Remove injectors from junk AHU w/stripped hold downs

I was wandering around a junkyard yesterday and came upon a VW with an AHU TDI engine. The pump was gone, but the injectors were still there, so I tried to remove them, but the hold down screws were stripped and wouldn't come out.

So today I went back armed with several ways to pry on the hold down while unscrewing the bolt. I figured maybe I could pry up enough to get the threads to bite -- but no luck. In the process, I discovered that the glow plugs are stripped as well. I think someone might have sabotaged them with an impact wrench.

So I'm debating whether to try a third time or not. I think maybe a hacksaw blade/holder might cut through the hold downs and let me snatch the injectors. Or maybe even a cordless angle grinder, but I think maybe the wheel would be too big. But I might have clearance to use the angle grinder to cut the heads off the hold down bolts.

Any other ideas or comments about the wisdom of trying again? The junkyard is about 90 minutes one way from my house, and the set of injectors will cost me $40 if I can get them out. Looks like I can get a set on eBay for about $140.

with the amount of time involved, driving and futzing with the bolts to get injectors from an engine with unknown history... i think you will be better served by buying a set from the classifieds section for $100-125

ALH injectors are the same, as long as the plug matches. D-shape vs square.

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=473443&highlight=injectors

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=474018&highlight=injectors

i also have a set on the shelf i could part with if these guys don't work out.

Metabo cutting wheel.

Thanks for your input.

Ketchup -- good thoughts, and thanks for the reminder about the tdiclub classifieds. I often forget about them.

iamatt -- yes, that's what I have in mind for the battery angle grinder. It wouldn't be pretty, but I bet I could get the job done.

If your time is free and you don't mind driving 3 hours to save a $100, then go for it. Unless you remove them and see shiny new nozzles, consider these cores. I think for 3 hours driving, you can just buy some online, but that's me,

So I have to post the end of this tale.

It turned out that the injector hold down screws were NOT stripped. Rather, the POS Kobalt 1/4" spinner I was using as a socket extension had broken, with symptoms like a stripped screw.

Then today I had to go to a junkyard anyway, and I decided to go to the Denver one for reasons unrelated to the injectors. But while I was there, I tried one last time to get the injectors -- this time using my Craftsman spinner. The bolts came right out, and so did the injectors (with help from my homemade slide hammer).

At checkout, the guy didn't even charge me for the injectors. He charged me for some larger items, and said I could have the small stuff. What a deal.

NICE!! I hate Kobalt tools BTW. I'd honestly rather have Harbor Freight tools.

For the JY trips I have a small Craftsman set I carry along though, leave the really nice stuff at home.

bbarbulo said:

NICE!! I hate Kobalt tools BTW. I'd honestly rather have Harbor Freight tools.

For the JY trips I have a small Craftsman set I carry along though, leave the really nice stuff at home.

Click to expand...

Yep. My Craftsman spinner is essentially an 8" socket extension with a handle molded around it. So there's a solid steel bar from one end to the other. By contrast, the Kobalt has two metal parts -- the 1/4" female receptacle on the butt end, and the shaft on the other end. These are molded into the plastic handle, but the handle is the only connection between the two. Over time, one of the metal parts chewed up the plastic and started slipping at a moderate torque level. In the future, I'll check any spinner/extension I buy to make sure it has the one piece steel rod like the Craftsman.