Quote:
Originally Posted by ctrlz
Some tips from an audi guy with similar struggles below. I've read different approaches suggesting motor oil, wd40, or silicone spray as lube. Others say absolutely NO lube for this application. I would certainly shy away from petroleum lubes or wd40, as those might swell the seal. A bit of silicone spray might be ok here.
https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...ector-seal-Q-s
This one makes it look easy. Can you link to the amazon tool you bought?
another one. Says it helps to let them shrink overnight:
https://www.thedrive.com/guides-and-...r-seal-service |
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B088TLZBRT
This is the tool I ordered. While most of the reviews seem to indicate successful use, there's one near the top that says "Don't Buy" and his review is exactly my situation.
I have come to the same conclusion as the guy in the Audi post, and that Amazon reviewer, I think the amazon tool's taper is too aggressive and it's causing the seal to be pushed over the back edge of the injector seat. There's no kind of backing to put against the edge of the seal to keep it on the injector seat, while the tool smushes over it. The tool itself is just pushing the back half of the seal over the seat rim, and then the the tool can't be pushed back anymore or you risk damaging the seal.
I ordered a different tool, the one from Rock Auto seems to be a better tool, it goes for 2x the price anywhere else. I don't mind spending the money if the tool works. I will send the Amazon one back, because Amazon. It was $15 and worth a try, but I can say for a fact it's not the solution for our particular injectors. But definitely the taper needs to be smoother in transition and the amazon tool tries to compress the seal within I would say 5/16" cone depth, and that's severe. If they made that taper more like 5/8" in depth, I think the seal would cooperate.
After this debacle, I am definitely going to keep my LT1 injectors on hand. After this build is off my plate, I am going to attempt to create a better press tool. This business of sliding a tool over the seal to press it is borderline cave-man stuff. I think with a 3D printer and (if the prototype works) a CNC machine, a press tool could made that wraps around the seal, and then mechanically squeezes the seal to its proper thickness. The most simple method I can think, would be like taking the amazon tool and cutting it in half, drill a set of screws into either side, and like a clam shell from both sides, sinch down on the seal surrounding it. Rather than trying to drag a piece of steel over the teflon seal and crossing your fingers that it'll cooperate.
We'll see how this new tool does though, maybe it'll work slick compared to the amazon tool. No need to reinvent the wheel if it does work well. I just think it can be done better. I'd bet that's how it's done at the injector factory, the injector barrel is set in a press vice with the seals in place, and the press vice comes down on it with a barrel cast in the exact shape the seals need to be to be proper thickness. Essentially the seals get stamped. That's how I would create a hand tool, and just use screws to pull the cast together to compress the seals.