Injectors off balance?

Hello all,

Just put on about 500 miles since i installed new Sprint 706 nozzles in my '97 AHU. Before the swap the idle smooth characteristics were very close to each other, ranging from 0.12 to 0.22 and now one seems off by a lot. cyl 1 and 2 are around 0.2 and cyl 4 is 1.2 and it seems to rise when driving around but falls back when just idling. The lowest it's been is 0.72 and the highest was almost 1.82, so what exactly am i looking at? thanks in advance.

You're only checking these values when the car if FULLY warmed up, correct?

yessir, coolant temp shows 81 deg. and fuel temp is around 150, timing is around 42. checked a few times before and after the swap, that cyl. is off and i'm trying to figure out why. also, before the swap my iq was 4.5 now it's at 6.6 i think a hammer might be in order, but i need the expert advice of others first. any ideas?

isn't the permissible range +/- 2.0 ?

Are you experiencing poor idle quality?

it is, that's what worries me when it gets close to 1.8?!? The other 2 are still close to each other in terms of variation, and they stay down around 0.2 but that #4 inj. is acting funny. the idle is maybe a little rougher than i'd like, but not bad. it also smokes up a storm at WOT, even with iq set to 6.6. i can't lower it any, though from reading here it seems higher iq=less smoke, lower iq=more smoke. a friend of mine did a hammer mod about 6 months ago, said it was too advanced and he retarded it. checked the timing and indeed it was too retarded, something like 12/145 on the chart. i have advanced it to 42 and it runs fine, except the smoke and the high iq and the not-so-similar idle smooth values. what else can i check?

Do you want to send the injectors out and have them balanced?

actually, i'd rather drive up to a specialist who can check and balance them for me instead of me shipping them somewhere. i can't be without a car, need it for work every day.

what are the chances of meeting up with Greg somewhere and have them tested/balanced/shimmed for higher pressures? in hindsight, would've been ideal to send the nozzles from Kerma to Greg to do all that, then send to me, but then hindsight IS 20/20. what's my next best choice?

To many guys get to wrapped up in the Vag reading. As long as its running fine just drive it and forget about it. This is one of those times that we have to much info.

Greg

i agree, it's probably my obsessive need for everything to look perfect, but it's running fine. i guess ignorance is bliss and the more you know the more you worry, eh?

on the other hand Greg, i still would've liked to get the opening pressures up a bit, like the newer A4s. that would ensure my injectors are balanced first, opening at the higher pressures also. your opinion is highly respected in this.

some remind me next time i check IQ to NOT have the a/c on. that totally alters the load on the engine, therefore asking for more fuel@idle to maintain 903 rpms.

anyhoo, after getting the haze out of my head i checked the iq with all power accessories off; iq steady at 4.4. Just where it was supposed to be. Hope this helps others out who find their IQ too high at idle: TURN OFF ACCESSORIES.

Nobody has ever accused me of having an IQ that was too high. Usually just the opposite.