2003 Chev. 2500 Duramax truck and I left the fuel tank open and proceeded to the automatic carwash. Water and liquid from car wash got in my fuel tank. I put the recommended amount of SeaFoam in the fuel system on two different tankfuls and have been running Lucas fuel treatment every other tankful after the incident. Today I am attempting for the first time to replace all fuel injectors. I am replacing them because the truck was smoking and two dealerships did a balance test and said they were bad. While removing fuel supply lines today, I found a lot of rust and a couple lines had a yellowish green liquid in them on the injector nut side. I checked the dip stick. The oil looks good. I plan on changing out the supply fuel lines also. Is there anything else I need to do to ensure that I have fully corrected the problem? I welcome any helpful suggestions.

Continued Injector Problems, 2003 Duramax
 

I posted previously as a newby. My 2003 Duramax has 295,000 miles on it but I have taken very good care of it. Although I have been "Chevy Loyal" for a long time, I'm beginning to think it's time to look elsewhere. This truck had bad injectors @ 150,000; GM replaced them. I then re-replaced them at about 225,000 at a cost of $4250 with Bosch injectors, which was 75K miles afterward. Today, I took my truck back to the shop that did the 225K repair, showed him the smoke coming out at idle, and the occasional "loping idle" and he says I need injectors again (295,000 now). Why does this continue every 75K miles after the initiial 150K on the OEM injectors? The only thing I've done is add a PPE Tuner and it's set at the lowest level. I also use an industrial (not retail) diesel fuel additive that "does not" contain any alcohol. ANY Advice?

Blake,
I bought my 2002 new. Drove it off the lot 11.5 years and 301,000 miles ago. My injectors go out about every 80,000 miles and have been replaced 4 times so far. Twice under warranty and twice by me.

I do the work myself now that it's out of warranty. It's really not a bad job for a DIYer. I've kept this truck and am still keeping it because the alternatives are not all that much better from what I've seen. In the used department you could buy a Ford with the 6.0 and it's long, long list of problems. Or you could buy a Dodge/Cummins and have the truck fall apart around a pretty good motor. Maybe the Fords with the 6.4 are better? Not when it costs $7,000 to $9,000 to replace a blown fuel pump (recent quote posted on another forum).

In the "new" department you're looking upwards of $50,000 for a truck from any of the big 3 and it even comes with all the EPA mandated CRAP, including the "potato in the tailpipe", poor fuel mileage, EGR valves, DPF fluid, catalytic converters and all the other wonderful things all that crap does to make repairs even more common and expensive. No thanks!!!

As far as injectors go, your tune probably has nothing to do with your injector failures. From all I've read, it's a problem with tiny, tiny pieces of trash in the fuel. At 28,000 psi, it's a bit like sand blasting going on inside the injectors with any particles in your fuel. My truck was bone stock until this weekend when I converted over to a Donaldson filter/ separator that supposedly is much better than the Delco filters I've used since the truck was new. Everything I've read says that dirty fuel is where the problem comes from. Unfortunately, nothing I've read proves that better filtration actually makes the injectors last longer either. But, I will find out if it helps. Being the original owner, I know intimately the history associated with injectors on my truck and they are pretty predictable at around 80k miles. If I get more out of this set (that I changed last month), then I'll pretty much have to attribute it to the filter change.

For your current injector problem I would suggest that you may want to try replacing them yourself. It's a heck of a lot cheaper and it's really not that bad a job. I've done mine twice. It cost me right at $1600 ($201.75/injector) for Bosch injectors from a GM dealer that sells online. I spent a few more dollars on gaskets and bolts but way less than $100. One thing I did this time that I really, really wish I had done last time is that I replaced the valve cover bolts. The factory valve cover bolts are socket-head (you have to use an Allen wrench to remove them). The Allen wrenches or sockets are too long to get into some of the tight spots near the firewall and it greatly increases the time and difficulty of the job dealing with that. Also, over time, the holes in the socket-head bolts also fill with dirt and gunk making it even more difficult. You can't get the Allen wrench down into the hole of the socket-head bolt w/o using hammer to drive the wrench in. It's so tight in some places (working space)that hammering on the Allen wrench is next to impossible. Like I said, makes it a lot harder than it should be. I replaced all my factory valve cover bolts with normal hex-head type bolts this time. It cost me $21 for 50 bolts and 50 flat washers. The new bolts have a 10 mm hex head. I use a Snap On, 1/4" drive, wiggler socket with them and it eliminates all the space problems you get using an Allen socket. Just putting it back together with the new bolts, I know I eliminated several hours worth of screwing with those socket-head bolts!!!

The other thing I did this time that I wish I had done the first time was adjusting the valve lash. Over the years my truck has become pretty dang loud. After adjusting the valve lash, it's back to a quiet as it was when new. My lash was out pretty bad is some cases but it was out by at least 5-8 thousands in every case. Some were 10-15 out. Like I said, made a HUGE difference and it didn't require much to do it. I removed the upper half of the radiator fan shroud and bought a 36 mm, 12 point socket at Advance Auto for about $12. You need the socket to turn the crank using the harmonic balancer bolt. Took maybe an hour and a half extra. You'll also need a feeler gauge if you don't already have one.

Anyway, I did the math and spending $1600 to replace the injectors every 80k miles works out to about 2 cents per mile. I can live with that over paying $50k+ for a new one!! (I don't buy used).

Reply to Back in Black
 

Back In Black:

Thanks for your reply, and it was very helpful. I will look into the DIY but since I'm not a mechanic, I'll have to call on a friend to help; but, yes it's do-able.

On another note along this line, we need to find out if the used injectors are clogged with varnish. I'm in the oil business (lubricant sales) and we see varnish problems in Group II refined base oils. I'm told that today's refined diesel fuels go thru the same process, and in effect, the solvency of the fuels are removed as a result of them now being low sulfur diesel fuels. If we put some sulfur back into the fuel, our injectors problems may go away. How do we do that? We find a product like maybe 2 cycle engine oil that still uses Group I refined base oils that have a higher sulfur content and use it as a fuel additive. I'm not sure if their are any legal ramifications with this idea, but I'm not advertising it; I just don't want to pay out $$$ that is un-called for. Just a thought to mull over.

Blake

I've read a good bit about the ULSD possibly causing problems with lost lubrication due to the absence of sulfur. What I can tell you is this. My first 2 sets of injectors failed before the advent of ULSD. And they failed at about the same mileage I still getting out of each set on ULSD.

Here we go with injector replacement...
 

Well this past week i received a great surprise... Fuel in my crankcase! Today i began taking apart my top end for a injector replacement. I have noticed a little bit of smoke at idle but nothing too worrying. The diluted oil though i cannot ignore. A 1600 injector replacement is much better than a destroyed engine. One issue i ran into though was the fuel line QDs. I bought a set of tools from Autozone but they dont seem to be working. Any recommendations?

quick disconnects: I had a set of the plastic type tools that I purchased first time I did this job. It was a royal bitch to get them lose first time. This last time I spent at least an hour trying to get them lose with those plastic tools and lost patience with it. Took a trip to AutoZone and bought a new set that were made from anodized aluminum. Actually had to buy 2 sets as they split up the sizes just right :argh: Anyway, the ones I bought are metal, have a handle built-in and split open along the handle too. The 2 sets cost around $50 combined but were worth every penny. Using these, I had the QDs off in a matter of seconds.

thanks for the info gonna try an get to mine this weekend work permitting hope they come out easy needs to be done smokes really bad not to mention fuel getting in the oil pan cant ever be good

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talked to a mechanic where i purchased my injectors. he was telling me racor makes a 2 stage fuel filter. which he says is one of the better ones out there

see here:

Racor | PFF50216 | PFF50216 Coalescer Fuel Filter

and from the Duramax Forum:

"Some more info directly from Racor on the new coalescer fuel filter. Its not worth saving a few bucks to get the older style paper element filters, heres why......

Heres the difference:

The PFF50216 meets the current new GM Duramax fuel filtration requirements. These requirements included longer life and better water removal under adverse conditions.

The PFF5544 (old paper style fuel filters) do not meet the new requirements anymore; not because something has changed in the world, only that GM has decided to improve the performance to protect the engine better.

A coalescer filter is a far more sophisticated system than the older PFF5544. Water removal efficiency under harsh conditions (biodiesel and poor fuel) is maintained far longer using a depth coalescer.

Contaminant life testing using real raw diesel fuel here at Racor shows that the filter can hold twice the contaminants. The reason for this is that contaminants are trapped throughout several layers of media, not just on the surface as with a simple pleated filter.

This filter represents GM's final stage of their development of the best possible protection for the Duramax Engine.

It costs more because its an expensive design to make; and it protects much better and lasts longer than a standard filter."

Gotta say this post really helped with the task of replacing injectors. A couple of notes if u have access to a body work style porto power you will be thankful when pulling upper valve covers. Take a matter of minutes bracing on exhaust manifold. Only need light steady pressure and will separate after about 30 sec of stactic pressure. Also on driver side operating under master cylinder with universal adapter, about 1.5 feet of extensions, (using mutiple 6 inch gives a little more flex) and ball type allen makes bolt removal a cinch. Remember to follow torque specs when replacing as these bolts arent supposed to be reffed on anyway. Good luck and thank u for taking the time to help us all out

lb7 injectors, return rates verses all replacemant
 

if the return rates on like 6 injectors are in spec's, and 2 are out, odviously replace the 2 bad one's. now, the other 6? is there ANY running quallity difference between 6 used injectors in spec, verses replacing the 6 known good one's with 6 new gm reman injectors? so why spend the extra 1200 if your right back to where you were? thoughts?

Just remember that it's a large job and those other 6 injectors have the same amount of wear on them. Stated a different way, if you just replace 2, you'll probably be doing all that work again pretty soon. All depends on how energetic you are I suppose.

Also its almost impossible to remove fuel lines without getting dirt and rust into injectors. Since u have to remove all fuel lines on a bank u might wanna at least do that bank of injectors.

I am getting ready to change the injectors in my '02 Duramax so how long should I expect this job to take me? I've been a mechanic since I was a kid helping my Dad but I've never changed the injectors in any of the Duramax diesels previously.

Thanks

Just had new injectors installed in my 01 druamax, no more haze issues.

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It took 12hrs. on mine.

About to replace injectors on my 2003. bought new and just turned 140,000 miles this will be the first time replacing injectors. Going to replace myself after reading don't seem to bad to do. Is there a reason the pictures don't show on this how to on page 1

the images in the thread are hosted by photobucket and the amount of traffic that goes through takes up all the bandwidth then photobucket takes it down because its too popular:td:

ill look to see what i can do about it

any help would be great. this is the stuff that makes us DYI feel confident. many thanks could not do this with out ya:rock:

That's because ur friend has to lift the cab/body on his Ford to get to his injectors lol.
That's why u see high milage Fords go for cheap all day long...

Forgot to Quote
 

[QUOTE=fueloil;1072448]That's because ur friend has to lift the cab/body on his Ford to get to his injectors lol (might be confusing the two).
That's why u see high milage Fords go for cheap all day long...[/QUO TE]

Sorry... thought I was responding via PM to remark 10 pages back;"Ford friend says chevy injector swap take 18hrs".

A quick tip to those having trouble with cheapy plastic QD tools...
Hit QDs with break clean first to clean out any crud that might've built up in em and here comes the Knowledge!!!
Like most any QD fitting, air line or what have you What's the first thing ya gotta do to separate the fitting? You have to push both ends together before you can lift the locking collar.
Granted the tool can force them apart but if you just push the lines together while slipping the tool in, it doest have to.
So the cheap plastic ones work smooth as butter
Took me a sec. of :argh:to figure it out too

Cheers
OJ