Finding TDC

[Riverfurm]

How do you find TDC with the engine out of the car on an engine stand with the head installed and no flywheel?

85 1.6 Turbo Diesel

[jtanguay]

remove an injector and use a metal wire to measure when the piston stops at tdc.

[Riverfurm]

I thought since it was an IDI engine with a pre combustion chamber you wont be able to get to the top of the piston???

[coke]

You can reach the piston if your careful. There is a small opening in the bottom of the pre-chamber that you could get something through.

[bigblockchev]

An 8" straight piece of coathanger will fit on either the front or rear side of the injector hole and will miss the glowplug.  Use care when turning the engine you don't want the  coathanger section to get bent by the piston top. Cheers Dan

[hillfolk'r]

still got the flywheel on??
if so,,do the wire trick,and turn the engine one way till it stops,make a mark on the flywheel
then rotate it the other way,and make another mark on the fw.
split the difference between the 2 marks and thats tdc
this is a tranny chunk i use for locating tdc,i bolt it to the engine when its sitting on the ground
the other tool is a tdc stop for a tdi,made from an old glow plug(not applicable on an idi,use a wire)

[somolovitch3]

got the pan off?

[hillfolk'r]

yea duh on me,he said no flywheel
 :oops:  :oops:
yea drop the pan,or put the flywheel back on
thats the easiest

[Riverfurm]

Thanks for all the help. When I got this motor a marked the sprockets on the engine at TDC, but the engine was still out of the car. I wanted to make sure I could find TDC since I have a large investment in a Giles pump. When I installed the pump and a new belt the marks all lined up but I just wanted to make sure when I set the IP timing.
  The wire trick through the injector hole worked great. I just removed #1 injector and had to back the glow plug out and then I could find the small hole in the precombustion chamber to stick the wire into. Watched the wire move up an down split the diffrence and checked my marks, they lined up. So I guess I found TDC.

Just waiting on my downpipe now from PP and I will be ready to install!

[Riverfurm]

I got that piece off my trans (wow that was hard) now do I get in back on the trans?

[Vincent Waldon]

In the old old days we used to take chunks of Beetle transmissions about that size to bush parties... being made from magnesium they ignite and then burn white hot like a flare (which oddly enough is also made of magnesium... maybe that's where Beetle transmissions go when they die ?).

A little JB Bond will fix your tranny right up, BTW.  Or duct tape.

[hillfolk'r]

I got that piece off my trans (wow that was hard) now do I get in back on the trans?

um...some welding required,and i dont mean "jb weld" :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

[hillfolk'r]

In the old old days we used to take chunks of Beetle transmissions about that size to bush parties... being made from magnesium they ignite and then burn white hot like a flare (which oddly enough is also made of magnesium... maybe that's where Beetle transmissions go when they die ?).

A little JB Bond will fix your tranny right up, BTW.  Or duct tape.

bout 2 years ago a magnesium plant caught on fire in cleveland
it was 10miles + from me+it looked like the sun was out@ 2am