DT466 Injector Replacement: How to Test, Remove and Install
In the old days, fixing engines was fun. You have room to work and there were fewer parts that went bad. This rebuild task is very involved even for just removing and replacing the injector system. Make sure you have enough time.
Removing the injectors involves removing the valve cover and gasket, then you have to remove the HP oil rail before tackling the Torx bolts holding the injectors in place. Installing is a reverse process and you should have a qualified shop do the testing for you.
To learn more about this project, just continue to read our article. It has the information you want to know about so you can handle most of this work yourself. This can be a fairly expensive project if you hire someone to do it
DT466 Bad Injector Symptoms
There are only too real symptoms that will tell you if you have bad injectors. The first one will be a ‘miss’ in the engine idle. You can’t mistake the miss for any other problem it has a distinct sound.
The same goes for the other symptom you will come across. Your engine will run rough once the injectors start to go bad. You will lose gas mileage and have other engine problems that will tell you that you need to do some repair work.
Also, you may not get a check engine light turning on if you have a problem. It is hard to say if that will take place or not. If your car is modern enough, you may see some error codes pop up on your dash. When you see those codes have them checked out as soon as possible.
There may be a low psi reading as well but that takes a little work to diagnose whereas you can hear the ‘miss’ and the rough engine right away.
How To Test DT466 Injectors
One method will have you hooking up a psi gauge to the system and testing how much pressure you have inside. If the reading is good then you should not have a problem with any injectors.
Another way is to remove the cover off the air cleaner housing and have someone start the engine. Once the engine is started, just check the fuel spray. If the engine does not start, just have someone crank it over for you so you can see what is going on. This is for the TBI injector system.
Unfortunately, the electronic fuel injection system does not give you that option. Then the oil rail is in the way making it hard to check the spray. To compensate, you need to use your ear. The system has the valve inside the injector making a clicking sound when it opens and closes.
To do the listening, you need an automotive stethoscope. Start the engine and place the device on each injector to make sure you hear the clicking sound in each one. If you do not hear it, you have a bad injector.
A third way is to turn the engine off, unplug the electrical connector on the injector and hook up your multimeter. If you get a reading other than what is stated in the manual, you need a new injector.
Does a DT466 Have Injector Cups?
Yes, they do and it seems that to remove them an aquarium hose is part of the tools and supplies you will need. Or you can purchase an injector cup removal tool kit that holds 4 different tools you can use.
One tool is the remover, the other is an installer and the last two are a sleeve plug and a taper pipe tap. The problem with this set of tools is that it is going to cost more than $425 if you shop at the wrong place.
You may have difficulty finding the right tools as the preferred sealant was the Lucite 620. However, that company is said to have been bought out by Permatex and the part number changed to 60940.
Other tools are going to be expensive if you want to do this work yourself. Unfortunately, you may have to buy the tools as removing the injectors may damage the cups. It is best to make sure you buy these before you start the work as sometimes, the auto parts stores do not have them n stock after you start your work.
DT466 Injector Torque Specs
There seem to be 2 torque specs when it comes to injectors. The first one is for the fuel injector hold down and it registered at 30 lb. ft. The second rating is for the injection pressure regulator and you need 37 lb. ft of pressure on those bolts.
Double-check that rating because during our research we found quite a few people just giving trash in their answers to legitimate questions. Talk to a qualified mechanic to see what they say.
Our information came from Diamond Harbor Bell’s web page and in double-checking their information we came across a lot of foolish responses that do not provide an answer.
Just in case you need all the torque specs for every part, we placed a link to that PDF sheet at the end of this article. You never know when you may need this information and having it on hand will save you time and stop you from losing it by having to look up the information again.
DT466 Injector Replacement Cost
This is not going to be a cheap repair. Even checking the injectors and testing them will cost you around $40 per injector. That price may differ depending on the shop you go to for help.
One owner was told his replacement cost would be about $800 for one which does seem to be on the high side considering the different prices we have seen. Another figure for an Alliant was $265 per injector.
While a third shop was charging $185 for one and that is about the right cost if you are looking to do this task yourself. A Ford dealership charged over $900 for changing just one, $182 for the part, and $780 for labor.
When you get involved with modern engines that you cannot fix yourself, you may need a small bank loan just to fund all the parts you need to buy. However, the tools you will need may cost you the same amount and you lose your savings unless more injectors go bad on you.
DT466E Injector Removal
If you are going to do it yourself, you will need a set of good tools. These can run you some money but it is worth it if you want to save in the long run. Here are some of the tools you will need:
- 12mm hex head socket
- Torx 45 or 40 for the injector
- Torx 30 for oil rail
- 12mm ratchet wrench for the pass. side lower valve cover bolts
- clicker torque wrench
And those do not include the $400+ tool set for the injector cups. You will need those tools as it is fairly difficult to remove the injectors without damaging or bending those cups.
How To Install DT466 Injectors
If you have removed the injectors, then you have all the hard work done. All the parts in the way have been removed and set aside. All you have to do is put the new injectors in the old one's place and use your torque wrench to get the right amount of torque.
Then carefully, replace all the parts you took off. Keep in mind that you may have to install new injector cups first as those will be damaged when you remove the old injectors.
Also, you will have to put new O rings on. These O rings are one-use parts that need to be changed every time you remove an injector. Depending on the model, you will have to reseal the oil rail.
This is a very involved repair as there are so many arts in the way. Some engines will have Jake brakes and rockers that need to be removed and re-installed when you have finished installing the injectors.
Blowing the cylinders is essential as well and there are several methods you can use to do that.
Some Final Words
Modern engines require a lot of work. Repairing them can cost you a lot of money especially when you have specialty parts like injectors in hard-to-reach places. There are a lot of parts to remove just to get to them and that will take some time.
Given the cost of these parts and the labor, you may want to invest in some tools and handle the repair or replacement yourself. If you do it yourself, make sure to have all the parts on hand with the right rings and sealant to get the job done right.
