Replacing LB7 injectors.. single, half bank or all

[oneton]

Just curious. Got a dead # 6 injector and # 5 is out of balance. Would it be ok just to replace those two or just bite the bullet and do them all. All were changed about 130,000 ago under warranty.





Thanks
David

[rapidoxidationman]

On an LB7 whose injectors are buried inside the valve covers common thinking is to just do them all because of all the work it takes to get to them. If you're doing it yourself so labor cost isn't an issue but money is, just do those that need done.

[chessy56]

You can go either way- only replace the ones you know to be defective or do the entire set and be done with it. Just did mine last October- 8 hours to disassemble the electrical & duct work just to get to the valve covers. If you're only doing a couple, make sure to get the gaskets for the return pipe connections (all of them). You can go through GM Parts Direct.com and save a few bucks, unless you have a decent source. Use a reputable dealer for these things...

[Kennedy]

Do all 8 as well as all 8 supply lines. Add some protection as well:

http://www.kennedydiesel.com/docs/Duramax%20Injector%20Failures.pdf

From there what I've been seeing is that if you go with the std injectors they tend to start the blue/white smoke pretty consistently at 40-60k. For this reason we have been setting then up with a genuine Bosch aftermarket nozzle that should not do this smoke thing.

[oneton]

Thanks for the replies and info guys!

[More Power]

Just curious. Got a dead # 6 injector and # 5 is out of balance. Would it be ok just to replace those two or just bite the bullet and do them all. All were changed about 130,000 ago under warranty.

Thanks
David

Whether to change them all or just the bad one(s) depends...

1- Can you afford a whole set?
2- How many miles do you drive the truck each year? If the answer is just a few, then it doesn't make sense to pour thousands more into it.
3- Who is doing the work. Like what was mentioned earlier, if you're doing the work, it's just your time to go back into it to replace any others that might fail in the future. If you're paying the dealership or diesel shop to do the work, it makes more sense to pay once for a complete job, given how long it takes just to get to the injectors.

Don't let anyone change the injectors for you unless they have a lot of experience. They can do OJT on someone else's truck.