I finally learned my lesson about cheap injectors after losing $1,200 on a rebuild

Three months ago I put a set of no-name injectors in a 6.0 Powerstroke I was working on for a buddy. Saved maybe $400 compared to going with OEM or even a known brand like Alliant. Truck ran fine for the first two weeks then started missing and dumping raw fuel into the oil. By the time I pulled them out two of the tips were cracked and one was stuck open. Had to drain the oil three times, replace the injectors again with genuine ones, and the customer was pissed about the downtime. All told I ate the labor cost and the cheap injectors plus the extra oil changes and filters. That $1,200 could have bought me a nice transmission jack instead. Has anyone else tried to cut corners on injectors and had it blow up in their face?

2 comments

2 Comments

paigewood15h ago

I'd push back a little on that $1,200 number... if you factor in your labor for the R&R and the extra oil changes, it's probably closer to $2,000 or more. But you're right about cheap injectors being a trap. What gets me is the fuel dilution in the oil, people don't always think about how that wrecks bearings and rings down the road too. Those no-name brands just can't hold tolerances once they heat cycle a few times.

mila_jones3911h ago

Four sixty-nine gallons of diesel. That's what I figured out once when I had a stuck injector dumping fuel. Took me too long to catch it and I trashed a set of rings. Cost me way more than the injector itself.