New diesel owner, help with diagnosis

[wyldman]

Regular line is fine,there is little or no pressure in the return.I would use 30R9 rated fuel line (for fuel injection),as it tends to last longer and not break down as easily.A lot of the cheap fuel line will go soft and leak fairly quickly.It is more expensive,but because you need so little,it won't cost much more.

[beerboyone]

could that line cause this problem? does that cause problems with the pump or the injectors? Thanks for all the help so far wyldman, you are an asset to this forum.

[wyldman]

Any air in the return lines will end up back in the filter,causing air the the inlet line.

Just replace the filter,and bad lines,and make sure all the clamps are tight.You can then proceed with your diagnosis.

[beerboyone]

ok, so i replaced the return line, it did need it. and replaced the fuel filter. It started up. then i cracked the injectors and all of them dropped the idle. the coolant is heating up quite quickly. quicker than any gas car i've ever driven. and this was at idle. also when reved it bellows black smoke. seems to me that it may be the head gasket. anything I can do to check this other than drain the oil and see if there is coolant in it?

also I am going to replace all the return lines from the injectors. what size are these? vac line won't hold up to the diesel will it?

[wyldman]

There is a special braided rubber line for the return lines.Your VW dealer or good parts store should have it.They usually sell it in long lengths,more than enough to do the entire job.

Sounds like the miss may have been due to air in the lines.

Change the oil and get everything sorted out first.Make sure you have fresh diesel in the tank,and then proceed to run it to diagnose further.Maybe it just needs a good run.

[beerboyone]

the only reason I thought head gasket is because how quickly the upper rad hose got hot. I guess i'll try to hunt down some line for it tomorrow. thanks again. i'll keep you updated.

[mtnsammy]

Water in crank case is easy to see. After running the motor a bit the oil will appear milky and or sudsy.  The oil and water do not mix well and will mix as a milky froth that settles down after a long sit.

I had a plugged fuel filter cause some problems similar, but the main problem was timing. After getting the timing right the motor is much quieter and smoother. Air leaks are found by cracking the fuel lines at the injectors. If the leak is before the IP this test will not work.

Bad head gaskets normally will show water in case or bubbles in coolant system.

[hillfolk'r]

iknow this isnt  the problem,,but if you ever arent sure if oil is milky from antifreeze,,or lots of condensation,just taste it!! ,if its antifreeze,and you are runnin antifreeze,its sweet,and who says you cant taste your car???just dont do it alot,it may cause brain damage(i can hear the jokes now,,)

[shwartzbewithyou]

iknow this isnt  the problem,,but if you ever arent sure if oil is milky from antifreeze,,or lots of condensation,just taste it!! ,if its antifreeze,and you are runnin antifreeze,its sweet,and who says you cant taste your car???just dont do it alot,it may cause brain damage(i can hear the jokes now,,)

Wow that's the first time I've heard that one.  Maybe it's not your keyboard that's broken :lol:

[wyldman]

He sure opened the door for that one,didn't he ?

[mtnsammy]

OK I would say do not do the hillbilly thang. If it's milky it won't lubricate. Who cares if it is condensation( a whole lot of it too) or a bad head gasket.

Change the milky oil, change the head gasket.

[beerboyone]

i replaced all the injector return lines. it started up pretty quickly. seemed to run a little bit better(not much). It still has no power and smokes bad. it looks like one of the injector may have a leak at the base. etka shows a "sealing washer" at the bottom of the injector part no. 068130219, do these tend to go bad??

[shwartzbewithyou]

Yes they can but they have to be really really bad to run as bad as you're making it sound.  You'll have to purchase a new set of these if you're planning on pulling the injectors out for re-installing.  However this won't be your issue.  A leaky injector would more show that their is back pressure on the line which could suggest that you have a clogged injector or a clogged return line, or something's sucking air.  I can't remember, did you crack each of the injectors yet to see if you're idle dropped even more?  If not try that.  You can also hold a scredriver to the top of the injector base and put your ear up to the other end of the screwdriver.  You should be able to hear a clicking in each injector suggesting that their firing.  If one sounds different than the others than you may have found your culprit.
I ran a can of good quality diesel injector cleaner through my last tank and that cleaned up alot of leaks by cleaning the injectors and thus creating less back pressure on the line.  
Couldn't hurt to try that.

[LeeG]

If it's milky it won't lubricate. Who cares if it is condensation( a whole lot of it too) or a bad head gasket.

I would care, when I find milky oil I want to know why its milky, not just change it.  So, yes hillfok'r aint the only one to have done this.  

Its usually wishful thinking anyway, it always is coolant in the oil if its a running engine.  Here in western canada, engines stored under cover outside will fill with condensation over a couple decades, but rings are generally siezed into bores long before much accumulates in sump.

[beerboyone]

I did crack all the injectors and there was a considerable drop in rpm for each injector. My fuel tank has a leak, I checked to see if it was around the lines but it didn't look to be.

also i forgot to add that it started up fine when the engine was cold but after it had warmed up it would start again.