Common rail direct fuel injection is a direct fuel injection system for gasoline and diesel engines in various applications, such as in providing power to machines and vehicle. In diesel engines for example, a common rail fuel injection system may feature a high-pressure fuel rail having a plurality of fuel lines each feeding an individual accumulator assembly with a valve to provide the high-pressure fuel to a corresponding fuel injector for one of the combustion cylinders of the engine. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a known accumulator assembly 10. The accumulator assembly 10 includes an accumulator body 12, a fuel line adapter 14 and an accumulator clamp 16. The accumulator clamp 16 has a central through bore that receives an end of the accumulator body 12, with the fuel line adapter 14 being coupled to the end of the accumulator body 12 inserted into the central through bore. The accumulator clamp 16 further includes side through bores on either side of the central through bore.
The end of the accumulator body 12 opposite the fuel line adapter 14 and the accumulator clamp 16 is inserted into an accumulator bore of a cylinder head where the accumulator body will come into fluid communication with the corresponding fuel injector. A pair of accumulator mounting bolts extending from the cylinder head on either side of the accumulator bore are received by and extend through the side through bores of the accumulator clamp. Spacers 18 as shown may provide additional length to the side through bores where necessary depending on the length of the accumulator mounting bolts, and nuts are applied to the ends of the accumulator mounting bolts to secure the accumulator assembly to the cylinder head.
It is typical that space is limited within the engine compartment of the machine or vehicle in which the common rail fuel injection system is implemented. Consequently, other components of the engine may be mounted in close proximity to the cylinder head and the accumulator bore at which the accumulator assembly is installed. For example, in some engine compartments, an air intake manifold is mounted near the cylinder head. The proximity of the other components, combined with the length of the accumulator mounting bolts, often necessitates removal of the other components to provide clearance for the side through bores to receive or slide off of the accumulator mounting bolts.