Tips on cleaning around injector threads?
 

Above where my injectors screw into the cylinder head (down by the heat shield/crush washer) is totally full of dirt etc. Any tips on cleaning this out? I'd like to remove the injectors and maybe clean them myself (following Jeremy's excellent guide) or pay someone to do this. But obviously I don't want all that crap falling in my prechambers. Should I just use degreaser and blast it out with water? I'm always weary of getting too much water around.
Thanks

I use engine degreaser, and a pressure washer...

Take it to a DIY car wash and blast it clean with hot soapy water. Then rinse. The heat from the engine will dry it on the way back home.

Charlie

This is what I normally do. Run the engine warm, not hot. Spray it with 'Simple Green' degreaser or similar, wait for 1-2 minutes, brush dirt off with an old tooth brush and spray it with a water from a wahser bottle. Blast it with compress air. Repeat if necessary. Costs you next to nothing.

Just use a can of brake cleaner, will take it all off in a hurry. What I always use if I have a diesel leak and need to make sure I fixed it...

Guess I was being too cautious, thanks all.

"(down by the heat shield/crush washer)"

Do not blast it with water or anything water based if you want to clean out the heat shield seat area of the cylinder head. Use a long flat blade screwdriver wrapped with cotton jeans cloth strip, soaked with WD40 and twist it back and forth to pick up the carbon gunk little by little. Change jeans strip when there's gunk on it. When it looks clean, crank the starter to blow out any debris that has fallen into the pre chamber.

I totally agree with this advice after the injectors are out...

his question is concerning BEFORE he takes out the injectors...

Thanks funola, that's exactly where I want to clean out. I thought of using a screwdriver/rag like you said but I doubt I could get it all, it's so tight. Maybe I could blow compressed air on it as well with wd40.

I quoted his exact words: "(down by the heat shield/crush washer)". That to me is after he takes out the injectors. Just wanted to avoid misunderstanding and disaster.

Not tight at all, a flat bladed #2 long screwdriver wrapped with a strip of denim works great. Just make sure you use denim and not a tee shirt. The tough denim is required so the screwdriver don't puncture through and scratch the head sealing surface. The woven denim is tough and acts like an abrasive cloth, together with the WD-40, rub the carbon away. The flat bladed screwdriver is needed to grab the denim so it does not spin against the screwdriver. A Philips head screwdriver would not work for example.

If the carbon is really thick, scrape most of it away first with a brass pick or whatever you can find that is softer than steel (aluminum strip?) so as not to scratch the cyl head, then spin starter to blow out the debris, then use the denim/screwdriver.

I did mean clean while the injectors are in place. Dirt has collected in the recesses where the injectors screw into the cylinder head. Sorry for the confusion.

I am guessing it is not a 616,617 Engine and He has a later Engine with the Splined Prechamber retaining Collar. On those the Injector is is threaded down near the tip and the Injector sits in sort of a recess.

On them while you cannot see the Heat Shield the Heat Shield is closer to the end of the Injector.

Yeah we don't know which engine he has. But per your pic, heat shield 110 is clearly visible once the injector is removed. As long as you can put a socket and a ratchet on the injector to remove it, I would think you should be able to get a straight shot to access the heat shield seat with a long screw driver wrapped in denim to clean it.

His wording was not clear and He did not say what Engine. When He removes the Injector He dose not want the crud built up in that empty space around the Injector to fall into it.
After he gets the Injector out He can do what he wants to clean the Heat Shield area.


Where I worked we had a Brush made for use with a Drill Motor that the fine Bristles pointed down on welded to a 1/4" Rod. You just stuck that in the Hole and gave the Triger a quick squeeze and release.


Despite the worries of Bristles falling off the Brush and getting into the Engine there is all manner of Injector Tube Brushes you can buy. If a Bristle from the Brush falling into the Engine was a freaquent problem they would not sell the Brushes.


In My case I had an Air Gun with a long Nozzle and I would stick that down into the combustion chamber and blast some Air. Next I would pull that up and blast Air into the Injector tube so it would create a spiral flow. After that you can crank the Engine if you want to blow out stuff.

Of course you could also look into the Hole and stick a Magnet down their to get any Bristles.

In the pic is an example of some Injector Tube Brushes. These are made to turn by hand but there are others made for use in a Drill Motor or Pneumatic Drill.