Tuning my 1.6D

[Intolerance]

I have (assume its) a 1.6D in my '79 rabbit. its smokin and ive searched on it....
either its worn rings or it just needs to be tuned......well, it idles fine and runs strong without sputtering, so ive been told bad rings are out of the question.

so how do I tune my diesel? I have searched and googled and came up with nothing.

Also, do you guys suggest i put auto tranny fluid in my gas every once n awhile to clean the injectors n stuff?

Thanks.

[Intolerance]

i blew the motor last night   :cry:

ill explain when i get to work.

[Intolerance]

so I got it workin last night....new brakes and stuff.....finished around midnight.

I took it for a stroll around the city on surface streets, noticed that it needs a new clutch (grrr) ...it was slipping pretty bad

then i took it on the freeway.....felt pretty strong at 65mph.....so i decided to see what top speed i could get out of this 4 speed tranny........i hit 75....and i figured that was enough...pushed in the clutch and the car rev's to redline....i immediatly  turned it off, turned it back on as i was coasting....and it rev's straight to redline......sounds like its gunna blow up. i figured i had a stuck throttle cable or something.

so i coast to a stop on the side of the freeway and start it up again and it idled just fine, but it was pouring out loads of white smoke, so much that i could have caused an accident.......5 seconds later, the car rev's all by itself, take out the key and it continues to rev for 4-5 seconds.

i called a tow truck and waited around for an hour....i got impatient and tried to start it again and it ran fine, so i just cruised it back home very slowly.

so heres what my theory is.... (remember i dont know jack about diesels so dont laugh)

ive got a bad cylinder/rings. there is oil getting past the rings, causing the oil to be burned as fuel causing it to rev and blow smoke like crazy. also there is a ton of blow by in the intake box, so bad it was leaking all over the manifold (causing more smoke)

any help with this would be greatly appreciated. I am really bummed i bought a bum car.  

[vwmike]

so heres what my theory is.... (remember i dont know jack about diesels so dont laugh)

ive got a bad cylinder/rings. there is oil getting past the rings, causing the oil to be burned as fuel causing it to rev and blow smoke like crazy. also there is a ton of blow by in the intake box, so bad it was leaking all over the manifold (causing more smoke)

any help with this would be greatly appreciated. I am really bummed i bought a bum car.  

Well, it sounds like that is what's happening. Usually I hear about this problem and it is because of a bad head gasket, but I'm sure if the rings were bad enough that could do it too. I would pull the head off and inspect the cylinders. Usually in an old and overheated diesel they'll be wavy. So, if you find wavy cylinders you're probably looking at a new engine or a rebuilt. Otherwise, if all looks good there's a chance that a head gasket will solve your problems.

[toomanycars]

Yeah.
In Oz we call this "running on" (not to be confused with petrol engine's pre-ignition which has the same name). You're right. Blowby causes the crankcase fumes to enter the filter box where they are sucked into the engine. At low engine speeds this is usually no problem, however at high revs there is also oil mist from the camshaft.
Basically, you have a worn engine! I wouldn't go so far as to say that you need a new one. Pull the head and drop the sump and measure the cylinders/pistons for wear, If they are within limits, hone and ridge remove then fit new rings and bearings. This should give you another 100,000km if you are a good diesel driver. (Flogging along @ 120kph is not being a good diesel driver!) Best compromise for economy and reasonable speed is 90kph. I drive my (worn) diesel @ 100kph on long runs and yes, it will run on. What I do to avoid this is remove the breather hose from the camshaft cover and fit a "U" tube and straight breather pipe that goes down the back of the gearbox almost to the road. Any smoke is unnoticeable in the slipstream of the car and I haven't had any oil droplets on the back window. When I get to the city and into traffic I stop and in 30 secs have the breather reconnected to the air filter box to avoid the embarassment of fumes around the front of the car at traffic lights.
And yes, I have all of the parts for the rebuild that will happen next month when we stop milking!

[Intolerance]

not exactly what i wanted to hear.....i am currently driving a truck thats costing me just over $500 (USD) a month to drive with the costs of tolls and gas (gas is over $2.40/gal here in the states)

i bought the diesel to help with these costs.....last night was the first time ive been able to drive it, and it really bummed me out.

im not sure what my plan is at this point. i dont have the tools/knowledge/workspace to do this kinda work on this car. the guy sold it to me under the impression it just needed some brakes. people have suggested i should try to get my money back, but i paid $400 for the car, so i cant complain.

I am sure if i was to resell it 'as is' i could get about $1000 for it.

so i might dump a ITB motor in it, or find a turbo diesel motor, or just sell it and find one thats working and save myself the headaches.  :?

thanks for the info.

[Mikeyworks]

Where are you located...someone near you may be able to help you out.

(most folks have their location listed in their profile so it shows just under your username).

Mikey

[Intolerance]

Where are you located...someone near you may be able to help you out.

(most folks have their location listed in their profile so it shows just under your username).

Mikey

I am in southern california.

[fspGTD]

79's didn't originally come with a 1.6lD, they came with a 1.5.  (1.6's weren't introduced until 1981.)

VW sold a crankcase breather kit for 1.5's that is supposed to help the engine run-on problem (Refer to the later pages of the Diesel protraining manual.) is it installed in your engine already?  It could be relatively cheap and easy to try.  And also a plastic VW oil baffle (found in their hydraulic lifter motors, that installs underneath the cam cover) might help and they are also relatively cheap.

But it could very well be that it's time for an engine rebuild.  You've got the problem defined correctly - excess blowby carries oil vapors to intake.  (And/or oil actually making it past piston rings directly to the combustion chamber.)  Check compression to assess the overall health of the engine or have it leak-down tested.

[Intolerance]

where can i buy these parts? a link online would be great.

thanks for the clearification on the engine size. I wasnt sure if it was 1.6 or 1.5.

I have a buddy who has a diesel he is willing to give me, but i dont know anything about the motor. it might be as bad or worse then what i have now, or it might be strong. I will swing by his place tonight and take a look at it.

thanks again for the information guys  

[fspGTD]

By the way, the protraining manual is here:
http://www.vwdiesel.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=321

refer to page 130: "oil in air cleaner / 1.5 liter diesel, Rabbit and Pick-up."

[fspGTD]

The oil baffle that goes over the camshaft is available aftermarket, for example:
http://techtonicstuning.com/viewpart.asp?partnum=115.115

The 1.5D breather kit I'd go to the VW dealer for.

[toomanycars]

Wasn't aware of the breather kit. Should be easy to make up with 20mm plastic "T"s. I'll try it and report back.
My 1.5 Golf uses hardly any oil and doesn't blow blue smole. I'm not convinced that it's wholly blowby that's causing the problem, althought it could be worn compression rings but OK oil rings. Compression testers for this engine cannot be sourced in Oz. When I bought the car the vacuum pump diaphragms were blown and the running on problem was really bad! JanB sent me a pump kit and after I replaced the diaphragms I thought that the problem was solved as it didn't recur for ages. Then, on a long trip on a hot day, it stopped me 3 times. It's terrifying to hear the engine rattling as if the bearings are gone, but each time after cooling down it ran perfectly. I ended up using side roads to get home as this kept the engine cool.
So, I'll try thr modification.

[Intolerance]

I finally got a chance to look last night and i do not have the modified breather hose. I checked online at some various OEM part sellers, no one had anything of its kind. also looked it up on ETKA (vw parts list) and i couldnt find anything that resembles that part, just the old one.

if anyone has any information on this part and its part number, please let me know. I will swing by my dealer and see if he knows. hes an old vw junky that knows his stuff with the older oem parts.

Thanks.

[vwmike]

I think this is what you want - 068 198 999 F

It's under repair kits. 1st vw parts wants $82 for it.