1.7CDi - Injector seals Popping

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Tony Russell

Active Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2009
Messages
139
Location
Glasgow ish.
Car
Vaneo. 1.7CDi. I know. Stop laughing ! I need an MPV and it had to be Mercedes. OK ?
Dear Agony Aunt,
About 7 weeks ago I got #3 injector replaced on my Vaneo 1.7 CDi.
at the weekend, the familiar sound of a blown seal, along with the smell and smoke in the engine compartment came upon it.

I took it back to the garage who had fitted the injector, and they did the work and left it out for me to collect.

As soon as I started it, I could hear the rasp of the seal again.
It's a funny thing - you don't get it when you rev, just when it's under load, accellerating, going uphill, etc.

I suspect they did the work, revved it and then parked it up.

I went back in this morning and they told me it was #4 seal they fixed this time, not the one they did before.

Fair enough, but it's still not fixed.

we went for a run and the owner conceded it was still seemingly blowing.

I asked how much I owed, and was a bit surprised when they said £160.
I would have thought he'd have said nothing till we fix it, but there you go. I've not paid yet anyway - not that I'd do a runner, I'm just a bit stunned at the moment.

His advice was to drive it until it blows out again, and then bring it back.

By that logic it will cost me another £160 to have them mess about and perhaps not fix it.

You can tell I'm starting to lose faith a wee bit.

Now, I've read all the manuals, and Lofty's stuff, and I discussed the use of injector pullers and seating tools with them, only to be told "you don't need all that".

I'm kind of losing faith. I think that #4 blew because the clamp wasn't seated right when #3 was refitted, and there is a chance that they have stripped the threads on the head - which he tells me is definitely not the case.

So I called Mazzoni in Port Glasgow.
Talking to him I got the comfortable feeling that he knows exactly what he's talking about, and I was an idiot not to go there in the first place.

However, he did warn me that he's not happy to take on someone else's bodge, and that it could be a very expensive job to fit inserts or re-tap the head.
These are the things I wanted to hear about though, seeing that's what I read - as opposed to "You don't need all that fancy stuff".

Anyway. What is the position here ? Am I obliged to pay for a repair that wasn't a repair (I appreciate they put in time, but it was no use to me), and can I ask them to pay for the Merc independent to rectify a fault if they introduced it ?
I really don't want to do that because I like the folks in the local garage, but I can't afford to keep throwing cash out like this.

I'm really getting the feeling that if I'd just paid the indy in the first place, I'd have been better off by about £1000 by now.

Confused, Scotlandshire.
 
I also wonder if they replaced the s t r e t c h bolt when they did the seal on #4 ? It does say replace every time. Would they have lots of them sitting about ? Either way if they did not fix it then no pay until sorted, hard to tell. Thats why i prefer to do myself, at least if i break it i know about it.
 
Tell me more about this stretch bolt.
I've never heard of it.
 
The seats of the injectors on the head need to be re-cut. If you don't do this they leak again.
 
The stretch bolt holds the injector clamp in. Apparently the bolt is a stretch bolt and must be replaced every time it is removed. Also the threads in the hoe should be well cleaned out. I never heard of these myself. Tony from ur post i seems they removed all injectors ?? And if they did, i guess they did all seals ?? It would make sense to all of them, as it only takes a few mins to do each one and the seals are only a few quid. If they did them all, then your original repair is a bodge, they should fix it. I mean you did tell them specifically to re-seat etc. But either way the #4 seal is not fixed and they should fix it.
 
The thing blew out on the motorway this morning. Epc light came on and the car shut down.Back to the garage for a long chat and superficial investigation.
It's #4 blowing wildly. I suggested getting the seats cut and i'm off to hire the tool from united diesel. The garage had no knowledge of this tool. I'll also ask them to change the bolts and seals on both again.Im hoping that's it and there's no other damage.What does the tool do exactly ? Does it just restore a smooth face ?Thanks for your advice !
 
I'm not trying to be insulting... but...

YOU clearly don't know what you're doing.
YOUR GARAGE clearly don't know what they are doing.

I am at a loss to explain why you think that with the combination of the above, all you have to do is keep taking bites of the apple and eventually you will end up with a whole, fresh apple...

Take the car to someone competent, then send the bill to the current place. Small claims if necessary.
 
I don't disagree with you, and I'm not insulted.

Thanks for the reality check.

I'll have one last go, and attempt to convince them amicably that it might be best to pursue another route.
I would rather avoid any litigious stuff.
 
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I'm not trying to be insulting... but...

YOU clearly don't know what you're doing.
YOUR GARAGE clearly don't know what they are doing.

I am at a loss to explain why you think that with the combination of the above, all you have to do is keep taking bites of the apple and eventually you will end up with a whole, fresh apple...

Take the car to someone competent, then send the bill to the current place. Small claims if necessary.

Ha ha it's not often you get thanked for slapping someone in the face !:bannana::bannana:
 
It's not slapping someone in the face, it is a reality check.

Full marks to the OP for seeing it as such, and not as an insult or personal attack.
 
It's not slapping someone in the face, it is a reality check.

Full marks to the OP for seeing it as such, and not as an insult or personal attack.

I think Danny was being sarcastically humourous.
He certainly made me laugh.

And I totally take any advice on board and am not in any way offended. Indeed, I am thankful. So thanks again.

See, I was an actual hardcore electronics engineer type by profession, so I naturally want to know what's going on, get to the route cause, and take corrective and preventative action. It's my thing. It's what we do.

I'm not a mechanic though. I don't have 20 yrs skill and experience of mechanical engineering - the thing that sets a pucker mechanic guru apart from a keen DIYer.

Like me.


Hence the reason that I'm asking questions in order to get to a satisfactory solution.

Any normal person would pay the extra cash and get the reknowned expert to do the job, 'cos they don't have any practical experience.

I put the car into my local to get it sorted while I was at work.
Had I known then what I know now, I'd have taken two days off and done it myself.
But, as they say, hindsight is 20/20 vision.

What I have learned today is that you can't get the pile 'em high, sell 'em cheap (perfectly legitimate in his own field) operation to do anything specialised.


No matter how hard you try.

Not when they can make more per square foot changing brake pads.

So, once I have got my local, trustworthy, friendly, pay me later, nice, accommodating, friendly garage to carry out my instructions, using my parts, to my (your) specs, I need to accept that from now on I go to a Merc specialist.

Or go back to owning a standard car.


If there is such a thing any more.
 
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..
 
I think Danny was being sarcastically humourous.

I'm sure i don't know what u mean. Funny that i studied as an electronic eng aswell, doesnt pay very well here though, cars are a hobby( i get beaten by wife for it ). I'm not a mechanic i'd be diy-er enthusiast
Have you got wis ? It's pretty good with step by step work. My last car was Nissan patrol, the fuel pump died and using nissan software i stripped half of engine and it still worked after assembly ! So i think anything is worth having a go. I forget though Tony, what engine year is your van ?
 
Is that a 638 engine ? look at the chassis number it shuld be in it somewhere. WIS is merc software as used by MB. Workshop manual basically for ur pc.
 
:) I don't have the car at the moment - it's in the garage, along with all the paperwork and everything else relating to it.

And my pass for work, my sunglasses, the keys to the house, my daughters birthday present, my rail pass .......

Really messes you up when you have to cut and run in a hurry.

Do you happen to know where a person might buy this software ?
 
I think, from memory, it's a W414.
 

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