Oil in injector harness loom - advice wanted

[xsm]

I know this has been done to death but I'm just after some advice and looking for the latest views on how to deal with this issue.

My D2a is running fine but I decided to check the red connection at the ECU today and discovered that I have the oil in injector loom problem. There was only a small amount of oil inside the red plug and no sign of any oil on the outside. Therefore I assume iv'e picked the issue up early before any likely damage to the ECU especially since the car runs fine.

I haven't accessed the Injector Harness yet so I'm not entirely familiar with how it fits and what I'll find.

I'm just after some info on what course of action I should take given the above scenario:

INJECTOR HARNESS - Is it definately necessary to replace it? Is it possible to clean it up and replace the "O" rings? Would this fix the problem or is the oil ingress from another location other than the "O" rings.

INJECTOR LOOM - Is it necessary to try and clean this? I've seen the good oil section detailing how this can be attempted.

INJECTOR LOOM TOP CONECTION - I've had a look in "the good oil" at the method of trying to seal the loom at the top connection. I don't fully understand the procedure in the thread. Could people who've attempted this advise me of their success with this and whether it is worth attempting.

Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated. (and sorry if I'm rehashing old ground)

Cheers
Martin

[LandyAndy]

Hi Martin
Best to replace the injector harness,they are cheap enough.
If its not missbehaving yet you may not have alot of oil in the main loom so you may get away without cleaning it.
I would remove the seal on the red plug at the ECU asap and only replace it when the oil stops flowing or before water crossings/4wding.Clean it and leave it on the console or somewhere similar as a reminder to replace it later.
Make sure the ECU is replaced with the red plug to the bottom to ensure better drainage.
Andrew

[fraser130]

INJECTOR HARNESS - Is it definately necessary to replace it? Is it possible to clean it up and replace the "O" rings? Would this fix the problem or is the oil ingress from another location other than the "O" rings.


Cheers
Martin

As I understand it Martin it's nothing to do with the O rings, the oil on mine had got in at the injector plugs and wicked inside the wire all the way to the connector at the front of the head. When you take off the top cover you will see what I mean. the injector sockets have a little drain hole, but it's on the top side so they fill with oil and eventually this gets past the seal and that's it!

I'd just replace it, clean the old one at your leisure, and keep it as a spare.

Fraser

[Hay Ewe]

when I repleced mine i did it quickly, I didn't have as much time as I would have liked to have a proper look at how it is set up.

I DO think that changing the o-rings would work buecause of the way that the plug is orientated, the female part is on the lower side so the oil drains in to it. if it had been the other way around I dont think that the oil would drain to the ECU.

Jsut my thoughts, I had already got a new harness by this time and have kept the old one 'because'

I wonder how many have been kept for 'because'?

hay Ewe

[Disco EMU]

It's all about stopping the capillary action!

Mine took almost 9 years for the oil to reach the ECU. Replace the harness, stop the flow of oil and do it again in 8-9 years.

You can buy the harness cheaper from UK ebay and then follow instructions from this link.

www.discovery2.co.uk / Workshop /Injector Harness (http://www.discovery2.co.uk/Injector_harness.html)

Cheers

Craig

[xsm]

I guess that I should have a look and see what sort of a mess I have before I go ahead and buy a new injector harness although I fully expect that a new harness is on the cards.

If there's any doubt I will replace it. I like things to be done properly and as Andrew says, they're not that expensive. Has anyone used one of the UK suppliers to buy one? They do seem cheap at under $AU100.

Thanks to those who've helped so far.

Martin

[fraser130]

Martin, mine was $109 from ULR in Melbourne.
Fraser

[xsm]

Martin, mine was $109 from ULR in Melbourne.
Fraser

Thanks Fraser, I'm in Canberra so I'll get a price from our one and only LR Dealer before I order off ebay. If it's only $20 difference it isn't worth the wait to get one from ebay!!! even though the car is not needed and can sit for as long as it takes.

Martin

[stevep]

Hi Martin,

I am in Canberra too (Monash), & I think you will need a bank loan to buy it from our one & only stealer. Try british4wd.com 03 62347444 from Tassie - they have the injector harness for about $170 or All4x4pares.com.au 02 4957 1117 from Kotara NSW . I think both are good to deal with & you will have the parts by end of this week or early next week. Look on the net there are plenty to choose from in Australia. If you dont want to do it yourself try Canberra motorworks in Mitchell - he knows his stuff about landy's but might be a few $$$$.

I also have the injector harness problem but I haven't done anything about it yet -- except to take out the seals on the red plug & clean it out using WD40 & air compressor every 4 to 8 weeks.

Hope this helps
Steve

[xsm]

Thanks to everyone who's helped out with advice.

I ordered the injector harness from the LR dealer at $148. Something has come up and the car may be going on a 1500km trip next week so i want to have it fixed beforehand.

I could have got one delivered to my door from the UK for $100 Aust. I would have gone down that path if the car wasn't going to be doing the trip.

I'll fit it this weekend.

Martin

[xsm]

Job done and car running well, thanks for the advice.

I've left the seal out of the red ECU plug to allow the residual oil to drain. I'll keep checking every few hundred km's and replace it when all is clear. I will also remove the engine cover again to check the rocker cover seal.

There is one thing I encountered in doing the job that people should be careful of - On the first injector conecting clip that I removed I prised one side off and the other side was still firmly held on. In attempting to gently release it, it suddenly broke free and it droped down into the head.:eek::mad: It was a very delicate job trying to locate and retrieve it. Of course, I didn't make that mistake again with the other 4.

Cheers
Martin

[wilsonlew]

I, also, have an injector harness in (soon) need of replacement on my '03D2.I have a bit of time up my sleeve and have checked out a few sites in pommyland.Some price differences eg 28pounds to 41 pounds for the same harness.My question from your collective experiences - are all injector harnesses made equal? That is, one from Craddocks is the same quality as one from Bearmach as one from Paddock as one from 4x4?
Regards to all.

[Disco EMU]

I'm not sure about the ones you've mentioned, but I do know that the replacement in mine is a non-genuine part ...... works perfectly!
Cheers
Craig

[Graeme]

I've just replaced the harness in my '03, purchased from a Sydney parts supplier for $84 and it is identical to the original. I removed the top cap from the connector and sealed the wires to the connector and also unclipped the injector connectors and sealed the insulation to the wires there. I wont be trying to cleanup and seal the original.