Guidance on fixing injectors that are leaking
Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2026 11:53 am
The E90 325i N53 from BMW
Based on the data I collected when investigating mixing concerns, I can corroborate the following:
1. The DME is showing that Bank 1 is running rich, with fuel being pulled at -13% to try to compensate, according to Current, Short Term, Long Term, and Load Multiplicative.
2. It appears to be a mechanical issue, possibly due to worn needles or seats, because all six injectors are electronically reporting the same charge levels.
So, how can we determine which of these three is really at fault?
Pulling the plugs and leaving the car parked overnight were both attempts. Not only do none of them seem especially damp, but I also failed to observe any puddling above the pistons. There was a faint fuel aroma that permeated the room, but it wasn't overwhelming.
Injector Leak Down Tests within ISTA have been recommended; in these tests, the fuel rail is pressurised to 200 Bar while the engine is off, and the rate of pressure drop across each injector is monitored.
The only problem is that no matter how much I search, I still can't locate this function within ISTA.
Would you have any more recommendations?
Based on the data I collected when investigating mixing concerns, I can corroborate the following:
1. The DME is showing that Bank 1 is running rich, with fuel being pulled at -13% to try to compensate, according to Current, Short Term, Long Term, and Load Multiplicative.
2. It appears to be a mechanical issue, possibly due to worn needles or seats, because all six injectors are electronically reporting the same charge levels.
So, how can we determine which of these three is really at fault?
Pulling the plugs and leaving the car parked overnight were both attempts. Not only do none of them seem especially damp, but I also failed to observe any puddling above the pistons. There was a faint fuel aroma that permeated the room, but it wasn't overwhelming.
Injector Leak Down Tests within ISTA have been recommended; in these tests, the fuel rail is pressurised to 200 Bar while the engine is off, and the rate of pressure drop across each injector is monitored.
The only problem is that no matter how much I search, I still can't locate this function within ISTA.
Would you have any more recommendations?