Injector life

[bcarson]

What a wonderful site! I am new to diesel operation...just purchased a 2005 2500HD 4X4 D/A with 92,000 miles. As far as I can tell, it is all still stock. It has been kept up very well it seems, and am very pleased so far. My question is what is the normal life expectancy for injectors? Also, since nearing the 100K mark, is there anything that I should do or have checked at this point?
Thanks in advance. Again, this is a great discussion board site. Awesome!

[More Power]

Welcome to the site!

Injector life can be highly variable. One thing to keep in mind is that diesel fuel injectors are like spark plugs in that the best they will ever be is when they are first installed. They degrade every mile thereafter.

Injector life can depend on:
1- overall fuel quality
2- fuel lubricity and viscosity
3- operating temperature
4- average load on the powertrain

Cost for an LLY injector replacement is about $4500. Put a few bucks away every month into a special account. Your engine could be close or far from needing a new set.

In the meantime, buy quality fuel from a high volume fuel station. Change your truck's fuel filter every 15K miles or no more than 1 year between changes. Run a commercial fuel treatment that contains at the least a fuel system cleaner, additional fuel lubricity, and a cetane improver.

Thanks again for becoming a member, and let us know how it goes.

Jim