The smell of diesel is not on the top of my list of favourite scents. When diesel leaks onto a hot engine, and starts to evaporate, the resulting fumes are not pleasant.

This 2008 Ford Focus 1.8 diesel with the KKDA engine had covered 110,000 miles, and it was overdue on a time basis for a new timing belt. The NCT was also due in the next three months, and I persuaded the owner to get the belt done now, to spread the cost before any possible NCT related expense would be needed.

Once I lifted the bonnet, I realised that another problem also needed attending to. The pungent smell of diesel led me to the trail of the wet stuff, coming from the area of the number three injector.

At first, I was under the impression that the problem was going to be the leak off connector and possible only require a new O ring. Once I looked closer, I could see that the diesel was actually seeping from the body of the injector.

On these engines, the injectors don’t need coding. With the old one coming out easily, this was not too difficult to rectify. Pushing the owners bill up with the cost of the injector was easily compensated for, with the more pleasant driving environment, now lacking the pungent smell.

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