Got real cold. Now we got injectors leaking

brandonh · Jan 11, 2010

Its been pretty cold around here for Tennessee. Didnt reach freezing for several days. And now alomst all the injectors on our deere 2755 are leaking. We ad all new injectors and seals (i think) put in over the summer. Is the cold weather making them leak? I had a hard time starting the other it cranked for ever. Finally got it boosted off and i ran good and all of a sudden lost power, I noticed air in the filter. Found 1 leaky injector and I tightned it down, and fix the problem. No more air. But now alomst all the injectors are leaking. Kinda wierd. Almost like the cold weather is making them leak? Are the seals shrinking? Is it normal?

NCWayne · Jan 11, 2010

I've been working on equipment most of my life and have never seen cold weather alone cause fuel lines to leak. That said the older machines typically used soft copper seals on the injection system (other than the high pressure lines which I've never seen anything but metal to metal), while the newer systems tend to use washers with a rubber insert. Between the cold causing the rubber seals to get hard and the new ultra low sulfer fuel eating away at the rubber I can understand the leaks. Now if it has all soft copper seals then there is no reason that cold or heat either one should cause them to leak. Beyond that all I can say is I've never seen that problem so I don't know what else to tell you.

Bob · Jan 12, 2010

Wayne,

If you are in North Carolina (as your handle indicates) you ain't seen CRAP of cold weather and what cold weather can do!

Come up here near the 49TH parallel, where it gets cold enough to freeze the brass off a bald monkey and we'll discuss COLD!

NCWayne · Jan 12, 2010

Yeah, I agree it doesn"t get nearly as cold around here as it does up North. I must admit I"ve been lucky. The winter I spent in Great Lakes for school, after boot camp, was extreemly mild. I"ve even been North of the Artic Circle on a North Atlantic cruise and it wasn"t all that cold. About the coldest I"ve seen around here lately was last year when it got down into the single digits with lower windchill. It was so cold that the paint on the top of my service truck "popped" and came off. Turns out at some point in time before I bought it and painted it the origional surface wasn"t prepped and it released paint all the way back to the factory coat. Stange thing to see I"ll tell you. It"s amazing what real COLD will do. That said I still can"t see the cold, regardless of how COLD, causing fuel lines to leak like he is describing, unless they are using the washers with the rubber seals, then I can see it happening.

Dieselrider · Jan 12, 2010

I am no diesel mechanic but I can understand enough to know that leaking injectors is not good. Can you tighten them up and get them to seal again? You mentioned you had new ones installed and even seemed to hesitate that maybe they aren't new. Could they have the wrong injectors in? Was the work performed at the Deere shop or somewhere else? You might just want to tighten them down to the right torq and see if that doesn't solve the problem. I am here in PA and it gets down below zero most winters a few times. Have never had the problem you are describing on any machine.

Anonymous-0 · Jan 12, 2010

Cold does not make O-rings leak but poor quality O-ring material will not seal at temperature extremes. We use to call seal material black gold because if it was the good stuff that worked at temperature extremes then it was very expensive. I wonder how many seals are made in the land of almost right and what they use to compound the material.

JDemaris · Jan 12, 2010

A loose injector has nothing to do with air in the filter. Maybe because you are in a southern state your fuel isn't very winterized? Ice in the filter can make it get air-bound. As far as your injectors, what did you tighten and where are the leaks? The only seals the injectors have (if Stanadyne pencil injectors) are where they enter the head. There is a teflon seal on each one, and if it blows, you get a compression leak.

trucker40 · Jan 12, 2010

When it gets cold things shrink.If it was installed in the summer it could be loose now.Check whatever holds the injectors in,re torque it.I have seen lots of fuel line fittings and air brake fittings that werent leaking the other day when it was 80 degrees now be leaking bad when its 10 degrees out side.Also another reason for using teflon tape or liquid when plumbing a fuel or air brake system so the fitting really is tight when you are done with it.

brandonh · Jan 12, 2010

trucker40 Im glad to see someone that doesnt think im a complete idiot! The injectors were installed at a Deere Dealer Shop. And I think they also put in new seals. Its not te line leaking. Its the O ring. Or (seat seal). At first it was just one leaking. I tightened the injector down and that took care of it. And I know what Im taliking about. A leaking injector will cause air to get in the system. It just seems that the new seals have shrunk in this cold weater. I think we saw some single digits.

brandonh · Jan 12, 2010

Now that you mention ICE. I do recall thinking I saw Ice in the bottom of the filter. And also on the compression leak topic. That seems to tell me why its been really hard to start. Sounds like I need to get some fuel additive. I assumed the fuel was winterized and wouldnt need an additive if it didnt get past 0. Im still wondering why the seals are leaking all of a sudden

trucker40 · Jan 12, 2010

Yes,I am in Missouri and it was 10 below zero the other night and for the last 2 weeks it was either below zero and in single digits every night.So from an 80 degree day thats a lot of difference.A fitting could shrink a lot and also vibration could work them even looser.Thats just another thing that you have to look for when it gets cold.A lot of mechanics that only work in a shop might not see this much.Something comes in the shop,its warmer in there,it tightens back up.If you go out on a service call and its zero with a 20 mph north wind you see stuff you can take apart with your fingers occasionally.

trucker40 · Jan 12, 2010

Oh Yeah and if its loose it can suck air into your system making it hard or impossible to start until you clear out the air.You were right.Not everybody that answers questions on here knows what they are talking about or even give good information.I am myself guilty of giving a bad answer or totally wrong info or just writing it so bad you cant understand it.Hopefully somebody will come along with a better answer.Some times if it doesnt sound right,its a lot cheaper to not use the information.However being a mechanic I have had to hundreds of times call another mechanic somewhere if I didnt know.When I did it for a living I probably called somebody at least once a week.I was a ASE Master Mechanic,but that doesnt mean I know everything.Experience is the best teacher.

Ric Ks. · Jan 12, 2010

Hey Bob. The expression you used is incorrect. It goes "Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey." It's a old navy saying from back when they stacked cannon balls on brass holders, the holders were called monkeys and in extreme cold the brass would shrink causing the stack of balls to roll off the monkey. ;0)

Bob · Jan 12, 2010

Ric,

1. I was trying to make the saying more palatable for a "family" Forum.

2. Snopes says "nnalert".
NO brass monkeys here

Got real cold. Now we got injectors leaking

brandonh

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NCWayne

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Bob

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NCWayne

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Dieselrider

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Anonymous-0

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JDemaris

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trucker40

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brandonh

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brandonh

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trucker40

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trucker40

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Ric Ks.

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