1.6td break in

[vwroadkill]

here are my questions?
is this things supposed to be an absolute *** to start on a 70 degree day?
I cant for the life of me figure out what is ok oil consumption?
here are the details
 out of the crate td motor... complete hydro engine... brand new
rebuilt injectors from local reputable bosch service company.
remaned injection pump
head gasket torqued after first heat cycle... waiting for mileage to do second re torque.
this thing is driving good when I can get it started...
what am I doing wrong? or am I

[745 turbogreasel]

You still need glow plugs.

[vwroadkill]

brand new.. installed they have sixty miles on them... maybe ten hours. idle time and the like
even checked voltage on them.. I am getting like 11.47. on my meter

[damac]

I live in bay area where the coldest I have driven in the teens.

On my maintained cars, each one will start practically instantly with cold start lever out and one cycle of the glowplugs.

I also end up redoing all ground/power leads because of stereos and use tdi auto starter.

I end up for whatever reason timing my cars real close to the max side of advance according to bently.


so if the mechanics are good, you need to make sure the glowplugs are lighting up and for how long, make sure pump isn't ingesting a bunch of air upon first start of the day, and have a healthy cranking system with the correct timing.

[vwroadkill]

the car turns over great...
I have new, large battery cables
fresh fuel filter... changed when I installed engine..
air leaks hmmm no bubbles in clear new fuel lines
I will check the fusable link but I have voltage on both sides
am going to check compression in the morning, cold
before today she started with no problems.. drove it to work.. could not get it to start when I was prepared to go home.. so she is sitting at work. I had to get a ride home

[Dakotakid]

Well, out of curiosity: "crate" engine from where?
What was in the crate....long block.....short block......?
"Brand new" to me would be some sort of hold-over engine from Germany. With a brand new block and pistons and everything. Brand new virgin equipment.....not some clapped out crap which was rebuilt.

Do you mean this engine was "rebuilt" from somewhere? No, I am not being ridiculously picky. All this info is pertinent. Some guys' idea of "rebuilds" is stuff I run like hell from....seriously.

For your question:  yes, a properly rebuilt engine should fire right up. Maybe a few more cranks until the rings seat....but, ya.....fire right up. All of mine certainly have.

Are you SURE you have it properly timed (pump ain't 180 out etc.). And, a poor installation of front seal in that pump could be loosing prime. Just because a pump shop has a good reputation generally doesn't ENSURE success. Sometimes, someone makes a mistake on install or whatever. I mean the guys in MY local pump shop are more concerned with making sure they have a big enough lump of snoose in their lip than whether or not they get a seal in right! THAT is one of the reasons I never go through their front door.

So, you have had this "new" engine running...right? How many times.....how long (miles)? Did it pull good when running? did it idle good without lumps, etc.?  Did it start back up again if you shut it off and went in and got a can of pop or something?

And, no we can't figure out if you are having "bad oil consumption" until you give us a hint as to where your's is at.

Personally, I would refrain from compression testing it right now. That's a lot of work for something that sort of sounds like a fuel delivery or glow plug problem to me.

Slow down....take a deep breath. I've talked to you before and always found you to be a positive guy. Let's take a reasonable approach to this. Right now, you have sort of bounced in with the tumble weeds. More info, please.

Edit: I now see that you said 60 miles. One thing to note (which I find a bit troubling in your story) is that "idle-time" on a fresh set of rings is bad news. Believe it or no, firing them up and rolling off is sort of a coveted mindset. Yes, I know that is hard when you are worried about oil leaks, etc. If a guy lets these sit around idling without load, it can postpone or rule-out a good seating of rings.

Next question is what brand of rings (please say Goetze!).

[vwroadkill]

ok... I get what your saying about the pump.. I will call the guy that remaned it and chat with him
I believe the engine is new from VW, I found these in a stash out west on one of my trips to California last year to fight fires
I know I may not have enough miles to properly seat the rings yet, but all of a sudden she just wont start, I seems to be missing something. I drive in stop and go traffic to work. 18 miles one way.. should be good for engine varying rpms . oil consumption is not a lot.. that is why I have asked

[theman53]

Tons of stuff to look at as broad as this is, but how old is the starter and did you replace the starter bushing in your trans? It takes some speed to crank these over especially if the timing is advanced a bit and the engine is warm.

[Mark(The Miser)UK]

Sometimes, issues can arise where the glow plug sensor/circuit is too keen to assess ambient temperature, as being OK to discard power to glowplugs.
Thus it can start when overnight cold, and struggle when coolant is body temp or higher.

Try unplugging sensor on end of cylinder head. Not sure of the air/con set-up version...

[Dakotakid]

Wow, an honest to Geed new short block. I am so jealous! Was that warehouse hard to break into? New head, too?
Glow plug fuse good, right? Glow plug relay good? The reason I ask that is that currently, I have a glow plug relay on the way out and it occasionally decides not to kick on.

I have always wondered if a long-term storage crate engine has a tendency to have difficulty expanding the rings after sitting so long. Probably not. But, any time I rebuilt one, I always tried to get it running as soon as possible after assembly.

[RabbitJockey]

if you are burning lots of oil, pull the plugs and make sure the tips aren't burnt off them.

[RustyCaddy]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1989-1993-VW-1-6L-4-Cyl-Turbo-Diesel-New-OEM-Short-Block-Codes-RA-SB-/301153967817?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item461e2cdec9&vxp=mtr

if only i was made of money

 

Sorry about the hijack

[vwroadkill]

I got the engine... with head, hydro.. both in same box not put together. I have a few friends in the Sacramento area, that helped me source the motor and head.. that being said.
the discussion of how long the motor has been in the crate. best I can figure with the date stamps is 1997.so we, I mean me and my group of beer drinking{not buying} gearheads are worried that the motor sat to long and may need rings.
 the motor came with an aluminum oil pan which I cant use.
I assembled the items that came, followed tech data to the letter...
all items on the engine are NEW or remaned.. please don't ask me how much... I don't want to know myself. I have removed all evidence of monies spent.
starter new
injectors serviced and matched, pump was done with the injectors.
glow plugs new out of box
alternator re-maned
pulleys and the like cleaned and painted
turbo was rebuilt,
clutch and pp new sachs factory spec
radiator new
all new hoses and belts
and yes Rabbit jockey. I believe that is the company.. my buddy has an account with them..I probably can get another for the price I payed  if anyone is wanting one
being that said.. this is my first diesel... I did not expect the learning curve to be all that it is right now.

[Dakotakid]

If you had it running once.....by the way, how DID you get it running the first time? Or times?
You can run the glow plugs straight off the battery (with another wire and electrical clothes pin clip or something) to quickly see if they will glow and start the engine.

I thought you were running an older n/a for quite awhile prior to this.
PLEASE do NOT give into the temptation to use ether. If you are sure the timing is all good, you can gently pull start it.
When you lay under the car and turn the crankshaft with a wrench, how much resistance you got? Does it clearly tend to break your wrist at 4 points in the 360 turn?

Oh, if you eventually determine you need rings, I know the BESTEST (cheapest) place to buy Goetze rings.

[vwroadkill]

dakotakid... the first time I have had it running. it started pretty easy... and then on the second day she decided to not run that was when we towed it with a four wheeler.. started right up.
I don't have the four wheeler till tomorrow.
I will take the voltage straight from the battery  to the gps and see whats what.. I talked to the shop owner that did the pump.. he is going to stop by Friday if it still wont start.. if I get it before he said drive it to the shop.
still thinking of going with a compression test... to check and see ..
any who...I will be in Cheyenne, WY on the 27th of april... you my friend have a beer waiting for you if you chose to stop by
I was running an older engine for a while till it puked...its now in a 80 rabbit gl swallow tail.. re ringed.. I put that engine together with a buddy of mine for him to drive to work