Broken high pressure injector line

[mbryner]

Hey all,

My "new" Changfoid seems to be less of a reliable engine than I thought it would be.   I'd read so many good things about these engines on these forums.   (!!)

Tonight, I got home late and checked the batteries:  85% -- not bad.  I thought, I'll run the generator while watching TV just to keep it charged until tomorrow.

It started up easy enough, but then I noticed a pretty good stream of diesel at the junction of the high pressure injector line with the fuel pump.   The injector line tip is cleanly broken off the rest of the steel line.

My question: can the tip be braised back on or will that be too weak?   Other way to fix?   Do I just need to find another injector line?

Marcus

[Tom Reed]

You should be able to have a local diesel shop make you a new line. I'm sure you know, but don't go near that leak with a body part (at least one you'd like to keep).

[vdubnut62]

Marcus, if you don't fasten/tie the middle of that line down to the engine with some sort of rubber lined/plastic/wooden etc. clamp, you will have trouble again later. IIRC George B. cover this same detail on the Lister Longevity CD. (there is a section on Chinese horizontals.) I think the "proper" name is adel clamp, if not I'm sure someone will come up with the correct term.  IF you can find the correct size steel ferrule, yes it can be replaced. Slide it on the line, after the nut, start it on the injector and "commence a'tightening". It will form itself and your off!  Now the line is probably hardened for an inch or more, so unless you have enough to cut off the hard part, the fix will not be permanent.
  The vibration work hardens the steel line, and eventually it will crack. I have had the same thing happen on my old International B-275 4 cylinder tractor, after the clamps were
trashed.
This has just been my experience - YMMV
Good luck, Ron.

[mbryner]

Update:  I was finally able to convince a metal fab guy to weld the tip back on.   Silver solder didn't work -- he tried a couple times.   Then I brought it home and ground it back into the correct shape with a grinder.   Sort of crude but it seems to work.   

vdubnut62: yes, I had not reattached the metal clamp on the middle of the line, but for only maybe 2-3 hours of running.   Maybe the metal was work hardened enough that that contributed to its demise...?

Tom: diesel shops said "we don't have anything like that and we can't make it".   Bah.   Nobody can do anything anymore....

Marcus