# DIY injector puller, for when they really won't come out



## ar1g3 (Nov 30, 2015)

Ever tried to take the injectors out of, for example, a Golf mk2 with CIS or CIS-E? We all know the problem, they should pop out easily but when they've sat there for years the O-rings get rockhard and no matter how hard you pull on them, they won't come out. This is the problem I had on my '88 Golf mk2 GTI 16V PL. After searching on the interweb the only solutions I found where the VW puller tool, or dismanteling the inlet manifolds. One would mean paying more and having to wait for delivery, the other would mean a lot of unnecessary work.

You could buy the original VW tool, which doesn't cost much. But you could also make a puller yourself, like I did. Mine cost 16€ in parts, that's 17$ or 12£. That's cheaper than the tool (incl shipping), at least for me. But the real advantage of this DIY tool is that you get a lot more leverage, and it's stronger than the tool+screwdriver combination VW suggests. 

Making this tool will take you 1h to 2h, depending on your fabrication skills. But making it is easy, if you're capable of working on a car you are definitely capable of making this thing.
*
The tools*

Drill
Drill bits: 3mm, 6mm and 8mm
Angle grinder
Thin cutting disc and a slightly thicker (2mm) grinding disc
Calliper
2 13mm wrenches
Marker
A piece of 2x4cm metal box section or similar
Vise
Optional: Pneumatic grinder for more precise working. If you have one, use it.
Ear and eye protection. You only have one pair of ears and one pair of eyes, take good care of them!
*The materials*









1 25x25x3cm corner brace
2 50cm long hingers like you would use to hang a garden fence
1 M8 L35 bolt
4 8.4x16mm washer
1 M8 Nyloc nut
*Step 1*
Measure +/-3cm from the corner on one leg of the corner brace, draw a line and cut it off there. You should end up with a corner brace with one intact leg, and one leg that's only 3cm long like in the picture below.









*Step 2*
Now we're going to make a slot to get the tool around the injector. The tool should slide between the fuel line connection nut and the nut-like shape on the injector. This is the place where the original VW tool should go aswell. Drill a 3mm hole in the middle of the 3cm long leg of the corner brace, then widen it with a 6mm drill. Then cut through with a thin cutting disc (or a saw if you have a lot of spare time  ) to create a slot like in the picture below.









*Step 3*
Obviously the 3mm thick metal of the corner brace won't fit between the fuel line connection bolt and the injector. We need to make the metal thinner around the slot we created. To do this use a calliper to measure a width of 14mm around the slot as shown in the picture below.









*Step 4*
Then grind down this area with a grinding disc on an angle grinder. Here's where I used a pneumatic grinder to be a bit more precise. The reason we don't grind down the full width of the brace is to keep strength in it. You should combine making the metal thinner by widening the slot and making it a bit deeper. A lot of test fitting, and not grinding away too much will help here. Also alternate between widening the slot and making the brace thinner. The end result should look somewhat like in the picture below.









*Step 5*
We now have something that fits around the injector, now we will need to create a lever to be able to put enough force on the injector. We will use the two hinges for this, and we will connect them to the top of the corner brace. To do this we need to twist the top of the brace by 90°, so the lever will act on the valve cover. To be able to twist the 3cm wide and 3mm thick metal we need to make the metal smaller, less wide. If we didn't do this and we tried to twist it, the whole leg would twist, but we want a flat bit or the tool won't work on 16v models. To control where the metal twists we make it weaker in one place. Do this by measuring 5cm to 10cm from the top of the long leg of the corner brace, and then measuring another 5cm from there. Along these 5cm we will make the brace smaller. You'll need to grind away 7.5mm from each side. I put the brace in a vise horizontally and made it stick out 7.5mm, then grinded until I reached the vise to make a nice straight edge.









*Step 6*
Now We need to get a lot of leverage to twist the metal. Put the brace in a vise, flush with the lower end of the smaller bit we just grinded back. Sandwich the top of the long leg of the brace between two thick strips of metal, put them in a long piece of 2x4cm box section and twist.

























*Step 7*
Dress up all the sharp edges, espcially those of the slot where the injector goes to prevent scratching fuel lines. In the picture below you can see how it should look now.









*Step 8*
Now bolt the two hinges to the top part of the corner brace, the 90° twisted bit. Attach them with the hole you'd normally use to screw the hinge to a gate, preferably the one on the very end of the hinge to get the most leverage. If necessary, widen the holes in the hinges and the corner brace with an 8mm drill bit. To enable smooth rotating of the lever us the following order of fasteners: M8 bolt - washer - hinge 1 - washer - corner brace - washer - hinge 2 - washer - Nyloc nut.

















The tool is finished now, keep it and you'll never ever have problems again with stubborn injectors. Some injectors require more force to remove, even with this tool. I had to climb into the engine compartment to be able to push hard enough down on the lever. Below you see how I mounted the tool on my Golf mk2 16V. In the first picture you see why we needed to control where the corner brace would twist. You will need to use a wooden block to rest the lever on, probably on all cars. I used thin wooden blocks and a brick.



















I hope I can help some people getting their injectors out with this. It's cheap and easy, all the materials should be available in your local hardware shop. Injector won't come out? A quick trip to the shop and one hour of grinding and drilling later the injector will be out.


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## rabbitnothopper (Oct 19, 2009)

pretty nice setup for a 16v
helps with 8v too but usually not required!


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## TorquedUp (Sep 26, 2016)

Designing a tool for pulling CIS injectors, is completely insane! If a good pair of vice-grips won't leverage them out; it is probably time to pull the head and overhaul the damn thing any which ways. Sometimes, you'll have to just break them off in the head, if the seals are that old. And, yes, they do pop right out easily when the seals are newer.:wave:


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## ar1g3 (Nov 30, 2015)

TorquedUp said:


> Designing a tool for pulling CIS injectors, is completely insane! If a good pair of vice-grips won't leverage them out; it is probably time to pull the head and overhaul the damn thing any which ways. Sometimes, you'll have to just break them off in the head, if the seals are that old. And, yes, they do pop right out easily when the seals are newer.:wave:


Well it saved me a lot of trouble getting them out, and indeed once the seals are renewed they pop right out! But mine were completely stiffened up, they were still the old black style seals that go bad really quick. On a 16v I see no way you could use vise grips to leverage them out, you would have to grip them on the fuel lines and completely destroy these, which I wasn't prepared to do


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## 134hpvw (Sep 6, 2013)

Props to you for a dedicated and passiobate owner operator of 16v cis based cars. 

We need more people that are as committed like you.


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## atomicalex (Feb 2, 2001)

FYI ... Knipex Style 9. Saved my butt many times over when I had a CIS car.


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