Unpopular opinion: Rebuilt injectors are just as good as new ones... or not?

My '02 Cummins started running rough last week, so I pulled the injectors. One was shot, bad enough to make it idle like a tractor. I was set on buying new ones at $400 each, but the local shop I trust said to go with rebuilt for $180 each. They promised they flow-test them and replace the tips... but I keep thinking about that one guy on here who said rebuilt ruined his motor after 2,000 miles. Has anyone else tried rebuilt vs. new on a high-mileage truck? Did yours hold up or did you regret it?

2 comments

2 Comments

caseyc3012d ago

Oh man, I read something a while back from a diesel tech who said the real problem with rebuilt injectors is the quality control on the replacement tips... some shops are using cheap Chinese ones that wear out way faster than the OEM parts. He said even if they flow test em, the metallurgy just isn't the same and you get uneven spray patterns after a few thousand miles. I had a buddy with a 7.3 who went through two sets of rebuilt injectors in a year before he finally bit the bullet and bought new ones, and his truck ran like a top after that. So I'd be real careful about trusting the rebuild shop unless you know exactly what brand of tips they're putting in there.

thompson.christopher12d ago

Man that "one guy on the internet" has me sleeping real good every night with my $400 parts decisions lol. Sounds like your shop knows their stuff but there's always somebody with a horror story waiting around the corner to make you second guess everything.