Nige
Senior Member
I have absolutely zero experience on Kubota engines but I can tell you that "cylinder wash" caused by a leaking injector (it doesn't matter whether it's leaking from the tip or somewhere else, all that has to happen is that the fuel lands into the cylinder) has landed me in a world of hurt on various occasions in the past.
Personally I cannot see how the injector got to leaking from the body (as you said it does when apply 120psi of air pressure to it) unless it had some type of internal defect.
I could see ether wreaking all sorts of havoc inside an engine if over-used but IMHO the damage would be first seen on pistons, liners, and (possibly) cylinder head/valves. I'm not sure of any mechanism that could cause an injector to crack on the body by over-use of ether, especially if that injector body was not directly exposed to the compression/firing pressures in the cylinder. Where exactly is the "seam" where you located the crack, exposed inside the combustion chamber or above it in the cylinder head injector bore..?
Personally I cannot see how the injector got to leaking from the body (as you said it does when apply 120psi of air pressure to it) unless it had some type of internal defect.
I could see ether wreaking all sorts of havoc inside an engine if over-used but IMHO the damage would be first seen on pistons, liners, and (possibly) cylinder head/valves. I'm not sure of any mechanism that could cause an injector to crack on the body by over-use of ether, especially if that injector body was not directly exposed to the compression/firing pressures in the cylinder. Where exactly is the "seam" where you located the crack, exposed inside the combustion chamber or above it in the cylinder head injector bore..?