1HD-T injector removal prep (2 Viewers)

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HillCountryTX

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I'm starting this thread for those HDJ81 Land Cruiser owners that are thinking of having their 1HD-T diesel fuel injectors tested/reconditioned/replaced but want to remove the diesel injectors themselves in order to save some money and learn more about their Land Cruiser (like me)!

I have looked far and wide for a write-up, with pictures, that discusses the reality of the injector removal process and was not able to find much that consolidates everything into one place. Sure, there are definitely pieces of the 1HD-T injector removal process puzzle scattered throughout this website/forum, and others, but nothing that really addressed it head on from start to finish. You know, something that goes beyond the Toyota FSM for the 1HD-T engine (see pages FU-16 through FU-26 in the FSM) and provides a reality check for something like "uh-oh, my injector is stuck and won't budge", or "the copper washer/nozzle seat is stuck at the bottom, now what?!?!" sort of thing :)

So, with that being said, in a about a month I plan to remove the 1HD-T injectors on my own once I get the appropriate parts/tools delivered. I plan on documenting the process as I go, to hopefully help others (or maybe as a "what not to do" resource, who knows).

Anyway...here are the details:

Living in Texas (US), I chose to purchase new Denso injectors after looking into 1HD-T exchange service injectors (usually from Australia or New Zealand) or having my injectors inspected and reconditioned by someone here in the United States. Long story short, I was able to find brand new Denso injectors for $160/injector right here in Texas (where I live). I was not able to find a place in the U.S. that offered exchange service injectors (i.e. you buy a set of 6 reconditioned 1HD-T injectors from them and they include a refundable core charge that you get back once you've shipped your old injectors back to them), only inspection and reconditioning on the actual injectors themselves.

Yes, reconditioned injectors are cheaper no matter how you spin it, but finding a reputable place in the U.S. that will properly bench test, inspect, and recondition with genuine factory parts for these 2-stage injectors is difficult (not impossible, just difficult). I also did not want to be down for 5 - 7 days waiting for the existing injectors to be sent off for testing and reconditioning, and then shipped back. We can go back and forth about this decision, but that is what I've decided.

So, for my 1991 HDJ81 (HDJ81V-RNMEX) I figured out the following part numbers:

Injector: Denso Part #: 093500-4350 (Toyota Part #: 23600-17010). Price: $160/injector
Comment: I also corroborated this Denso injector part number through the company representative I bought the new injectors through. The representative contacted Denso on my behalf and used my injection pump # info (I have a Denso #096000-7810; Toyota #: 22100-17281) to determine that the Denso injector part number above is correct given the Denso injection pump number. This was one of my biggest concerns as I had read that the injectors varied over the years and were pump dependent.

Washer Kit for 1HD-T injectors: Ordered an injector washer kit (includes 6 copper injector "seats" that are the correct 2.5mm thickness for vehicles made before 8/1992, 6 O-rings, and finally 12 washers for the nozzle leakage pipe connection) that ran about $58 (USD) shipped from Australia. For vehicles after 8/1992, the nozzle seat got thicker to 3.5mm...at least according to United Fuel Injection on their eBay storefront website.

Special Tools
* 12mm and 14mm hex head sockets for removal of hollow bolts and nozzle holder clamp bolts (see FSM pages FU16/FU17)
* 17mm Box wrench for removal of union nut holding injection pipes to injection nozzle (FU16)
* Ratcheting torque wrench capable of handling the 9 ft.-lbs to 29 ft.-lbs range of torques (see the Toyota FSM for the 1HD-T for this info) that will be required to reinstall the new injectors. (see FU26)
* PB Blaster: May need to soak the bolts beforehand to make removal easier :)
* 8 mm threaded bolt/rod about 6 inches long. I have read that folks have had luck in removing a stuck nozzle seat washer if the copper seat does not come out with the injector. Evidently you can thread the 8mm bolt down into the softer copper seat and then pull it out.


I will post back once I've had a chance to go through the process and document it with pictures for others. Remember, I am only doing this to share with other folks my experience, rather than say this is how you do it, no exceptions. There are a lot of smart people out there that are able to find ingenious ways of doing things with simple tools :) I just want to share what I've experienced/learned once I've had a chance to do this removal.

Stay tuned...
 
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HillCountryTX said:
Injector: Denso Part #: 093500-4350 (Toyota Part #: 23600-17010). Price: $160/injector
Comment: I also corroborated this Denso injector part number through the company representative I bought the new injectors through. The representative contacted Denso on my behalf and used my injection pump # info (I have a Denso #096000-7810; Toyota #: 22100-17281) to determine that the Denso injector part number above is correct given the Denso injection pump number. This was one of my biggest concerns as I had read that the injectors varied over the years and were pump dependent.
Click to expand...

Would you mind sharing what company this is where you got them from? I can give them some more business...
 
@dan1554 Sure, no problem. I ordered the Denso injectors from M&D Distributors. They are based out of Humble, TX, but have 8 locations, with 7 in Texas and one in Louisiana. I worked with one of their representatives (Jeremy Imel) through their chat function and then by phone, and he has been great to work with! Very responsive and willing to help.

It helps to know what you need though (part number wise), as the Toyota 1HD-T engine is not a common engine at all here in the U.S. However, Jeremy did some research for me to confirm various parts, which was very helpful. M&D Distributors does offer the ability to bench test and recondition the injectors (since they are Denso), but after getting a price quote with the inspection (bench testing) and potentially having to get 6 new nozzles, buying a new set of Denso Injectors just made sense all around...plus I would be able to swap the new ones in with minimal downtime and I get a 12 month warranty on the Denso injectors.

And just as a note, if you're wondering...I do not work for M&D Distributors, nor do I know anyone that does, so this is me purely sharing my experience thus far in the hopes of helping others out.
 
injection pipes are 17mm flare. They have to be really loose or just take them off but mark them.

You should not use a slide hammer tool to pull the injector-if you break one the head is coming off.

injector seats for 1992 + (zinc colored vs copper) are US part numbers- they are not a mm thicker. i just use them.

soak injectors in pb blaster, remove the retaining fork, twist with 10mm wrench. (10 or 12, cant remember). If they dont twist soak some more. Some take a couple days to break loose.

1/4 banana job
 
@rick_d thanks for the tips/advice. Regarding the 1HD-T injector removal, I will definitely be trying to remove the injectors using the PB Blaster/wrench method BEFORE I default to the slide hammer method. I'm treating the slide hammer as a last resort, but thank you for the advice!

Regarding the injector seats, I'm basing my info on what I found on the United Fuel Injection (Australia) website on their ebay website (see INJECTORS WASHER KIT. TOYOTA 1HDT. SEALING WASHERS KIT... 1992 on | eBay). They offer two different Injector Washer Kits and the distinguishing characteristic is the thickness of the nozzle seat washer (2.5mm vs. 3.5mm thickness). However, it sounds like you've been through this before, so I trust your judgement!

Thanks again for the tips/advice!
 
As a quick update, I have received the 1HD-T "sealing washer kit" from Australia (from United Fuel Injection)...it took just about three weeks from the original order to final delivery here in Texas.

Also, for those that are ordering brand new Denso Injectors (Denso Part #:093500-4350), I received them in a very timely manner from M&D Distributors. Please note, however, that the new Denso Injectors only come with the injector itself and the two nozzle leakage pipe connection washers per injector. They do NOT come with the O-rings or the nozzle seats (i.e. the thick copper washer that sits between the injector nozzle tip and the engine). Hence, I had to order the "sealing washer kit" from Australia.

I hope to begin the injector removal process sometime soon...stay tuned. And thank you for all the help, I appreciate it!
 
Hey y'all...great news! I was able to successfully remove the old injectors and install the new Denso injectors on my HDJ81 this past weekend! The new injectors work great so far and I will be keeping track of our fuel mileage to see if we see an increase in mileage (hopefully!). More importantly though, I will be working on a full write-up, with photos, of what I did to remove the old injectors and will post it here to share with others.

Stay tuned...and thanks for your patience! I would not have been able to do this injector removal/replacement without the immensely helpful advice from all folks that contribute to the IH8MUD forums!!! Thanks!
 
I strongly recommend the upside down retaining clamp method for getting the injectors out.
Just put a old m8 bolt in the retaining bolt hole in the head to give a fulcrum point. The retainer will engage in the machined groove on the body of the injector, the strongest part of the body. Should only need a light tap to get the injector moving. Mine had been in for 300k kms and came out easy.
Used a screwdriver with a tapered end on it to get a couple of the copper washers that stayed behind. Just tap it in gently and twist pull, to work the washer up out of the hole.
 
@Sarmajor you are right on...I used a very similar method to what you describe to get my old injectors out, and it worked beautifully. Thank you!!!!

I'll be posting some photos/descriptions of my make-shift injector remover 'rig'...it's very similar to what you describe in principle, but I use an old washer and some other tools to make it less likely to do any damage to the existing engine parts. Your suggested method was spot on...I never even thought about using a slide hammer or any sort of twisting motion...gosh, I didn't even have to soak stuff in PB Blaster either!

Stay tuned...
 
Can I ask why you decided to change your injectors? What was the mileage? Were there specific symptoms of faulty injectors?
 
lumpy70 said:
Can I ask why you decided to change your injectors? What was the mileage? Were there specific symptoms of faulty injectors?
Click to expand...

@lumpy70 I changed my injectors because we were getting relatively poor fuel mileage for a mostly stock HDJ81 (stock rims/stock tire size). We currently have a roof rack and an ARB winch bumper installed, but no winch. In our 5spd we were getting anywhere from 12mpg (us gallons) to 16mpg with a mix of city/highway. The best fuel mileage I have gotten since we bought the truck in November of 2016 was 16.7mpg (us gallons) with everything bone stock. Also, the truck has 144,000 kms on it. The lowest fuel mileage came from when we were driving to West Texas on the interstate at 70-75mph with bikes on top and a fair amount of camping gear :)
 
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Thanks. That's the same mileage that we're all getting in Canada (we've been blessed with the HDJ81's since 2005).

The best I know of is a buddy with a 5-spd HDJ81 who gets 15 mpg, but average is about 17 mpg. 17 is what I've been getting since I got the truck in 2008.

In my opinion, the 1HD-T (which is awesome) just doesn't get great mileage.

When I had my BJ74 I would get 27 mpg.
 
I'm averaging about 17mpg (US gallons), auto trans, 2-2.5" lift, 33" tires, I think that's pretty good for a truck of this size. It's better than the wife's GX470, and much better than the gas engine 80's could hope for.
 
lumpy70 said:
Thanks. That's the same mileage that we're all getting in Canada (we've been blessed with the HDJ81's since 2005).

The best I know of is a buddy with a 5-spd HDJ81 who gets 15 mpg, but average is about 17 mpg. 17 is what I've been getting since I got the truck in 2008.

In my opinion, the 1HD-T (which is awesome) just doesn't get great mileage.

When I had my BJ74 I would get 27 mpg.
Click to expand...

I should have specified, 2" lift on 33's as well
 
Alright, so here's my attempt at capturing what I did to remove the existing injectors on my 1991 HDJ81 (5spd) with 144,000 kms on it. My recommendation is to go slow and steady and not try to set a speed record (no problem for me!), as a broken part or ruined thread will take even longer to fix. Please know that this is the first time I've ever done anything like this, so go easy on me :)

FYI, the entire process (removal of old injectors and installation of new injectors) took me about 4.5 hours from start to finish. The tools I used can be found in my very first post on this thread. I have updated the first post to reflect what I actually used.

Also, I used the Toyota Factory Service Manual (FSM) for step-by-step guidance, but did not follow it to the letter. My suggestion is to see what the FSM says and see what I did and decide for yourself...I'm always amazed at the tricks that other folks have come up with that can shave time off this process! For me being able to see photos of what the heck is going on is a big step in the right direction.

1. Loosen the turbo intake pipe on one side. The FSM is pretty easy to follow here...however, I did not actually completely remove the turbo intake pipe like the FSM says to do...instead, I disconnected the tiny rubber hose on the side of the intake pipe at the plastic tee portion (see the photo below). I did not want to tear 25+ year old rubber. The tiny rubber hose's connection to the cast intake pipe itself was on VERY tight. The tiny rubber hose's connection to the plastic tee, however, was easily removed, so that's where I disconnected it. After removing the 4 12mm bolts holding the intake pipe on to the rest of the engine (three of the bolts actually hold the intake pipe on, while the fourth secures the accelerator linkage assembly to the intake pipe), make sure that you grab the metal gasket that sits between the intake pipe and the rest of the engine...it's very thin and easy to lose! FYI, I did not remove the accelerator linkage at all either, just unbolted it from the intake pipe. Once the bolts on the intake pipe were removed I was able to move the entire intake pipe about 3-4 inches in any direction, but remember that it is still connected to the larger diameter rubber hose located on the driver's side of the engine, so be gentle. I was able to do the injector removal/reinstall without much trouble with intake pipe resting out of the way with it resting on a block of wood to hold it up away from the injectors.
View media item 53373
2. Loosen the 6 injection pipe union nut connections using the 17mm flare wrench. I used an adjustable wrench that had 4 sides to do this and it wasn't too difficult. It's righty-tighty, lefty-loosey when you're facing the injectors from the passenger side...sometimes it can be confusing when you have threading like this going on :) There are no gaskets or anything that will come out...just some diesel fuel (not much). I used a shop rag to dry off some of the diesel after undoing the injection pipes. The injection pipe ends will simply rest up against the injector. You can move the metal injection pipes with your fingers slightly, but you really don't have that much flexibility...they are pretty stiff. However, you can push on the metal injection pipes to remove the injectors when the time comes...until then I just let the injection pipes rest against the injectors.

Here's a photo with the union nut undone (keep in mind that all of step 3 & part of step 4 below were already completed when I took this photo, but the principle is the same here):
View media item 53376

3. Loosen the nozzle leakage pipe (the metal squiggly thing that connects the top of the 6 injectors together) using a 12mm hex. I had to use a small extension on my ratchet to get some of them loose because of clearance issues and my limited ability to reach into the engine bay while standing on the ground beside the vehicle. Below is a picture of what the leakage pipe looks like after the 6 top hollow bolts have been removed. Keep in mind that there are two small copper gaskets for each hollow bolt...one copper gasket is on the top of the nozzle leakage pipe, and one is below it...you will be installing new ones when the time comes, but the old ones are easy to bump off and lose down in the engine...so be careful.
View media item 53377
I completely removed the leakage pipe from the engine bay...to do this you'll want to disconnect the leakage pipe from the fuel...I did this at the more accessible part of the fuel hose (see two photos below...before and after). The connection that the FSM says to remove is very difficult to access, so I decided to remove the connection down lower (see before and after photo). The one drawback to this is that it makes removing the leakage pipe from the engine bay area more difficult because you have to wrangle a 3-4 inch rubber fuel pipe that has a funky bend to it.

Before:
View media item 53374
After:
View media item 53375
4. Remove the injectors by removing the bolt, washer, nozzle holder clamp, injection nozzle and the copper seat. This is where @Sarmajor 's advice came in handy, big time!!! Thanks! You'll want to make some sort of injector remover rig to do the injector removal. The easiest way is to use the nozzle holder clamp (piece of metal that holds the injector in the engine). The brilliant part is realizing that you can turn the nozzle holder clamp upside down, use the existing 14mm bolt and convex washer as a fulcrum, and then make sure you use a metal washer to protect the surface you'll be reacting against when you pound the other end of the clamp (the end with a small dimple) with the light tap of a hammer. See the photo below for my first attempt, which almost ended in catastrophe.

An almost catastrophe...
View media item 53378
You'll see I have the nozzle holder clamp turned upside down with the 14mm bolt head acting as the fulcrum. The mistake I made was that when I went to hit the small, dimple end of the upside down nozzle clamp with a hammer I was actually making an small indentation on the engine block threaded bolt hole. I almost ruined some of the threading on the engine block, but luckily I was able to get the old bolt back in without having to re-thread the hole...yikes! The solution is to put some sacrificial material between the fulcrum (the 14mm bolt head) and the engine block...I chose to use a cheap metal washer that distributed the impact of the small hammer blows to a wide enough area on the engine block that nothing gets nicked or damaged! I figured out that a small ratchet extension (3 inches or so) for a 3/8 ratchet will fit perfectly over this small, dimpled end and allows you to hit the extension with a light blow from the hammer while focusing the impact cleanly on the clamp. See the photo below for an example of the setup I used:

View media item 53380
I was able to get all 6 injectors out WITH their copper seats using this upside-down nozzle holder clamp method. I did not have to use any PB Blaster before or during the removal...so the o-ring AND the copper seat both came out with the injector, which is extremely lucky, or a testament to how well this injector removal method works :) On average, to remove any single injector probably took 12-15 relatively light blows of a normal hammer to dislodge the injector. I would have to reposition the washer at times, as each time you hit the injector moves slightly. You will also have to reposition the upside down nozzle clamp after several hammer blows for the same reason. I had another person help me do this, so I could hold the "injector removal rig" in place while the other person hit the ratchet extension squarely with a light tap of the hammer. No twisting or anything else was done to the injector during removal...simply the light hammer blows. It's crazy how well it works. I hope others find the same!

Below is a photo of the old injectors that I removed:
View media item 53382
And here's one of an old injector vs. a new injector:
View media item 53379
And finally here's one of the new injector with the copper seat and the rubber o-ring before being installed:
View media item 53381
Reinstallation is pretty easy if you just do everything in reverse (I know, classic easier said than done). Just remember to put a new copper seat back in, then the new injector with the new o-ring back in. Of course, this depends on whether you're buying new injectors, or having your existing injectors serviced and reconditioned as to what parts you actually need to get or need to install prior to injector installation.

The hardest part about reinstallation was getting the nozzle leakage pipe back into place. It has some weird dimensions and really takes some creative arm movements to get it back in with the short rubber fuel pipe attached. The other part that takes some finesse is the placement of the new copper washers on the nozzle leakage pipe as there is a copper washer (aka gasket) on both the bottom and top of each nozzle leakage pipe connection. Placing the pipe back onto where you have a tiny copper washer sitting in a very small lip holding it on takes some steady hands :)

Now, be sure to reconnect the turbo intake tiny rubber hose at the plastic tee and don't forget the intake pipe's metal gasket when reattaching!

Once everything was installed again, torqued properly, and seated, you can go and start the truck. I did NOT have to prime anything or use the fuel filter manual pump or anything like that...the truck coughed a bit when we first started it, but it came alive after a second or two! So it started on the first attempt and even then it only took an extra second or two more than normal...amazing!

So far, after driving it for a couple days with the new injectors I've noticed that it is more responsive when accelerating, smoother, and hopefully, more fuel efficient! I hope to report back with fuel usage after we have a chance to go through a couple tanks of diesel.

I will go back and edit this how-to in the future as I hear from others, or decide to add additional detail as necessary. Hopefully this helps others out too!
 
I love seeing these DIY threads with pics, for jobs that I have yet to have to take on, good job!
 
When ive cleanied my 3B injectors in the past ive used a no touch technique with carbon sequestering chemicals that eat brain cells for breakfast. Its frendly to all metals and plastics. Use in a well ventilated area. It will give you MS through your skin. Eats nitrile gloves. I use it in a glass jar. So.... freaky stuff yes, but cleans tips very well if you soak them for a few days. Very nice for the parts your not suppose to touch.....with anything. I blast the loose carbon off with a can of WD40 or forced air. Again......it is very brain unfriendly. Available at most auto parts stores and the dairy isle in Wal-Mart.

gm upper engine and fuel injector cleaner - Google Search
 
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