i think i may have leaking injectors. my startups for the day are always 6-7 audible turns of the starter followed by a noticeable gas smell and occasionally gurgling exhaust ... plus my gas mileage seems to be less than satisfactory.

i want to pull the rail and will... here are the ?s

how can i tell if they are leaky?
can i reuse the o rings?
is my cat conv on its way out?... after temp guage shows engine warm, my exhaust isnt hot... quite cool actually.

any comments are appreciated ... thanx

 

well from experience i've seen that leaky injectors are usually due to the o-rings. it results in gas spilling out around the intake manifold so yea you'll smell the gas. its best to replace the o-rings on the injector thats leaking the gas. best way to find out is cleaning the injector areas and letting the engine run to see which one is leaking the gas. hope that helps.

 

ok. heres the thing and i hope this isnt ignorant... but i think i may have a leak into the combustion chamber ... not past the orings.

any thoughts???

 

Injector can leak in three ways:
1) Externally.
a) The O'Ring seal between the fuel rail and the Injector body (replace the O'Ring)
b) The Injector body itself leaks (Non-serviceable)
2) Internally.
This is indicated (in many cases) by the symptoms of which you speak.
aa) Extended cranking w/first started
bb) Smell of raw gas
cc) Engine skip which clears out as the fuel fouled spark-plug starts clearing out
dd) Marked deterioration in Fuel Economy.
It can also show up as:
aaa) Excessive Fluid in crankcase (Fuel in Oil)
And it can be responsible for Accelerated Piston Ring Wear and sudden oil pressure loss from sludge breaking loose and clogging the oil pump pick-up. (Gas acts like a solvent.

This is caused by either wear or debris within the injector which doesn't allow the needle nozzle to close.
The extended cranking is caused by the injector leaking down over time, allowing the fuel rail to drain. The extended crank represents the time required for the fuel pump to re-pressurize the system.

Your Catalytic Converter has been 'stressed' from dealing with these unburned hydrocarbons. Wait until you sort out the injector problem b4 you start looking at the Converter.

P