Broken Schrader valve

Vince_Hayduk

Registered User
Simple things always get more complicated.... I was removing the Schrader valve to install a pressure gauge. Put a socket on it and valve twisted right off! I'm actually glad that it happened while I was working on it, because it broke so easily that I'm sure it would have started leaking very soon. It looks quite corroded right where it broke. I'm not sure if it was a manufacturing flaw or just a cheap piece to begin with.

Anyways, it broke flush with the bung on the fuel rail. There looks to be a fairly liberal amount of sealant on the remaining piece. I'm leary to start using an easy-out on it since I'll be dropping pieces right into the fuel rail. I can put a small piece of rag down in there, but I'm sure a few bits and pieces will still get in.

Any thoughts?

I'm a newbie when it comes to the SC fuel system... Can I take off 1/2 the fuel rail - drivers side only - or is it 1 complete piece? If I need to swap out the rail, does the SC have to come off? TB? Plenum?

Thanks!

Vince
 
Simple things always get more complicated.... I was removing the Schrader valve to install a pressure gauge. Put a socket on it and valve twisted right off! I'm actually glad that it happened while I was working on it, because it broke so easily that I'm sure it would have started leaking very soon. It looks quite corroded right where it broke. I'm not sure if it was a manufacturing flaw or just a cheap piece to begin with.

Anyways, it broke flush with the bung on the fuel rail. There looks to be a fairly liberal amount of sealant on the remaining piece. I'm leary to start using an easy-out on it since I'll be dropping pieces right into the fuel rail. I can put a small piece of rag down in there, but I'm sure a few bits and pieces will still get in.

Any thoughts?

I'm a newbie when it comes to the SC fuel system... Can I take off 1/2 the fuel rail - drivers side only - or is it 1 complete piece? If I need to swap out the rail, does the SC have to come off? TB? Plenum?

Thanks!

Vince

To answer your questions:

1) The fuel rail must come off in one piece.

2) Supercharger must be removed to pull the fuel rail.

Sounds like Manny has you all fixed up. Good thing it broke in the driveway and not on the road.

JD
 
i'd try the easy out drill method and a vacuum cleaner...as mentioned before supercharger has to come out to get the fuel rail out.
 
Why did you put a socket on it ? All you need is one of those valve stem removal tools like is used on a car tire valve stem. Sounds like you twisted the whole stem off the rail.

David
 
Thanks for the tips... I try the easy-out tomorrow and see what happens. If that doesn't work, then Manny will be getting a call!

Why did you put a socket on it ? All you need is one of those valve stem removal tools like is used on a car tire valve stem. Sounds like you twisted the whole stem off the rail.

I wasn't trying to remove the "innards"; I'm taking the entire valve off. It's has a hex on it for a 5/16 socket, so that's what I used. I'm putting in a tee with one port for a mechanical under-hood gauge and the other port for a electrical dash gauge sender.

Vince
 
a picture would help, so you basically took off the whole valve (including its base) without damaging the fuel rail right?
 
I finally got some more time to work on it. I managed to get the broken piece out using an easy-out.

I dont think it was supposed to come off

Yeah, it comes off. It's a threaded bung on the fuel rail. There are lots of threads here on people taking it out to put in a mechanical gauge or a sender for an electronic one. Here is a pic of the Schrader valve. I'll take a pic of the car later today.

schrader.jpg


Now that I've got a working FP gauge, I have another question: During the FP prime, I get about 40 psi. It holds @ 40 for quite a while. Idle is 35. The car is running like crap so I don't want to push it into boost too hard, but the FP does go up once I hit boost. To me that all seems pretty normal. The strange thing is when I turn it off, the pressure quickly drops to 25 psi (less than 1 second). It then slowly (10 mins +) drops off from 25. Does that sound normal? I was expecting it to hold at ~35 and slowly drop off from there.

Vince
 
What do you mean it can't come out??

I broke three of them last summer thying to install that waste of money pressure gauge. I finally got one through Ford for like 13 bucks. I had to use an extractor to get the valve out of the gauges base. The break very easy...I guess I might have got a little to horny tightening them up.
 
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