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The zip tie trick that saved me 3 hours on a stuck DEF injector
Had a 2015 Freightliner Cascadia in my shop last Tuesday with a clogged DEF injector that wouldn't budge. I tried heat, penetrating oil, even a breaker bar for 45 minutes with no luck. On a wild guess, I wrapped a heavy zip tie around the injector body and pulled it tight, then gave it a sharp tap with a hammer. The vibration broke the rust seal and it came right out with a wrench. Has anyone else used zip ties for anything weird on a diesel job?
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sage_green1mo ago
Holy crap, you used a zip tie for that? I mean, I've used zip ties for temporary exhaust hangers and holding wire looms together, but this is a whole new level. The fact that you just wrapped it around a stuck injector and whacked it with a hammer is wild. It makes sense though, I guess the zip tie concentrated the vibration right where you needed it. I've got to remember that one, my old Cummins has a few injectors I've been babying along that are rusted in tight.
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the_anthony1mo ago
Yeah but did you wrap it tight enough it actually cut into the plastic or did you keep it loose so it could vibrate? I'm wondering if there's a trick to how snug you make it.
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max_torres441mo ago
Dude, zip ties are basically the duct tape of the mechanical world at this point. @sage_green you just proved that with this injector trick. I had a similar moment of genius with my old Ford once used a zip tie to hold a brake line retainer clip in place because I couldn't find the right part anywhere. People think they're just for wiring, but they can take a lot of force if you get the thick heavy duty ones. The vibration thing is real too I've cracked loose rusted bolts before by wrapping a zip tie around the head and giving it a quick tap with a hammer. It works way better than you'd expect. Now I keep a pack in my truck just for weird fixes like this.
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