LWP / FWDP Fuel Rail - Dipstick problem

[BaxterStockman]

Hey all,

This may belong in the "Fuel" section of the forum, but I've posted here as the problem pertains to the TIII.


So I got a billet fuel rail to replace my broken stock rail, and it doesn't appear to fit correctly. Specifically, the mounting bracket for the FPR interferes with the dipstick tube. I've posted photos below showing the problem.


I've searched and searched for some insight, and I've also spoken with Cindy, who is sending me a stock replacement rail. However, I'd really like to use the billet rail, so any suggestions on how to modify/tweak the installation would be much appreciated. I am a bit nervous about snapping the dipstick tube, as this has apparently happened to several folks.


Thanks in advance for any help!



http://www.turbododge.com/forums/attachments/turbo-iii/44151d1318368877-lwp-fwdp-fuel-rail-dipstick-problem-img_1132.jpg



http://www.turbododge.com/forums/attachments/turbo-iii/44152d1318368877-lwp-fwdp-fuel-rail-dipstick-problem-img_1133.jpg

[86Shelby]

Could you turn it around so that the feed is on the driver's side of the rail and the regulator is on the passenger side?

[BaxterStockman]

Unfortunately not: the mounting legs can only bolt to one side of the rail, so if I flipped them over, the rail would be raised up too high for proper injector alignment (I think). There may be an additional problem, too - according to Cindy, the TIII rail is supposed to bolt to the front of the intake (you can see one of the two bolts just underneath the rail in the second photo of my original post). The rail that I have seems to be a two-piece rail, so although the injectors are spaced correctly, the bracket holding the brake booster hard line in place (and which bolts underneath the original fuel rail driver's side mount) will throw the alignment of the rail off.

EDIT: (1) It's not a two-piece rail, see Cindy's post below; (2) According to James at LWP, the brake booster hard line should be mounted on top of the rail's mounting foot.

[glhs727]

It isn't a 2 piece rail, but it is similar. Having said that, they should not be similar, as you can see when made similar to the t-2 rail, it flips the reg. to the other size and interferes with the tube. You can reroute the tube, but sometimes that can open a can of worms. Our previous design of the t-3 rail actually had the rail mount to the intake bolts and not the feet area. I think we will go back to that design... anyway, we will get you all taken care of asap!

[turbovanman²]

Thanks for the pics, I got one of these and scratched my head too, decided just to reuse my modded stocker.

[BaxterStockman]

It isn't a 2 piece rail, but it is similar. Having said that, they should not be similar, as you can see when made similar to the t-2 rail, it flips the reg. to the other size and interferes with the tube. You can reroute the tube, but sometimes that can open a can of worms. Our previous design of the t-3 rail actually had the rail mount to the intake bolts and not the feet area. I think we will go back to that design... anyway, we will get you all taken care of asap!

Whoops - had some reception troubles on my cell during our call today; guess I missed and misunderstood some of what you said!

[BaxterStockman]

Problem solved! James at LWP was nice enough to send me some photos showing how the installation should look. Here are the steps:

(1) Unhook both ends of the vacuum line leading from the intake manifold to the brake booster.
(2) Unbolt the hard line portion of this vacuum line. There are three bolts (a) under the fuel rail's right foot, (b) on the right side of the cylinder head and (c) somewhere around the thermostat housing, I forget exactly where.
(3) Remove the vacuum line, trim about 1/3-1/2" from the front of the bracket that sits under the right foot of the fuel rail and extend the mounting hole about 1/4-1/3", enough to fit the bracket on TOP of the fuel rail foot.
(4) Remove dipstick.
(5) Remove upper radiator hose, or at least undo it from the t-stat housing.
(6) Unbolt coil pack and move out of the way.
(7) Take a wrench (or use your hand) and brace the dipstick tube at the leftward bend about 8" from the top of the tube.
(8) Bend upper part of the tube a few inches to the right
(9) Put everything back together again, except leave the one part of the brake booster hard line that sat under the fuel rail foot undone.
(10) Install the fuel rail, putting the brake booster hard line bracket on top of the right foot.

Voila!

I'll add picks later to show you what it should look like.

[BaxterStockman]

Here are the promised pics. You can see how I've managed to squeeze the dipstick tube over to the right a bit. I routed one of the spark plug wires to the left of the dipstick because it is too short to go to the right without placing significant tension on the wire (and also being right in line to get oil dropped on it when I pull the dipstick out.

I had to leave the bracket that used to bolt to the cylinder head still on the tube, because the tube is flared at the top and, on my engine, JB Welded to the block. It's zip tied to the brake booster hard line. I may try to cut it off, or at least find a better place to mount it. The tube seems stable enough without the support, so no undue worries about cracking it off where it enters the block.http://www.turbododge.com/forums/attachments/turbo-iii/44518d1320344065-lwp-fwdp-fuel-rail-dipstick-problem-img_1155.jpghttp://www.turbododge.com/forums/attachments/turbo-iii/44519d1320344065-lwp-fwdp-fuel-rail-dipstick-problem-img_1156.jpghttp://www.turbododge.com/forums/attachments/turbo-iii/44520d1320344065-lwp-fwdp-fuel-rail-dipstick-problem-img_1157.jpg