
THE PICTURE:-
-The picture we posted was taken from a Toyota 1KD-FTV engine that had the seals at the bottom of the injectors leak.
-We have replaced many injectors and have seen this issue.
-This allowed combustion carbons to sneak up past the sides of the injectors.
-Because the injectors are under the rocker cover, the carbons that leak past the seals cannot escape and so enter the engine oil.
-These carbons get washed into the engine sump and then picked up (as per the picture) by the engine oil pick up screen and can lead a blockage and possible reduction in oil flow the engine.
THIS PROBLEM IS NOT ISOLATED TO JUST THE TOYOTA ENGINE.
POSSIBLE REASONS WHY IT HAPPENS:-
-Mass production can sometimes not tighten things as well as it should and many we have seen have had the bolts used to hold the injector clamps down not very tight at all.
-The manufacturer claims the seals are faulty yet we have used copper and aluminum seals for decades without issues. Our view is that the tension on the bolts/clamps may be more the initial cause.
WHAT MAKE OF VEHICLE CAN IT HAPPEN TO:-
-its NOT isolated to the make of vehicle BUT more the design.
If your injectors are under the rocker cover be aware it could happen.
-Similar issues have happened in many makes and models of Diesel engines. One other common example is Mercedes common rail engines. The same issue happened BUT because the design kept the injector OUT of the engine oil area the carbons just built up outside the engine. It made a mess BUT didn't enter the oil.
-Any old school Diesel could have this happen. The injector were generally a screw in type and if it wasn't tight the seal would leak. Again it was outside the rocker cover so no issues other than a carbon mess.
FIX:-
-Go to your Diesel Expert and get the injectors removed, the area cleaned, new seals installed and everything reassembled and tensioned correctly with some added "nip" on the bolts.
-If they were heavily leaking carbon, then the engine sump should be removed and the oil pickup strainer inspected and cleaned.
-Im still an old believer in regular oil changes 5,000km is a perfect customer - 10,000km is maximum.
WHAT WON'T HELP:-
-An Oil catch can will not work in this case. This is an unrelated modification used to reduce excessive engine 'blow-by' fumes from entering the inlet manifold area (a normal process but not good if the fumes are excessive)
-Extra oil filter changes. The image shows the carbon grit caught well before the filter on the pick up strainer.
-Good Diesel fuel. Its not related to fuel. Its just an issue related to a fault in assembly etc.
MANUFACTURERS OBLIGATIONS:-
-It is true that consumer law would say that a fault "pre-existing" would be deemed a Warranty repair forever.
-For example: In this instance of these injector seals leaking, and the fact it is also very well documented online, one would expect consumer law to look dimly on the manufacturer.
-If you have a vehicle with a well documented history of a fault (like these seals for example), it would be fair to say that you could apply pressure to the manufacturer to offer warranty.