Trying to get a stuck injector out of a Duramax head

I was working on an L5P last week and the injector was seized solid. First I tried the old trick of soaking it in penetrant overnight and using a slide hammer. That got me nowhere after like 30 minutes of hammering. Then I grabbed my induction heater, warmed the aluminum head around the injector bore for about 90 seconds, and it popped right out with way less force. The controlled heat made all the difference. Anyone have a go-to method for really stubborn ones?

3 comments

3 Comments

webb.ben3d ago

That induction heater trick is slick, but I've cracked a bore doing that on an LBZ. Now I just let the penetrant work for a full 48 hours and use a bigger slide hammer. Slow and steady wins it for me.

william_torres3d ago

My neighbor's slide hammer is still stuck in his garage wall.

susan1302d ago

Honestly, the real trick is checking the seal surface for carbon build-up before you even start pulling. That black crust can glue it in like concrete. A pick tool and some careful scraping around the top of the bore can break that bond first. It’s a boring step but it takes a ton of the fight out of it. Seen guys skip that and just pull harder, then they’re dealing with a damaged head.