leaky 'jector
 

when I got home from work yesterday I parked in front of the garage door. I walked inside & saw a large puddle of diesel fuel on my garage floor from when I had parked there last night (didn't notice when I left).

guess I have a leak.

So I pop the hood and see the leak - looks like the little jumper fuel lines - one of them is soaked. Luckily I have some so I changed it out.

Started the car up and took a look. the #3 injector ('79 240D there are only 4) was leaking like crazy.

Now I had just replaced the nozzles about a month ago - so I guess its my fault - I grabbed a 17mm and went to tighten the fuel line and the entire top of the injector turned!

Yikes! it must have worked itself loose - of course now the engine is blazing hot so I have to wait until its cool to pull the 'jector and re-torque.

:)

be sure and change the heat shield when you pull the injector.

What torque value did you use? It's pretty tough to imagine an injector "working" itself loose. I would recommend that you conduct a thorough inspection for some type of trauma, like a cracked nozzle holder, etc.

I've never experienced leaking like this, but I've had to torque mine beyond spec to stop them from seeping before. Injectors are finicky, just have to give them some love...

I used the "hard as I can pull" torque setting on my wrench. Maybe this time I'll use a cheater bar and see if I can break it in half!

Tightening Torques
 

Here is the "O" Fisshal info from the FSM. Engine 617.95 Turbo diesel. section 07.1-135.

Tightening Torques- Injection nozzles, upper and lower parts. 70 - 80 NM

Secftion 07.1-230 Removal and installation of injection nozzles

Tightening Torques
Injection nozzles 70 - 80 NM

Injection lines 25 NM.

Charlie

Leaking Injector
 

When all four of my injectors on my '76 240D were leaking (puddling at base of injector), I removed each one, put it on a mounted vise-grip, opened them up, put O-ring on, put back together and tightened them as tight as possible while on vise-grip. Then I put them back into the motor (actually, we tested out how well the pop-tester worked and made sure they all worked and had the pressure required). No more problem. When Pierre Hedary bought the car, three years later, there still was no problem. Also . . . I replaced the return lines with the new compound rubber that is made for the new formulated fuel. The old lines rot out after awhile. After that was completed, I was getting 33 mpg in high altitude, and after Pierre Hedary bought it and worked on it (replaced a vacuum diaphram in the exhaust manifold - 76 was the last year of that config), the smoke disappeared on takeoff, and he was getting 36 mpg (was a four-spd) at sea level.

Just my 2 cents.

Torie

I pulled the leaky injector today and cleaned it up and reassembled. I cranked it as tight as I could. No more leak.