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Removing the fuel rail

BIGSLVRXJ

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Des Moines, Iowa
Ok Im trying to get to my exhaust manifold, so to remove the fuel rail i know about depressurizing the system and i assume the three or four bolts holding it on have to come off,DUH! Im trying to figure out though is that thing on the fuel rail(towards the front of the vehicle) a fuel filter? I know the inline one is by the gas tank but is this another one? Also the things that branch off the fuel rail i assume are fuel injectors,so how do you remove those? Thanks for any help!
 
jeep guy, that thingy on the end of the rail is most likely the fuel pressure regulator, should have a vac line on it too. the easiest way i know of to depressurize the fuel system, is to pull the fuse for the pump, and crank it over till it dosn't want to start any more. a piece of advice, although i've never had to do one replacing a manafold is uselly a pain in the a$$. as the bolts are rusted in the block and break off when you try to remove them, then you have to drill them out and retapp them. if you feel confedent go for it, but if it where mine i would just pay a shop to deal with it, 'cause i'm lazy and wouldn't want to mess with it. "o" by the way your injectors should just pull off the intake with a little wiggiling after you remove the bolts holding the rail down.
 
If you're trying to get to your exhaust manifold, you probably don't need to remove the injectors or rail. Just leave them on the intake manifold and disconnect the wiring instead. This way, you won't disturb the o-rings.
 
just disconnect the fuel rail and the two lines that go into it on in the front and one in the back. You don't have to really worry about depressurizing the rail it will do that when you remove the line (put a rag under the line).
the it just takes a little wiggling and some force to pull the injectors out. As for the bolts I took mine out and didn't break any but your results may vary.
DIG IT!
 
So when you pull the injectors out you have to get new o-rings before you put them back in and they just slide back in or what? Is it very likely that my bolts will break off in there or not? Have many people had trouble with it?
 
you dont need to get new orings just make sure none of yours are cracked or anything. also when putting it back in use some KYjelly on the orings to help them slide in easier.
I used PB blaster on the bolts to loosen them up. I don't think it is worth taking it to the shop to have them do it. It would probably be at least 3hrs labor and on average that would cost $160. So even if you break a bolt you would still be ahead.
DIG IT!
 
Well thats not as bad a shop fee as I thought but I think Ill still tackle it myself. Is PB blaster like liquid wrench? Also will the injectors just slide back in and stay put? And as dumb of a question as this may sound, there is fuel running through the fuel rails when the car is off or not? And will just pushing in the valve looking thing on the fuel rail depressurize it enough to get to it?
 
that price is at a minimum, PB blaster is like liquid wrench just different brand does the same thing though, yes injectors will slide back in and stay there after the 4 bolts are put back in, and yes put a rag under the valve and push in on it with a screwdriver or something. Its pretty easy just get after it.
DIG IT!
 
BuckyXJ thanks a lot man. Sounds like it is pretty easy to do I just gotta get the cash for either borla or get a real cheap non-cracked manifold to tide me over.
 
A word of caution:

The '87 thru '90 XJs are known to have a problem with the injectors leaking and causing the engine to catch fire. Usually this destroys the vehicle. Short version -- DON'T MESS WITH THE INJECTORS.

Take the rail and intake manifold off together and leave the injectors alone. Just replace the O-ring where the fuel rail connects to the fuel line at the back.

If for some reason you must take the injectors out, handle them VERY carefully and definitely replace the O-rings when re-installing. The reason for careful handling is that very often the leak isn't the O-ring, but the point where the plastic part of the injector mates with the metal part. You don't want to manhandle that.

This is not something to fool around with or try to save 3 dollars by not buying the O-ring kit. Too many of our forum members have had this happen. I saw it happen -- the XJ belonged to a friend of the daughter of a woman I was dating. The girls had just come back from shopping and the vehicle burned up right in front of my girl friend's house. The first thing that melts is the hood release, so you can't even pop the hood and hit it with your own fire extinguisher.

DON'T TAKE CHANCES WITH THIS! (Did I mention that?)
 
So where are the other bolts to get the intake manifold off? Do you have to get underneath the car to get up there? Also how would I get the fuel rail off without pulliing the injectors?
 
if you take the metal heat shield off the intake you can see the remaining bolts for the manifold. i have had better luck removing them from above with a longer extension and a 9/16th swivel socket.
 
So will the fuel rail tilt if you take the bolts off without removing the injectors? That sounds like the best bet.
 
I took all the bolts off the fuel rail and heat shield and cant get the rail to move. Im thinking the fuel injectors may need to come out to get to the manifold(s) The injectors allow the rail no leway. Anyone have suggestions or must the injectors come out?
 
Yeah, Eagle has a point, although, not to say he's wrong, I've never heard of a fire, but I can believe it. I have an '89, and have replaced more than one injector because it leaked, just to have others start leaking after being tooled around with. I'm sure that it's just a matter of time before they leak again, but my point is, DO be careful with them, because they ARE crappy and WILL start leaking if you're not, and common sense tells us that fuel trickling out over an exhaust manifold is a great recipe for that custom flame paint job that nobody wants...
 
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