Injector Heat Shield Question

[Zoomer]

I have just replaced the injectors on my Kubota diesel and wondered if anyone could enlighten me about the injector heat shield, fitted between the injector and the combustion chamber (~10mm cup with a hole in the middle).

The factory manual says it must be replaced (and it is included with the new injector), but doing that doubled the amount of time and tripled the aggravation! The manual said to spear it with a Phillips screwdriver and twist to remove! It ain't gonna happen!

I used some PB Blaster and an Easy (?) Out to get them out but, as they are below the sealing washer, it seemed unnecessary.

Any thoughts would be appreciated by not only me, but those who follow.

Thanks

[Sailmonkey]

They are recomending replacement since these things will crack. When they crack you've got small pieces of iron banging around in the cylinder.