Vibration isolating shaft coupling & Injector cleaner when bleeding

[Jim Hardesty]

I am a bit concerned about the full strength injector cleaner

I've been following the directions on the bottle and just adding it to the tank, once a season.  Think next filter change I'll fill the secondary filter with cleaner.  On one other note, I put the cleaner in before fueling to make sure the cleaner doesn't sit in the fuel fill hose.

Jim

[Stu Jackson]

Thanks Stu,
I am a bit concerned about the full strength injector cleaner. Though it probably mixes with diesel as it gets pump to through the fuel system. If you guys have been doing this as a regular maintenance then I shouldn't be worried.

Thanks again.

Dale, think about How It Works when you're bleeding.  With your "self-bleeding" engine, just get the fuel pump running without starting the engine and it will pump the injector cleaner straight through the system.  What you are doing is placing a "good and helpful" liquid into the system to avoid an air bubble.

In your case, IIRC, getting the fuel pump to operate without starting the engine, though, requires you to turn the key to energize the glow plugs.  You don't want to do that for too long.  This issue is discussed at great length in the links in Critical Upgrades [http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,5078.msg41829.html#msg41829].  It's simply how your engine is wired.

In my case, with my NOT self-bleeding engine, I can start the fuel pump operation by turning the key switch ON and NOT starting the engine without energizing the glow plugs.

In any event, it simply doesn't matter, because in less than maybe half a minute (the longest you'd want the glow plugs on without starting the engine anyway) the slug of injector cleaner is gone through the system.  And the injector cleaner will be mixed with incoming fuel once the pump starts.

Not an issue.  Again, what you are avoiding is an air bubble in the system.  People used to say "Put diesel fuel into the Racor first," to eliminate the air.  All we're saying is that it is more helpful and far easier to use a liquid from a plastic bottle than try to get diesel into the Racor.  And a LOT less smelly if you spill any.