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Ford injector upgrade help

Ben824

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Woodstock, GA
Ok I have been reading around about the Ford injector upgrade and I know that buying brand new is the absolute best way to go but junkyard parts have been reported to give good results too. Because of tight funds these days I am considering using some junkyard Ford injectors. I am heading to the local Pull-A-Part today for some parts for my cousin's XJ and figured I would try and find some injectors while I was there. Can someone please help out and tell me what vehicles I can find the right injectors from to fit my 97 4.0L XJ? I first heard they were mustang injectors, then heard V8 explorers had ones that would work, then someone said they got some from a Crown Vic! Anyways I am confused by some of the research info I have found so I could use some help clearing things up and knowing what to look for when I get to the yard today.

Thanks in advance!
Ben
 
I can't help you with the '97, as I did the swap on my '99. Remember that ford put similar injectors in vehicles throughout their product line. When looking for solutions on this forum, make sure they are for your generation engine/wiring/fuel pressure. There are differences which make a world of difference in selecting your injectors.

When you do the swap, make sure you do a ECU relearn.

Step 1 - Drain ECU Capacitors
- Disconnect (-) battery terminal
- Disconnect (+) battery terminal
- Hold the two terminals together for a minimum of 30sec
- Connect (+) battery terminal
- Connect (-) battery terminal
Step 2 - Tell ECU to Zero out adaptable memory.
- Insert key and turn to "ON"
- turn headlights on
- turn headlights off
- turn key to "OFF"

Once that is done, your Jeep will run on a base map until closed loop, then begin to relearn the new injectors. This is said to take ~50 key cycles to achieve.

Step 3 - Run a can of BG44K through the tank, this cleaned up ~75% of my issues with the new injectors.

The BG44K made the idle much smoother, and cleaned up the sputtery throttle response I was getting. It took 3 relearns on my '99 to finally stop kicking CEL's up. Idle was rough, but after about a week of normal use, it started to settle down. I am now on my 3rd week with the injectors, and things are starting to get down to normal again. Give it time, and be patient with the new kids, it will take time for the Jeep to get used to them.
 
LS1 Chevrolet injectors work well for that year, as do injectors from 5.0 mustangs, tbirds, and crownvics. There are two basic plug types for fuel injectors. I can't remember the switchover year for jeep, but my 2001 is different than my 98 & 88.
 
I ended up getting some orange #19 Explorer V8 injectors as that was all i could really find. I got 13 of them haha mainly because I wanted to make sure I had enough in case one or two of them were in bad shape. I also have a few family members with XJs too who may want to do this if I see some good improvement with mine.
 
Yes, it works for renix but that being said, you aren't going to see a real gain on any year unless you have:
1. Made some performance mods (cam, intake, exhaust)
2. Increased displacement (stroker)
Or..your current injectors are clogged or worn out, and you need to replace them anyway.

What you MAY see, is a smoother idle,or better throttle response.
 
i did this to my 94 4.0L with injectors out of a 5.0L 96 f150, didn't notice any real performance gain, but i can definitely say the throttle response is much smoother and slightly quicker, perhaps this is because of the injector having 4 holes as opposed to 1 or 2 so the fuel mixes more evenly?

i also heard that some neon injectors work as well, not sure which ones (ie. 1.8L, 2.0L, or 2.4L) but that's what i heard, can anyone verify this?
 
Yes, it works for renix but that being said, you aren't going to see a real gain on any year unless you have:
1. Made some performance mods (cam, intake, exhaust)
2. Increased displacement (stroker)
Or..your current injectors are clogged or worn out, and you need to replace them anyway.

What you MAY see, is a smoother idle,or better throttle response.

I will respectfully disagree sir the idea for the injector replacement on a stroker motor is because the stock injectors cannot meet the fuel needs of the stroker motor and they need an injector that can feed the fuel at a higher rate. These injectors here that we are discussing are virtually the same specs as the stock ones just a better design. The injector upgrade on a virtually stock motor will provide performance gains from that fact that the injectors are a more efficient design with the four holes creating a better atomization of the fuel and creating a better and more complete burn of the fuel mixture. Burning the fuel mixture more efficiently provides better idle, throttle response, fuel economy, and power. The gains from the injectors will be far better with other mods of course but that goes the same for any performance mod made to an engine. Also keep in mind that nearly every XJ out there now has well over 100,000 miles and depending on the maintenance habits of those owners the stock injectors will most likely have some build up in them and be worn out so this replacement should show some sort of positive results to anyone who makes the mod. Does this mean that and injector will add extra horse power? No, it is simply more efficient and therefore can result in better power from a better running engine.
 
Ok so I got the new injectors in and as mentioned above by Corprin I have a CEL. I pulled the codes with my scanner and it says there is an open injector circuit on cylinders 1, 2, and 3. I realized I did not "Zero Out" the adaptable memory so I went back and did that. Now I still get a CEL but so far the only code that comes back is the open circuit for the injector for cylinder 2. Now these are junkyard injectors so I will not rule out that it could be bad but I would like to figure out if it is indeed the injector or if the computer just isn't used to it yet.

Is there a way to test the injector like with a volt meter or something to see if it is bad? I tried unplugging it with the engine running and the idle seemed to get rougher without it plugged in but right now it is a little rough.

Any advice guys?
 

I would love to buy new injectors however it is not in my budget at all and these were super cheap since they came from the Junkyard which is why I picked up 13 of them instead of just 6 so that way I can change them out for ones that might be working. Thanks though and I do plan to get some brand new ones in the future but I figured I would try this for now since some guys seems to have had good luck with junkyard injectors.
 
I would love to buy new injectors however it is not in my budget at all and these were super cheap since they came from the Junkyard which is why I picked up 13 of them instead of just 6 so that way I can change them out for ones that might be working. Thanks though and I do plan to get some brand new ones in the future but I figured I would try this for now since some guys seems to have had good luck with junkyard injectors.
I can totaly understand that! :) but 89.95 is still a great deal for 6 injectors! wish i had the cash! http://www.precisionautoinjectors.com/product.sc?productId=7&categoryId=3
 
Ok so I got the new injectors in and as mentioned above by Corprin I have a CEL. I pulled the codes with my scanner and it says there is an open injector circuit on cylinders 1, 2, and 3. I realized I did not "Zero Out" the adaptable memory so I went back and did that. Now I still get a CEL but so far the only code that comes back is the open circuit for the injector for cylinder 2. Now these are junkyard injectors so I will not rule out that it could be bad but I would like to figure out if it is indeed the injector or if the computer just isn't used to it yet.

Is there a way to test the injector like with a volt meter or something to see if it is bad? I tried unplugging it with the engine running and the idle seemed to get rougher without it plugged in but right now it is a little rough.

Any advice guys?

I had to zero out my adaptable memory three separate times in order to get the CEL to clear up, but I was running a tank with BG44K at the same time. Once I got the CEL to not return and stay stable that way, the idle/etc got smoother each time I started the Jeep. I am at about 15 key cycles now since the last zero, and still running without the CEL. My cold idle is pretty rough till she warms up, but that could also be the bitter cold (~20F in the morning).

The open injector circuit is telling you the injector is not closing all the way. This could be due to a clog, or just a residual code from before. With the engine running, use a long metal or wooden rod, press against the injector and hold firmly while pressing the rod to your temple. This will allow you to hear the clicking of the injector valve open/close. You can test this on #1 so you know what to listen for.

Or... you can swap out to a new injector, or run a can of high-grade injector cleaner (BG44K) through to knock any gunk out of there.

on edit:

When you zeroed out the adaptable memory, did you go through the full sequence, or just Step 2 above? You will need to go through Step 1 & 2 each time you wish to do the relearn.
 
Last edited:
I had to zero out my adaptable memory three separate times in order to get the CEL to clear up, but I was running a tank with BG44K at the same time. Once I got the CEL to not return and stay stable that way, the idle/etc got smoother each time I started the Jeep. I am at about 15 key cycles now since the last zero, and still running without the CEL. My cold idle is pretty rough till she warms up, but that could also be the bitter cold (~20F in the morning).

The open injector circuit is telling you the injector is not closing all the way. This could be due to a clog, or just a residual code from before. With the engine running, use a long metal or wooden rod, press against the injector and hold firmly while pressing the rod to your temple. This will allow you to hear the clicking of the injector valve open/close. You can test this on #1 so you know what to listen for.

Or... you can swap out to a new injector, or run a can of high-grade injector cleaner (BG44K) through to knock any gunk out of there.

on edit:

When you zeroed out the adaptable memory, did you go through the full sequence, or just Step 2 above? You will need to go through Step 1 & 2 each time you wish to do the relearn.

I did both steps. I put fuel cleaner in the tank last night and filled the tank up to full and ran it around for a few mins. After it sat over night I guess the fuel cleaner did its thing and cleared out the number 2 injector because the rough idle is gone and after two key cycles the CEL is now off. So I am going to leave it alone and let it learn these injectors and see how it turns out. The idle already seems to be smoother than before but I am thinking I am still comparing it to the bad idle I got right after the swap. I am going to let this thing get a full week or more to get used to these injectors and see if performance comes completely back to normal or even better. If it doesn't I read that 95-97 Neon, caravan, stratus, or sebring injectors from a 2.0 or 2.4 will work even better as they are even closer to the ratings of the stock injectors but with the 4 holes and better atomization benefits.
 
If it doesn't I read that 95-97 Neon, caravan, stratus, or sebring injectors from a 2.0 or 2.4 will work even better as they are even closer to the ratings of the stock injectors but with the 4 holes and better atomization benefits.

I have seen a ton of threads about the Neon injectors being used for the 4.0L, but I am confused. I used to have a Neon, and when swapping in a 2.4L I had to run Ford injectors to make the required 24lb@49psi (stock fuel pressure). The Stratus and Caravan's 2.4L run the same exact 19lb injectors at 58psi to get the required fuel for the larger motor.

That being said, is putting 19lb injectors from a Neon into an XJ with the same 49psi at the rail smart? I am new to the XJ world, so someone please enlighten me? Does the XJ have a longer pulse-width to make 19lb injectors flow at 24lb?

..oh, and the only difference in Neon injectors are between the EV1 and EV6 (connectors) any '95.5+ will work with your '97's plugs.
 
I've got a set of ford 0 280 155 700 (f4se-a1b) from performance efi off of ebay. Through my research I figured the neon ones would be a better fit to my 91 so I never used these. Would these be ok to use for my 91 without causing a lean condition? Performance efi said these were rebuilt and flow matched and a direct swap but I read they are a better swap for the renix system than mine so I didnt want to use them.
 
I know this is a little old but I wanted to post back results after months of giving them time to work things out. The Ford injectors did not work out they hurt my performance more than helped. I ended up grabbing some Neon injectors since they were designed to run at 49 psi which is what my 97 Jeep runs at and the specs are closer to the Jeep injectors infact they are slightly better. The Neon injectors are WAY better and gave me significant mileage improvements. With factory injectors and 33s and 3.55 gears I was getting at best 14.5 mpg on the highway. The Ford injectors dropped it to 13.5 mpg. The Neon injectors gave me 18.5! I couldn't believe it! If you have a Jeep from 96 and up you need the Neon injectors NOT the Ford injectors.
 
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