63 fuel injection

[Stephen B.]

have a 63 stock hi horse 327 fuel injection car with a dead skip on cylinder 4. 155 psi compression springs appear ok and lift appears ok no measured at this time cap wire and plug ok. if the sealing gaskets at the bottom of the injector are in poor shape will that cause a vacuum leak not sure if I am having an injection problem cyl 4 only any ideas Thanks steve

[John S.]

Re: 63 fuel injection

Steve,
With good compression it can only be fuel or spark.

[John D.]

Re: 63 fuel injection

Steve, You said the spark plug and wire are OK. Check the wire again.
All 8 nozzles get the same amount of fuel at the same time. So if it's the fuel injection unit you either have an issue with the copper nozzle line or the nozzle. Maybe the nozzle is clogged up.
Process of elimination. Get a helper. Remove #4 nozzle line. Get a small tin can to put under the nozzle line. Remove the coil wire. Have a buddy crank the engine over to see if you are getting a steady stream of fuel out of the line. If not the line is clogged.
If you are getting fuel out of the nozzle line. Remove the nozzle. Rather than take it apart and risk losing the orifice first try this. Get a rather new can of brake clean or Gumout choke cleaner in a spray can. Go outside and spray thru the nozzle. Wear goggles and gloves.
See if you have a nice rather straight spray coming out of the nozzle. If not that's you problem.
Check the inside of your distributor cap also. John

[Stephen B.]

Re: 63 fuel injection

can a vacuum leak form where the injector fits in the block how important are the rubber gaskets at the bottom of the injector they look in poor shape

[John D.]

Re: 63 fuel injection

Steve, I always install new nozzle gaskets and nozzle block gaskets. Although we would all like to remove the nozzles while the FI unit is installed unless one has a lot of experience at this its very easy to have a nozzle that is cocked. Not going thru the hole in the brass bottom of the nozzle block. Check #4 nozzle for this condition.
How to tighten up the 1/4 x 1-1/2" bolt that holds that black nozzle block onto the plenum. You have a H-shaped steel retainer. First of all have the bow of this retainer up. Second: Never over tighten this bolt. You should be able to put a business card in the center of the H shaped retainer and the center of the black plastic nozzle block.Or at least see daylight. Never have the retainer touch the block as that's one of the things that breaks the expensive blocks. Also overtightening a nozzle block can cause the brass bottoms to break out

If necessary Steve remove the fuel injection. Bench test it or as the manual says flow test it. I assume you have a '63 shop manual?
Prop the FI unit over a large square pan. Put a cup of gas in the fuel bowl. Manual says to apply oral vacuum to main diaphragm. Means you must suck on the Brass T fitting. Here's how. Disconnect a vacuum line going to the brass T fitting on the main diaphragm cover. Any side.
Get a short piece of 1/4" line, a ferrule and a nut. Also a 12" piece of 1/4 ID hose. Put this assembly onto the T fitting.
Get a drive cable and put it in a high speed cordless drill. Or electric if you want to live dangerous.
Put the cable into the hi-pressure pump. Put the rubber hose in your mouth. When you turn the drill on (clockwise like drilling a hole) at the same time you suck on the hose. This works the "accelerator pump in the fuel bowl that we call spill valve.
Gas should squirt out the nozzles in a straight pattern. Nice even flow.
In your case if you had done this you might have seen that #4 nozzle has an issue. This is a crude but very effective test. You would do this before you even put the FI unit on a test engine or your car engine.
You will need gaskets. FI to baseplate (intake). Nozzle gaskets and nozzle block gaskets etc. My contact info is in "The Restorer" on page 2 under Fuel Injection. John D.

[Stephen B.]

Re: 63 fuel injection

thank you for your input I did pull the block yesterday going to check the nozzle and for flow today! the info on tightening the block was great fyi .will those little injector gaskets form a vacuum leak they do need replacement very distorted and soft? why are they attached to 6 and 8 with what looks like a vacuum feed Steve

[John D.]

Re: 63 fuel injection

Steve, RP put the gaskets there for a purpose so I always follow suit. Your nozzle gaskets sound like a very old repro that was made out of rubber. Definitely a no no for ethanol. Yes I think you should replace those gaskets and the nozzle block gaskets. I test the nozzle blocks for leaks also.
The idle circuit is a closed one. The rubber hoses, the 90 degree elbow and all the gaskets should be dead nuts perfect. Since the fuel injections are so labor intensive one should always install new gaskets. Never use the FI to intake gaskets over. John

[Stephen B.]

Re: 63 fuel injection

. checked the lines for flow ok ,soaked the injectors and sprayed brake clean through them and they flowed, put O-rings on 2 and 4 reinstalled them and it seems to be running much better . probably should replace all 8 O-rings sure the rest are in as bad shape!! does not seem to have very high pressure compared to todays port injection or the direct injection thanks for your help hopefully everything is on the mend to wet here for a road test thanks again Steve