Venom injector, defect

[mikegaan]

Those of you running 8 stack DFI might find this interesting. One of my less than year old fuel injectors had the plastic cap over the pintle fall off into the cylinder. It required my removing the head and replacing the valves in the problem cylinder. The injector was a Venom/Python 36# (orange) in a TWM set up. After months of aggravation, here is the full story.

Easter Sunday: I started the car up for a car show and heard a rattle. Come to find out, the cap was missing from the injector and had gone into the cylinder. I informed Python customer service shortly thereafter, and spent weeks trying to come up with an 'easy' solution. Finally bit the bullet, and scheduled (another 4 weeks) the engine builder to pull the head. With 30+ years of experience, he (Matt Johnson's, St. Louis) said he'd never seen anything like it. Turned out the plastic conical cap had split into a 'U' shaped piece and become jammed with one leg of the U in the intake port and one leg in the exhaust (hence not blowing out the exhaust). Both valves (Ferrea stainless) had to be replaced.
See attached pics.
Aug 1: emailed photos of head/pintle cap to Python.
Aug 15 and $1600.00 + later, finally got it back together, at which time I again contacted Python to inform them of the result. Python then requested I send the defective injector to them for inspection, which I did. They received it 8/22.
October 23: After several emails and calls, I was told the injector was up to spec. and no deficiencies were found. They had (and have) no idea why the cap fell off. They now had to decide what, if anything, they could do for me.
Nov. 12: After 4 months and with CEO's approval, Python decided to reimburse me $500.00. It is clear that their warranty stipulates 'replacement' of the injector in case of failure, so anything over the cost of one injector depends on their evaluation of the situation and their "reputation", in this case not quite a third of the cost of repair.

Considering this was the second Venom injector problem within a year (the first one split and leaked at the seam midway down the barrel), I have switched to Bosch disc type injectors (no plastic cap).

Perhaps this rather expensive and time consuming lesson will be helpful to those of you with DFI. Inspect the plastic caps on your injectors veerrryyy carefully, or better yet, buy injectors withOUT pintle caps.

Happy turkey day.