Bungling Amateurs, C4 HDI injector, please help

OK, I went to Tamworth and visited the diesel specialist.
They initially denied any ability to help, suggested that I had been foolish in the extreme, to attempt such a thing.
They never open a Bosch CR injector, and only supply new replacement injectors.
BTW why did I take it apart ? Didn't I know, its impossible to reassemble ?

After a bit of conversation, explaining the reasoning, describing my tool making, discussing the magic secrets of how it works, and after significant prodding from me, they rang Bosch, who immediately obliged.

A packet of 10 balls is coming in an express satchel from Bosch (Sydney).
The delivery cost is 20 times the value of the part.
I will have 9 spare balls, in case anyone needs one in the future.

If it all works, I can write a "How To Be A Bungling Amateur, Like Me (and get away with it!)" for the AF archives.

I'll be well satisfied if we can get the C4 to 300,000km without spending thousands on it.
That would equate to;
10c per km for the purchase of the new car,
10c per km for fuel,
3c per km for rego/insurance,
2c per km for tyres/servicing/maintenance/parts.

25c per km......... I reckon that's OK

Bob
 
Good work, Bob! 9 spare balls, that sounds like the 99 spare EPDM o-rings.

How much per km for the hair transplant after you have torn all yours out?

Roger
 
Good work, Bob! 9 spare balls, that sounds like the 99 spare EPDM o-rings.

How much per km for the hair transplant after you have torn all yours out?

Roger

And the day you again need an 'O'ring.... You won't be able to find the bag of them so will buy another 100 ..... And go place them on a shelf somewhere so they won't get lost this time .......... And all being normal will place the bag of 99 'O'rings ontop of the last bag of 99 'O'rings ...................... :clown:

seeya,
Shane L.
 
The requirements are:
C4 fuel economy or better,
Good aircon,
Softer ride than C4
Big boot for bales of hay and bags of cattle feed, or boxes of food for catering,
Ability to handle rocks in the paddock, that's what killed the Xantia... hole in the sump !
Any colour except grey !

Excellent thread Bob, love the bravado. There is no car that meets all the criteria unfortunately. Your location makes it more difficult. The Xantia comes closest, the sump problem was probably a one off ( why did you not raise the suspension?). Just prepare the car with a replacement of all hydraulic return lines and a good going over. That is what we have done with ours after 12 years of ownership and she is going as good as new. Should get high 6s in country running. Much cheaper than buying a C4 too.

Thinking about it, there might be one available soon that meats all the criteria, C4 Cactus. We don't know about the ride yet though, although overseas reports offer some hope.
 
Greg C said "The Xantia comes closest, the sump problem was probably a one off ( why did you not raise the suspension?)

There are hundreds of rocks in the paddock...... definitely not just a one off. She was warned about taking it into the paddock.
Why didn't I raise the suspension ?
Well, I wasn't in the car. I was only told about it 2 days later with the question "can you have a look at my car ? It won't turn over when I turn the key"
It was seized with no oil in it. When I questioned a bit deeper "Oh yeah there was a bump a couple of days ago, and a light came on, but I thought it was just the hydraulic level...... and kept going."
I had a look underneath, and saw a small dimple in the sump with a triangular hole about 5mm x 10mm.

Since then I got her an old Lada Niva as a paddock basher, but its in drydock at the moment waiting on a clutch master cylinder.
Obviously I need to move that job up the priority list, before she kills the C4 in the same way. I suspect the thermo fan failure was resultant from grass catching on the fan and unbalancing it.

I do have 2 other going Xantias "in the yard". The Sydney kids used them for a few years. One (manual) has nothing major wrong with it, after I replaced the clutch. The other (Auto) has a serious thirst for LHM, probably the return system you mentioned, and the hydraulic pump outlet pressure fitting is not right, and its almost impossible to lock. If you do manage to lock it... its definitely impossible to unlock it.
Certainly the dead one could donate parts to get one or both reliable enough.

I do think the Xantia is a great car. Lovely to drive, comfortable and almost efficient.
A Xantia wagon would fit more hay in the back.

Bob
 
Great read Bob, i did the same thing when i rebuilt the head on a modern diesel Alfa i bought for cheap.
Part of the process of me figuring out how to get the head off involved me undoing the top of an injector. .. which ejected it's innards out into the atmosphere. ..
I of course was working in my front yard at night but some how management to find a small spring and jet...
After reassembly i could see the nozzle end looked different to the others...
It wasn't until i got an exploded pic of it that i figured out i had the wrong assembly order...
To my suprise, once it was all said and done, the moter ran without a fault!
I had read that the injectors are coded to the ecu and if you replace them you need to program them in. Not hard with an obd reader and some wizardy but the wizard is required non the less.
I have also read about the seals going in the injectors and flooding the return lines as you had on the c4. Nice diagnostic work there.
Now a small turbo 2 cylinder diesel 2cv would be a great thing!
In my experience of climbing steep hills in 2cvs it's not the lack of horses power but torque that lets them down. Yeahyeah GS :p

Harley
 
OK, I went to Tamworth and visited the diesel specialist.
They initially denied any ability to help, suggested that I had been foolish in the extreme, to attempt such a thing.
They never open a Bosch CR injector, and only supply new replacement injectors.
BTW why did I take it apart ? Didn't I know, its impossible to reassemble ?

After a bit of conversation, explaining the reasoning, describing my tool making, discussing the magic secrets of how it works, and after significant prodding from me, they rang Bosch, who immediately obliged.

A packet of 10 balls is coming in an express satchel from Bosch (Sydney).
The delivery cost is 20 times the value of the part.
I will have 9 spare balls, in case anyone needs one in the future.

If it all works, I can write a "How To Be A Bungling Amateur, Like Me (and get away with it!)" for the AF archives.

I'll be well satisfied if we can get the C4 to 300,000km without spending thousands on it.
That would equate to;
10c per km for the purchase of the new car,
10c per km for fuel,
3c per km for rego/insurance,
2c per km for tyres/servicing/maintenance/parts.

25c per km......... I reckon that's OK

Bob


There's a book in this. With your writing style Bob, and capacity to poke fun at yourself it would be a great read. I'd buy one just to remind myself NOT to go poking about these 'puter' governed crocks o' s@@*_.

SF
 
I was taught 50 years ago to never open an injector or HP pump outside a clean room. That was crude agriculural machinery. These new "puter" driven mini-injectors are even more sensitive. The handbooks still say never.

The mystery now isn't the computer. It's the refusal by makers to publish complete tables of sensor outputs and computed responses to them. It makes life harder than it should be for pros as well.
 
Where on earth would I find a clean room?

Roger, or Shane would be better at describing my work area.

The best I can do is:
Its a nicely shaded patch of weeds (mainly Khaki weed and Cathead (also known as Caltrop, Catsear, Double G) about 25m from my shed. When I say shed, I mean a steel sheeted structure about 7m x 7m, enclosing 30 years of stuff, with a poorly marked access track winding through it. In the nearest corner is my very nice Harrison toolroom lathe, which gets lower each year, as the bed of swarf upon which I stand, gets higher. If you want to venture further than the lathe, you need a guide map, and GPS tracker. My collected stuff includes 50 years of model aeroplanes, 140 years of bicycles, 60 years of Citroens, 40 years of gliders (yes, real ones to sit in and soar with the eagles), 30 years of metal machining... also sewing machines, farm machinery, foundry patterns, pipe benders, many failed inventions, 1 or 2 successful inventions.

Beyond the shed is a lean to roof over the 8' pan break. Closer to the "work area" is the welding bay with oxy, mig, tig. Well ventilated ('cos there's no walls... or roof) its sunny in the morning, shaded in the arvo. This is also the spray booth. The shade is from a big old river red gum tree, which always drops leaves, and sometimes drops limbs. So far I've not had a car damaged by such events.

Bob
 
Where on earth would I find a clean room?

Roger, or Shane would be better at describing my work area.

The best I can do is:
Its a nicely shaded patch of weeds (mainly Khaki weed and Cathead (also known as Caltrop, Catsear, Double G) about 25m from my shed. When I say shed, I mean a steel sheeted structure about 7m x 7m, enclosing 30 years of stuff, with a poorly marked access track winding through it. In the nearest corner is my very nice Harrison toolroom lathe, which gets lower each year, as the bed of swarf upon which I stand, gets higher. If you want to venture further than the lathe, you need a guide map, and GPS tracker. My collected stuff includes 50 years of model aeroplanes, 140 years of bicycles, 60 years of Citroens, 40 years of gliders (yes, real ones to sit in and soar with the eagles), 30 years of metal machining... also sewing machines, farm machinery, foundry patterns, pipe benders, many failed inventions, 1 or 2 successful inventions.

Beyond the shed is a lean to roof over the 8' pan break. Closer to the "work area" is the welding bay with oxy, mig, tig. Well ventilated ('cos there's no walls... or roof) its sunny in the morning, shaded in the arvo. This is also the spray booth. The shade is from a big old river red gum tree, which always drops leaves, and sometimes drops limbs. So far I've not had a car damaged by such events.

Bob

Doesn't clean room == kitchen table when the wife isn't home :confused: I've heard dishwashers can do a great job at cleaning car parts too :clown:

seeya,
Shane L.
 
You could look into barrel plating in the washing machine. A front loader might be best.
With a booster heater, electroless nickel could even be an option.
 
Where on earth would I find a clean room?
At the diesel fitter's. My work area is as dirty as yours.

Bosch comment
Tolerances held in these new systems can reach 1μm. Therefore, perfect cleaning should be guaranteed, either for the mounting and dismounting of assemblies, and during tests and repairs.

Thus, new basic procedures had to be followed during all the process of removal, installation, repair and breakdown investigations in these diesel injection systems.

To meet the new requirements it is essential to create an exclusive area (“Clean Room”) for cleaning and repairing injectors. The room is developed in such a way to assist all work procedures stated by Bosch Germany.
Video of a bloke working on an injector rebuild at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqPdHRyi5Gs

(My mum used to visit Keepit when there was a house, not a puddle)
 
Last edited:
Bob's Clean Room.jpg
Pic of my "Clean Room"

OK, you can all cheer now !

I can't hear you ?

injector ball installed, new thermo fan (arrived in the post today) installed..........


It runs,
Yes on all 4,
Yes without fuel leaks,
Yes without choof choof.
Turbo is working,
Key plip is still working after 1 week (just).

Still can't hear you ?

Bob the bold !
Bob the brave !
Bob the Bungling Amateur !
 
Bob the bodger ! ??? That would seem very unkind, but would have been apt had a splatter ball been installed.

It's important that you refit the scuttle grille correctly to the base of the windscreen. The securing strip that the grille clips onto will slip off the glass and allow water to enter the engine bay unless you stick it in place. The overhang of the glass makes it easy to crack if leant on, so some care is required there.
 
Yes, I'll put all that plastic stuff back, tomorrow.
And I'll even change the oil and filter.

I notice that the last "professional" service was at 40,000km..... the air filter element has that written on it in felt pen.

I'm just having a celebratory beer, Jan is willing to provide dinner again, after a few days searching for a replacement car, muttering about me having killed it.

Bob
 
Brilliant, great effort. I'd say your clean room is perfectly OK, providing there is no wind of course.....
 
Where on earth would I find a clean room?

Roger, or Shane would be better at describing my work area.

The best I can do is:
Its a nicely shaded patch of weeds (mainly Khaki weed and Cathead (also known as Caltrop, Catsear, Double G) about 25m from my shed. When I say shed, I mean a steel sheeted structure about 7m x 7m, enclosing 30 years of stuff, with a poorly marked access track winding through it. In the nearest corner is my very nice Harrison toolroom lathe, which gets lower each year, as the bed of swarf upon which I stand, gets higher. If you want to venture further than the lathe, you need a guide map, and GPS tracker. My collected stuff includes 50 years of model aeroplanes, 140 years of bicycles, 60 years of Citroens, 40 years of gliders (yes, real ones to sit in and soar with the eagles), 30 years of metal machining... also sewing machines, farm machinery, foundry patterns, pipe benders, many failed inventions, 1 or 2 successful inventions.

Beyond the shed is a lean to roof over the 8' pan break. Closer to the "work area" is the welding bay with oxy, mig, tig. Well ventilated ('cos there's no walls... or roof) its sunny in the morning, shaded in the arvo. This is also the spray booth. The shade is from a big old river red gum tree, which always drops leaves, and sometimes drops limbs. So far I've not had a car damaged by such events.

Bob

Blissful sigh!

SF
 
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