[Engine] Injector bolts

[daviddb]

And a tip of the hat to good service at the Milton Keynes main dealer.

Mrs Daviddb had to call out the RAC as after a 3 mile run to the supermarket as the engine on our MkIII 110 xtr on a 10 plate 'sounded throaty' and then smoke started to "waft" from under the bonnet.

RAC guy diagnosed loose injector bolts and said he's had 'loads of them'. He tightened them up there and then but advised a visit to the main dealer who would have the 'special tool'.

Mrs Daviddb walks in cold to the Milton Keynes dealer at 8am this morning who retightened the bolts with a requisite tool there and then , no charge, and away she toodles.

Hurrah for them but a but scary that this potentially catastrophic failure has happened at under 35,000 miles with the car always serviced well within the service intervals.

I see that this is a 'known' fault but haven't heard of any recall - should the bolts be replaced at Mr Citroën's expense with a main dealer service? We've used a Cit specialist local to wherever we happen to be as each service becomes due up until now.

Anyone got any recommendations of a reliable garage while we are up in Cumbria until the end of June.

yrs with beads of perspiration on the brow,

David

[daviddb]

And here, for the sake of completeness in case anyone else finds themselves in the same boat, is a snap of the broken injector eyelet. It was either loose for too long and vibrated itself to death or was overtightened when help was called.

You have been warned - oh and source a spare before you need it - it seems not to be a generic part.

There is a snap at of the broken part at :

https://www.flickr.com/photos/daviddb/15849822588/

yrs etc

[Jed Clampit]

Wow that does look bad do you think it a fault or a one off it a fair chunk of metal to fail i can see the bolt's snapping off if they are done up to tight thanks for the pointing it out one to put in the book of knowledge

[daviddb]

Hi, Jed. The short answer is ' I don't know' but I'm hazarding a guess that it failed because of mishandling rather a design/manufacturing fault . That is the bolts loosened and were loose for a while leading to a fatigue failure followed perhaps by some rough and ready handling by roadside assistance ( well, Waitrose car park actually but that's Mrs B for you....) or subsequently when she went to a garage. One doubts that a torque wrench was used ...more like '.F-tight and that'll do you madam'

I'm just so relieved that Messrs Lightfoot were sharp enough to pick it up and sort it for me rather than suffering roadside recovery to a garage of unknown quality. I must find out the correct torque setting for the injector bolts and put a note to self on the service record booklet. It may not just be a foot-lbs thing but up to a set level and then so many degrees of rotation from that point.

As you say the danger of a snapped bolt would lead to a major outbreak of dischuffment.

Everyday a school day as granny used to say.....

Car certainly runs much better than before!

[Jed Clampit]

Hi, Jed. The short answer is ' I don't know' but I'm hazarding a guess that it failed because of mishandling rather a  design/manufacturing fault . That is the bolts loosened and were loose for a while leading to a fatigue failure followed perhaps by some rough and ready handling by roadside assistance ( well, Waitrose car park actually but that's Mrs B for you....) or subsequently when she went to a  garage. One doubts that a torque wrench was used ...more like '.F-tight and that'll do you madam'

I'm just so relieved that Messrs Lightfoot were sharp enough to pick it up and sort it for me rather than suffering roadside recovery to a garage of unknown quality. I must find out the correct torque setting for the injector bolts and put a note to self on the service record booklet. It may not just be a foot-lbs thing but up to a set level and then so many degrees of rotation from that point.

As you say the danger of a snapped bolt would lead to a major outbreak of dischuffment.

Everyday a school day as granny used to say.....

Car certainly runs much better than before!

The torque setting is on a thread some where on here i'm sure it's 25lbft very low ? but please check first

[daviddb]

Don't worry , I'll not be holding you responsible!! But if it's low one can well imagine an untutored mechanic thinking 'just a bit more for luck'

D.

[Jed Clampit]

Don't worry , I'll not be holding you responsible!!  But if it's low one can well imagine an untutored mechanic thinking 'just a bit more for luck'

D.

Yeh your right i'll make sure it won't come loose again 

[CourierJim]

My injector bolts were ok until about 295, 000 miles had been driven. Then I started to be poisoned by fumes coming into the cab. The book says tighten the allen bolts to 25 Nm, but I felt that was too tight, and might snap them off, so I tightened them to just 20 Nm, and it has cured the problem!!

[Jed Clampit]

There you go almost got it right one to in my book of knowledge for another day smile

[ntm1275]

Checked my injector bolts today and all were tight with no visible leakage after 56000 miles

Just to be safe, I managed to turn them all about 10 degrees with an allen key using the short end as the lever