Fuel leak, snapped banjo bolt...

[Maui Cruiser]

1995 V6 EFI 3.0L

I went in to check on my fuel injectors because I had a cylinder not firing (pulling wire from #6 on distributer cap had no effect on the idle) and after getting everything off, quickly cleaned (soaked injector tips in carb cleaner) and putting it all back to see if I had solved my initial problem, I noticed fuel spraying from the fuel rail!

Quickly shut off engine, tightened the fuel rail banjo bolts (the ones connecting the lines that go rail to rail) I could see leaking, turned engine on again, still leaking but less... so I cranked hard and snapped a banjo bolt off in one of the rails...

Should I just have gotten fresh washers? Where'd I go wrong? Feeling dumb...

 

[gtgt_bangbang]

the fuel rails should be so cheap in a junk yard I dont know if I would even bother extracting the bolt, if you have to go that route.

If you just need washers , dealer of course, but you should also be able to round up a couple from most any fuel injection / carb shop in town. I just scouted some out ( after the dealer wanted a couple bucks but worse a couple days ) and was handed them for free at a fuel inj shop. Motorcycle dealers may have a few adequate ones on the shelf too. I got one in a KTM bag before I found the two I needed.

Have what you need in hand so they can root around for size matches; I have not had luck finding these specific sizes at auto parts or hardware, thats the way it always seems to go. I sure wish this country would go full metric and be done with it.

If you have COPPER washers at the pipes, you could try to anneal them before re-use (heat to dull red heat over gas stove or propane/butane, then drop in water - that freezes in the heat-expanded condition, softens them up enough to (usually) re seal properly.
Just for this reason, I take copper over aluminum, if given the choice.

If they are the aluminum type , or if they are copper and scarred up, all bets are off .
I dont know if AL will anneal, but I doubt it.

One last laugh - I was annealing mine coppers after some R&R, but I used a MAP torch. MAP is hotter than propane. I heated them a little too much, and after I puled them out of the water, found that they had melted together into a groovy colored cheeriO! That was why I was out looking for new ones. in other words, dont over do it with the heat, never had a problem with a gas stove. I sand them down on a wet SiC paper / flat plate, just a tad, after anneal to de-burr.

I understand what you were trying to do, but god made torque wrenches for peeps who always assume tighter is righter. I have had a lot less bolt problems since long ago usually using 1/4" drive sockets , etc , in many or most situations , which serves to remind me I am stronger than the metal. wait a minute - did you bust the main inlet ? You must have really been hulking on it if it was the inlet / damper. Okay I just saw you were talking about the crossover pipes, but I'll leave my cool Green comment anyway

 

[LedFloyd900]

I don't know why everyone says aluminum crush washers can't be annealed and reused if in good condition, if you can soften it back to how it was why can't it be? I've annealed and reused aluminum crush washers on my fuel rain and didn't leak a bit. But extracting them or just replacing the rail is your call. Extracting them will be cheaper but replacing it will be a lot less of a pain in the a$$ haha, good luck to you! (And also if you do extract them, make sure the threads aren't damaged)

 

[gtgt_bangbang]

have to admit i never even thought of annealing an Al washer, it just never came up, Al stuff seem to tear easier, bolsters my admitted off hand perception (been a long time since those classes) that Al would be less forgiving to anneal; these guys know a lot more - Tips and http://steamshed.com/annealing process.html.

To me it boils down to the fact that its much easier to determine temperature with copper compared to aluminum, but if you're happy to just heat it, throw it in water and Call it a day, then that doesn't matter either.

I like Cu crushes, maybe just habit cos I am from the Bronze age.

then again here its fairly obvious if it left a sealed joint. Its not like he's playing with fire or anything...