Stop using brake cleaner on injector seals. I keep seeing it.

Was helping a guy in Denver last week diagnose a rough idle on a Cummins ISX. He soaked the new injector seals in brake parts cleaner before install. Said his old boss showed him that trick. I told him to stop right there. That stuff eats the rubber coating on the copper seals over time. Seen three trucks in the last year blow out injector cups because of this. The seal swells up from the chemical and then fails under high pressure. Anybody else run into this or am I the only one yelling about it?

2 comments

2 Comments

lisa8202d ago

Three trucks in a year isn't that many, you sure it wasn't just bad installs or cheap seals?

beth_mitchell2d ago

Oh man, I've been there. I had two jobs in a row that leaked within six months and I was ready to swear off the brand forever. Turned out it was the installer rushing through it - he didn't prep the surface right and used the wrong sealant for our climate. Once I switched to a guy who actually takes his time and follows the factory specs, that same type of truck has been bone dry for two years now. Sometimes it really is worth paying a little more for someone who knows what they're doing with the seals.