cleaning fuel injectors

i have a '72 1.7L w/ clogged injectors, so clogged that it wont even fire but everything is fine cause itll run on starting fluid. i was just wondering if there is any easy way to clean the injectors enough so it would run and so i could flush FI cleaner thru them....i will buy new ones if i have too, but just wanted to know if there was anyway to clean those..any help is appreciated. thanx

[JP Noonan]

First how do you know they are clogged? Seems simple enough but if NONE of them work maybe the ground at the block is off or the brain isn't hooked up/working right. It's not that I'm doubting you, just that it's an easy thing to overlook. I have worked on three engines over the years that came with injectors, one sat for 6-8 months, another sat for 2.5-3 years and the last (the one I'm using) sat for 7-8 years, and they all had at least 2 injectors working.

A test I've used was to first test that the fuel rail is getting 30 P.S.I. then hook up 12 volts to the injectors (polarity dosen't seem to matter) this is only as dangerous as you make it. I hook up the injector first then with 15' leads hook up the batt. 15' away. Now, the thing is, where will the gas go. Again use common sense, have something to catch the pressurized gas. BTW I have read that these injectors run on 3 volts, but a short burst of 12 dosen't seem to hurt them.

If they are dirty to the point of not "clicking" (I forgot to metion that you should listen for a click), then you can try a can of pressurized injector cleaner. The can only cost about $10 but the tool to hook up the can to the injector run $50+. Some machine shops have cleaner/flow testers, but again the price per injector is high enough to warrent buying new injectors. Here is the last ditch effort. My freind had a FI Ducatti motorcycle that had injectors that wouldn't even click. He tried to force injector cleaner through them but ended up soaking them overnight in the left over cleaner. The next day they worked. However on a previous posting there was an indivdual who tried the same and it ate the injectors. Add to this the Ducatti is starting to run worse every day (could be the injectors). So if you do try it make sure to run fresh gas through the injectors as soon as they are un-clogged, and even then I don't guarantee that they will work for long.

There is a great article either here, or on the 914 fans web site www.914fan.net about rebuilding the FI system. Good luck.