Look at what I found while performing an injector cleaning

[jruppert]

My expedition has had this sputter or stumble at idle since I purchased it back in March. I changed the plugs and this didnt help. It did help overall performance though. So today I decided to take the injectors out and use an injector tester I had to energize the injector and pressurize injector cleaner into them to clean. After cleaning the drivers side I found no issues. I got to drivers side and found two injector issues. One being that the cleaner would leak right through after being energized. The other was that the injector wouldnt even operate. I took a wrench and tapped on injector and then it started working. Although I did have a weak stream when being pressurized. After 4 or 5 times of cleaning the injector performed properly.

The big problem I found was when I went to reinstall the injectors. I went to clean the intake where injectors sat and found this...


I managed to get this out. Expedition runs beautifully now. Not sure what this. My first thought was a stone. But it feels light almost like a piece of plastic or something.

 

[Big White]

Are you sure that did not fall in while taking things apart? It is a clean looking pebble, as opposed to one that has been bathed in gas for the last 8 years.

How did you clean the injectors? Send them out, or do you own a cleaning bench/ setup?

 

[jruppert]

I found the stone after cleaning injector. It was wedged into the injector port. I had to use a tiny screwdriver and a tool kinda like a pick that a dentist would use. It was wedged pretty good. I did find the bottom of injector with some nicks around edge. Not sure how it got there but that was the first time I had the injector out.

As far as cleaning, it was definitely a backyard mechanic situation. I took a hose just large enough to fit over injector with o-ring, connected the airhose to it with around 15 lbs. took hose and filled it with carb cleaner ( few ounces) Pressurizing the hose I used the tester I had that was connected to battery and used single and multiple mode to energize injector. I could have used a different setup to connect hose but it was all I had. Something else would have been safer since it was pressurized.

 

[jruppert]

This is what I used to toggle the injectors on and off

 

[semperfi96]

wow thats a big pebble to be in an injector port!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Stoned06]

With all that dirt and debris around the injector port, I would have to imagine it fell in there when the injector was removed. Maybe it happened when you did it, or maybe the PO did it, but either way, someone didn't clear the area of debris prior to removing the injector. Glad you got it repaired.

 

[buildingdoc]

I am pulling my injectors in the morning.... how long to do it? I am just checking to see if any are stuck open.

 

[Alienxtx]

Damn that sucks man, glad you found the problem. I maintain a fleet of buses and half of them are E450's with the 6.8 V10, we use to use NAPA brand oil filter but stopped after a piece of plastic trash from one made it inside the engine and messed some stuff up. Didnt think we would ever find what the problem was, luckly they flipped the bill for a new engine since we did/do so much business with them.