Timing again, confused!

[wil892]

Hi

I think i've already had a post about the timing on my car, but since then I have got myself a dial gauge timing kit.
So quick background, I bought the car running the original head but I think head gasket had already been replaced. I took off the head because oil was seeping out the sides of the gasket. I found the prechambers were cracked so I bought a brand new head (new cast and built using new OEM parts)
So I put it all back together with a new 3 notch gasket (like old one). I did quickly measure the protrusion and I think it was bordering 2-3 notch gasket.

Anyway, the timing was way advance so being worried I took it to a diesel specialist who timed it. Then the car was running fine, but slightly retarded so I advanced it and it is better.

Since I have bought a diesel dial gauge kit and have looked at the timing settings. The gauge showed 1.2mm. However I still think the engine is retarded because even though it starts on the first compression stroke in the morning there is a small trickle of whitey blue smoke. Also when the car is hot and the glow plugs don't come on it takes about 3 spins to start it (if I pull out the advance it starts first stroke though)

Sorry that all sounds a bit all over the place so here is a summary:

-Starts first turn cold with glow plugs
-If idling cold small trickle of white blue smoke (not big cloud at all, can only be seen if I get out and look at the exhaust)
-Slight diesely pings when driven first when cold (goes after about a minute and happens when accelerating)
-Starts hot first turn with advance pulled out, but takes about 3-4 revs without advance.
-No proper black smoke, just greyish if at WOT, then goes after being driven at WOT.
-Uses about 0.4 litre oil per 1000 miles, using Fuchs Supersyn 5w40 Fully Synthetic with OEM filter

So the question is does this sound normal or does the timing still sound slightly retarded?

Thanks
Will

[wil892]

I haven't measured it, but when the head was off you could still quite clearly see all the cross hatch marks on the bores, and there was absolutley no ridge at all at the top. The blowby is normal i think, i can rest the oil cap on the hole and it won't fly off, it just bumbles around a bit.

[wil892]

just to say, car has plenty of pull and power. And it is returning 52MPG which i think is about 43 US MPG. Which seems pretty good for an 80hp 1.6, and I like to use the turbo (btw absolutely no play at all in the turbo).

I have noticed that there is a bit of oil in the pipe that connects the air filter to the turbo, it collects just at the bit where it connects to the air filter housing.

Any ideas?

[regcheeseman]

just to say, car has plenty of pull and power. And it is returning 52MPG which i think is about 43 US MPG. Which seems pretty good for an 80hp 1.6, and I like to use the turbo (btw absolutely no play at all in the turbo).

I have noticed that there is a bit of oil in the pipe that connects the air filter to the turbo, it collects just at the bit where it connects to the air filter housing.

Roight bay! A local!

All sounds perfectly normal to me, 52 is pretty good, slight white smoke, good power and pull.

I've ran a few GTDs and AAZ's and fiddled with a fair few more - quite a lot have benefitted from pulling the blue wire from the temp sender on the engine to solve the hot start prob. There's a few mary's on here who don't like this mod, but I and several others have no probs with it.

Basically it'll fool the glow plug circuit into coming on even when car is hot.
So when cold sart as normal
When hot, turn key, wait 2 or 3 secs (not until the light goes out) and start car

I never use a cold advance especially in sunny devon, in fact my latest pump build has it removed as I'm that confident.


additional - if you are not sure, ask Sven, I recall pulling the blue wire on his caddy much to his delight!

[smutts]

  Where's you to?

Blue wire it is then.

[wil892]

Thanks, yeah i didnt really want to fiddle around anymore because it is getting such good mileage. I only use the cold lever to slightly increase the revs when its cold, so I don't pull it all the way out.
Only trying to get it clear in my head that nothings wrong, as I'm taking it to uni where I won't have a garage to do my daily tinkering . So its going to be just driven and not loved for a while. Will have to wait and see how it behaves when I'm out scraping the frost off and its about -2. Hopefully it should be fine.
I did disconnect the wire when it was really retarded but I put it back because it just doesnt seem to need it. If i don't want it to spin over briefly I just pull the advance when its hot and it starts perfect, then I put it in all the way.

I'm near Exeter in a town called Feniton. seems to be a few GTDs in the Devon area.

Will

[smutts]

Well there is two outside my cottage in Ashbucket.