E-TEC Fuel Injector Field Repair and Calibration

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Author Topic:   E-TEC Fuel Injector Field Repair and Calibration

marccobos posted 07-22-2008 06:36 PM ET (US)
[Seeks] any information on rebuilding [BRP E-TEC fuel] injectors. [E-TEC fuel injectors] are such expensive injectors for Evinrude motors. We have a fleet of [Evinrude E-TEC] motors in South America, and, due to the fuel type there, we experience a high volume of injector problems. We are planning on going back to Mercury or Suzuki because, with the quantity of injectors we replace, we could buy a new fleet of motors from other manufacturers.
In the Evinrude catalog, it shows the E-TEC injector internal parts but the E-TEC injector can only be purchased as a whole. If we can open them, then we can possibly rebuild them, mainly cleaning them out and recalibrating them. One of the main problems is the programing need for these injectors. With such high replacement needs, we have come to the point of just slaping them on the motors and go. Whether we program them or not, the same problem happens, due to the type of fuel in South America--high alcohol content and dirt in fuel. They are great motors on fuel economy, on take of and go, and very light. We liked them except for this problem with high maintenance.
Jefecinco posted 07-23-2008 09:16 AM ET (US)
Marc,
Of course this is a silly question.... but, what type of fuel filtration equipment are you using between the fuel tanks and the engines of your fleet?
What level of alcohol is in the fuel you are using?
I believe a frequently serviced 10 micron fuel filter would remove virtually all solid contaminants from your fuel. If your fuel has more alcohol than the current injectors are able to handle I would be surprised if BRP does not have an injector available that is more tolerant.
BRP markets it's E-Tec engine to the US military. In military trim the engine will run on aviation fuel (Jet A??), gasoline, or diesel. In the military environment delivery of clean fuel to the end user is problematic so militay spec equipment is required to operate with somewhat less than perfect fuel.
I recommend you contact BRP directly to discuss your injector issues and seek a solution.
Regardless of engine brand fuel system issues will result from using dirty fuel. Perhaps carbureted engines should be considered. Regardless of engine brand 10 micron filtration should be helpful.
Butch
jimh posted 07-23-2008 09:59 PM ET (US)
I do not believe you will have much success at field rebuilding of the injectors. The injectors are not designed to be disassembled in the field. I have seen the insides of an E-TEC injector. There is a small filter element which perhaps could be the source of some trouble. If this filter element is clogged, it could affect the injector operation. I don't know if you can replace that filter element in the field. The physical arrangement of the components would make it hard to remove it and replace it.
When an E-TEC injector is originally fabricated and assembled it is tested in order to discover its precise characteristics regarding how it delivers fuel. A fourth-order polynomial equation is used to describe the injector behavior. The coefficients of this polynomial are measured and recorded for each injector. When the injector is installed in an E-TEC engine, the engine management module (EMM) is given these coefficients for each individual injector. In this way the EMM knows precisely how each injector should be operated to produce the desired operation.
In addition to the four coefficients of the injector, the EMM keeps track of the age of the injectors. It applies compensation as the injectors are operated over thousands and thousands of cycles. As the injector wears slightly with use the EMM compensates for the change.
If you are servicing your E-TEC motors by installing new E-TEC injectors and you are not performing the necessary recalibration of the engine management module (EMM) so that it becomes aware of the new injector, it is likely that this error is contributing to the high failure rate you experience. The service manuals explicitly warn against doing this.
If your fuel is contaminated with debris, you should be more diligent in maintaining proper filtering in the fuel system of the vessels with E-TEC motors. Replacement elements for high-quality fuel filters are not cheap, but they certainly are much less expensive than new injectors, and fuel filters are much easier to change than an E-TEC injector.
jimh posted 07-23-2008 10:04 PM ET (US)
If you have some E-TEC injectors which have given you trouble, you could experiment with some field disassembly. If you have a slide hammer you can use the threaded bosses on the bottom of the E-TEC injector to pop off the upper aluminum can housing. This will reveal the interior of the injector. At the least you will be able to see if there is debris and clogging of the filter element which is inside the housing. The filter is a provided in a rubber ring that encircles the body of the injector.
jimh posted 07-23-2008 10:51 PM ET (US)
This view of the inside of an E-TEC fuel injector shows the annular filter element. If you could remove these filter elements and clean them, you might have a remedy to your problems.

Casco Bay Outrage posted 07-24-2008 08:26 AM ET (US)
Fuel contamination this spring led to my boat having injector issues.
This was corrected by the mechanic removing the injectors and having them professionally cleaned.
If you have poor quality fuel, the injectors will clog and switching to another engine manufacturer will not help you.
Focus on improving your fuel quality and filtration and locate a mechanic or learn how to clean injectors yourself.
If you have ethanol blended fuel, fuel lines need to be alcohol resistant. Without this type of fuel line, you will have problems with any engine.
Are you treating the fuel to prevent the phase separation that can occur?
seahorse posted 07-24-2008 08:42 AM ET (US)

Marccobos,
Dealers in Brazil haven't had injector problems with their 22% alcohol fuels if simple maintenance is performed and boat filters are installed.
Contact Ricardo or Jorge at Paragon in Angra, south of Rio, for more information. Perhaps they can offer suggestions to help you out.
http://www.paragon-tec.com.br/index1.htm

If you are having FICHT injector problems, a company named DFI Technologies does repair and rebuild them and includes a disk with the injector coefficients for loading into the engine computer. dfitechnologies.com

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Author	Topic: E-TEC Fuel Injector Field Repair and Calibration
marccobos	posted 07-22-2008 06:36 PM ET (US) [Seeks] any information on rebuilding [BRP E-TEC fuel] injectors. [E-TEC fuel injectors] are such expensive injectors for Evinrude motors. We have a fleet of [Evinrude E-TEC] motors in South America, and, due to the fuel type there, we experience a high volume of injector problems. We are planning on going back to Mercury or Suzuki because, with the quantity of injectors we replace, we could buy a new fleet of motors from other manufacturers. In the Evinrude catalog, it shows the E-TEC injector internal parts but the E-TEC injector can only be purchased as a whole. If we can open them, then we can possibly rebuild them, mainly cleaning them out and recalibrating them. One of the main problems is the programing need for these injectors. With such high replacement needs, we have come to the point of just slaping them on the motors and go. Whether we program them or not, the same problem happens, due to the type of fuel in South America--high alcohol content and dirt in fuel. They are great motors on fuel economy, on take of and go, and very light. We liked them except for this problem with high maintenance.
Jefecinco	posted 07-23-2008 09:16 AM ET (US) Marc, Of course this is a silly question.... but, what type of fuel filtration equipment are you using between the fuel tanks and the engines of your fleet? What level of alcohol is in the fuel you are using? I believe a frequently serviced 10 micron fuel filter would remove virtually all solid contaminants from your fuel. If your fuel has more alcohol than the current injectors are able to handle I would be surprised if BRP does not have an injector available that is more tolerant. BRP markets it's E-Tec engine to the US military. In military trim the engine will run on aviation fuel (Jet A??), gasoline, or diesel. In the military environment delivery of clean fuel to the end user is problematic so militay spec equipment is required to operate with somewhat less than perfect fuel. I recommend you contact BRP directly to discuss your injector issues and seek a solution. Regardless of engine brand fuel system issues will result from using dirty fuel. Perhaps carbureted engines should be considered. Regardless of engine brand 10 micron filtration should be helpful. Butch
jimh	posted 07-23-2008 09:59 PM ET (US) I do not believe you will have much success at field rebuilding of the injectors. The injectors are not designed to be disassembled in the field. I have seen the insides of an E-TEC injector. There is a small filter element which perhaps could be the source of some trouble. If this filter element is clogged, it could affect the injector operation. I don't know if you can replace that filter element in the field. The physical arrangement of the components would make it hard to remove it and replace it. When an E-TEC injector is originally fabricated and assembled it is tested in order to discover its precise characteristics regarding how it delivers fuel. A fourth-order polynomial equation is used to describe the injector behavior. The coefficients of this polynomial are measured and recorded for each injector. When the injector is installed in an E-TEC engine, the engine management module (EMM) is given these coefficients for each individual injector. In this way the EMM knows precisely how each injector should be operated to produce the desired operation. In addition to the four coefficients of the injector, the EMM keeps track of the age of the injectors. It applies compensation as the injectors are operated over thousands and thousands of cycles. As the injector wears slightly with use the EMM compensates for the change. If you are servicing your E-TEC motors by installing new E-TEC injectors and you are not performing the necessary recalibration of the engine management module (EMM) so that it becomes aware of the new injector, it is likely that this error is contributing to the high failure rate you experience. The service manuals explicitly warn against doing this. If your fuel is contaminated with debris, you should be more diligent in maintaining proper filtering in the fuel system of the vessels with E-TEC motors. Replacement elements for high-quality fuel filters are not cheap, but they certainly are much less expensive than new injectors, and fuel filters are much easier to change than an E-TEC injector.
jimh	posted 07-23-2008 10:04 PM ET (US) If you have some E-TEC injectors which have given you trouble, you could experiment with some field disassembly. If you have a slide hammer you can use the threaded bosses on the bottom of the E-TEC injector to pop off the upper aluminum can housing. This will reveal the interior of the injector. At the least you will be able to see if there is debris and clogging of the filter element which is inside the housing. The filter is a provided in a rubber ring that encircles the body of the injector.
jimh	posted 07-23-2008 10:51 PM ET (US) This view of the inside of an E-TEC fuel injector shows the annular filter element. If you could remove these filter elements and clean them, you might have a remedy to your problems.
Casco Bay Outrage	posted 07-24-2008 08:26 AM ET (US) Fuel contamination this spring led to my boat having injector issues. This was corrected by the mechanic removing the injectors and having them professionally cleaned. If you have poor quality fuel, the injectors will clog and switching to another engine manufacturer will not help you. Focus on improving your fuel quality and filtration and locate a mechanic or learn how to clean injectors yourself. If you have ethanol blended fuel, fuel lines need to be alcohol resistant. Without this type of fuel line, you will have problems with any engine. Are you treating the fuel to prevent the phase separation that can occur?
seahorse	posted 07-24-2008 08:42 AM ET (US) Marccobos, Dealers in Brazil haven't had injector problems with their 22% alcohol fuels if simple maintenance is performed and boat filters are installed. Contact Ricardo or Jorge at Paragon in Angra, south of Rio, for more information. Perhaps they can offer suggestions to help you out. http://www.paragon-tec.com.br/index1.htm If you are having FICHT injector problems, a company named DFI Technologies does repair and rebuild them and includes a disk with the injector coefficients for loading into the engine computer. dfitechnologies.com