Quick question about fuel rails

[Trimble Epic]

I'm working on a fuel injector replacement, and after watching an annoying large number of videos and reading thread after thread about plenum pulls, injector installs, etc, I have one question that hasn't been answered yet... Perhaps I'll see it when I get down to it, but...

What seals the fuel rail to the intake? I've seen videos with the fuel rail off, but I can't find any video of anyone reinstalling the fuel rail. Is there a gasket? o-rings? press fit? what up? It must be sealed somehow, but I can't find the information.

[Trimble Epic]

OK, nevermind, I found my answer here: http://www.z1motorsports.com/product_in ... ts_id=5220

it's been driving me crazy, I knew there had to be a seal.

[ThisIsSparTTa]

Sometimes they're called fuel rail insulators too: https://conceptzperformance.com/search. ... +insulator

If you ever have a question like that, call up CZP, Nick and Coz are super knowledgeable and helpful. Z1 can be helpful, but they always seem more scattered.

[Trimble Epic]

Thanks! good idea, i keep forgetting I could just pick up a phone... then again, this question was bugging me at 1:00am the other night

I'm doing a fuel injector replace, I'm currently sitting at the point of removing the 8 bolts for the plenum pull, and I've come to understand the best/safest way to get the bad injector out is to pull the fuel rail, pop the injector out from the underside (using the socket trick), then reinstall the rail before popping the new injectors back in. If I have to take the rail out, I want to make sure I reseat it properly itself, and I couldn't find any video or posts about IT'S seals... Then I watched this youtube video and the rail seals were mentioned, but not shown being installed.. Sigh.

Trimble

[ThisIsSparTTa]

I installed my injectors with rail out. WIll probably be easier than leaning over the engine. The rail just sits on the insulators then gets snug with the them when you tighten the bolts. The injectors are much more fun to get seated properly in the rail than it is to get the rail to the lower plenum.

[Trimble Epic]

Many Youtube videos show the injectors being popped into the rails while the rails are being held in a vice... (I would totally use my woodworkers vice, it's much gentler on metals)

I read that the o-rings for the injectors must be used only once... are the insulators for the rail also use-once? I will probably get the set from SZ that includes o-rings AND insulators because why not?

[ThisIsSparTTa]

O-rings are single-single use. When the o-ring didn't seat right on one of my injectors, I removed the fuel rail, got new o-rings for that injector, but reused the insulator. The o-ring was to stretch a bit to slip into place, and it's also kind of gets crushed up in there. I wouldn't reuse original fuel rail insulators. If they hadn't been on long, like in my case, I'd say go for it. In the scheme of things, the insulators are relatively cheap, and not something you want to have to deal with again.