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Engine Specific Info and Questions => IDI Engine => Topic started by: Guipo on August 01, 2008, 08:39:21 am

Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: Guipo on August 01, 2008, 08:39:21 am
But I got pulled Over yesterday for excessive smoke.  Told the officer it was a diesel, and he let me go, but that got me thinking, am I abnormally smoking.

Now I've had chevy diesels for years, and the first thing that comes to my head is air filter, and then injectors.  Is there anything else I should look for that would cut down on the cloud behind me?  

I really wish I had a turbo so I could burn all that unused fuel!  :)

Guipo
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: zukgod1 on August 01, 2008, 09:09:52 am
At least I'm not the only one..

Is your car a TD or are you talking about the Dasher in your sig?
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: Possum79 on August 01, 2008, 09:28:06 am
Whoa manteca! I thought I was rocking the only old vw diesel around here. Every diesel I see is new TDI. What side of Manteca do you live?
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: Guipo on August 01, 2008, 09:54:48 am
Quote from: "zukgod1"
At least I'm not the only one..

Is your car a TD or are you talking about the Dasher in your sig?


Dasher.  Turbo would be cool.

So sounds like smoke isnt fixable without a turbo eh?
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: Guipo on August 01, 2008, 09:55:31 am
I live by Raleys!  We should have a diesel day...lol.  Smokescreen on the freeway.

Quote from: "Possum79"
Whoa manteca! I thought I was rocking the only old vw diesel around here. Every diesel I see is new TDI. What side of Manteca do you live?
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: Possum79 on August 01, 2008, 10:58:17 am
Ha thats sweet! I used to live over by Raleys but I just moved over by the Perko's/El Pollo Loco area.

Sadly mine doesnt smoke to bad.  :wink:
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: Guipo on August 01, 2008, 11:03:43 am
Nice.  No smoke, how do you manage that.

Part of the problem is that in the Dasher, the 4 speed winds up like you wouldn't believe on the freeway.  I need to change the thermostat in it too, it never warms up.

Do you drive to Modesto?  I've seen a white Rabbit diesel driving from modesto some days.
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: zukgod1 on August 01, 2008, 11:16:44 am
you can advance the timing a tad that will help then as you mentioned the injectors my need attention as well. A worn set of injectors will cause smoke and poor economy as well.
Air filter as you mentioned as well.
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: Possum79 on August 01, 2008, 11:19:02 am
Yea its been rare that I got to modesto lately. I used to go to MJC all the time. My rabbit is a 4 door silver/green rust bucket. There is another cabrio that looks like mine just more damage and isnt diesel out there. I'm going to paint it silver when I get the cash. Im rocking a 5 speed and if i hold it out I get a little black with some white smoke in it. My car needs a lot of work.
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: Smokey Eddy on August 01, 2008, 11:53:41 am
there is a fuel screw on your IP that you can turn one way or another to change the amount of fuel. Clockwise is more fuel, counter clockwise is less fuel. It is on the head side of the pump and sticks out in the same direction as the outputs it will have a nut on it and possibly a colored band to prevent you from screwing it INWARD too far. Let me know if you have trouble finding it. It's also refered to as the "smoke screw" :wink:
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: Guipo on August 01, 2008, 11:55:30 am
Nice!  I'll look for it.  I'm only getting 37mpg, but I thought that was ok for the 4spd.  Hopefully that will help!

Quote from: "Smokey Eddy"
there is a fuel screw on your IP that you can turn one way or another to change the amount of fuel. Clockwise is more fuel, counter clockwise is less fuel. It is on the head side of the pump and sticks out in the same direction as the outputs it will have a nut on it and possibly a colored band to prevent you from screwing it INWARD too far. Let me know if you have trouble finding it. It's also refered to as the "smoke screw" :wink:
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: Possum79 on August 01, 2008, 12:30:14 pm
Careful with that screw though. It's sensitive from what I've read. Only play with it in 1/4 turns. I have yet to mess with mine because I want to fix more stuff before trying to get any power out of my 1.5
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: stuvy on August 01, 2008, 01:01:53 pm
If your going to play with the fuel screw, insure the car is running, and only move it in 1/8th to 1/4 turns. Rev the motor, see your smoke. Repeat, but be careful, to much in the more fuel and you could have a run away, and to low it wont run.
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: Guipo on August 01, 2008, 01:26:27 pm
Replaced the Air Filter.  It was coated in Oil and Gunk.  So hopefully that will help.  Why would the Air filter be coated?

I couldnt identify the screw.  Anyone have a pic?
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: Possum79 on August 01, 2008, 01:36:53 pm
The air filter is coated in oil because your engine probably has blow-by. Your rings are probably toast. There is a breather hose that goes from the valve cover to the intake manifold. when the rings wear out they allow pressure to blow by and push oil up that hose. If your intake is full of oil then your engine could run away(reving out of control) by running on just the oil. If you take the hose off the valve cover you can put your hand over it at various rpms to see how much air goes out.

a way to slow that oil down is to get a cam baffle.

http://www.autohausaz.com/search/product.aspx?sid=35bkvyamo1tokvzz1v2pps45&makeid=800026@VW&modelid=1284959@RABBIT%20&year=1979&cid=20@Engine%20Parts,%20Seals%20%26%20Gaskets&gid=5770@Valve%20Cover%20Oil%20Deflector

Mine does the same thing. I just keep an eye on it cuz its not to bad right now. The real way to fix it is to re-ring your pistons and hone it, or do a rebuild.
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: Guipo on August 01, 2008, 02:02:45 pm
believe it or not, it only has 120k on it.(or what the odo says).  The Vacuum pump was out for a long long time, and is now fixed.  That sucks from the crankcase if I'm right.  So that might be fixed now.
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: janb on August 01, 2008, 05:12:36 pm
Quote from: "Guipo"
Replaced the Air Filter.  It was coated in Oil and Gunk.  So hopefully that will help.  Why would the Air filter be coated?

I couldnt identify the screw.  Anyone have a pic?


http://www.cs.rochester.edu/u/jag/vw/engine/fi/injpump.html

Full load adjusting screw (upper right on back (dist side) of pump)  Typically has a lock ring to avoid 'overfuelling'... hint... your engine can run away with too much of this adjustment to the 'rich side'.

If you are looking for less smoke, go counterclockwise 1/8 turn at a time and do a 'full throttle' blip and look for a little black smoke (that gets it about right).

If it is black smoke (diesel) air starvation OR too much fuel is usually the main issue. (or your foot is in it too far when under load... not good for head gaskets either). The air filter element should be ~2" thick, not the 1" thick one for gas engines (and is the one FRAM thinks you should use for Diesel  :roll: )  get the thick one.  Diesels need lots of air

 you can run bio-D to help reduce smoke... brew your own
http://www.biodieselcommunity.org/appleseedprocessor/

Oil in Air filter is typical bad sign of blow by, and seems to be worse in early engines.  The cam 'splash' cover is a standard gas engine part ~ $10 (8v GTI (85-89) was one application that used it, or go to the junk yard or ask for one on Craigs list.

You might want to build a 'snorkel' for your oil vent hose.  The TDI page has some options for the early (96-99.5) engines.  Basically it is a 'trap' like under your sink.  You just run the hose into some plastic fittings you glue up, with a chamber filled with metal pot scrub pad or two, it has a drain plug, and forces air to make a 90 degree bend,  Empty the drain as often as necessary. (hint, build a deep one, ~ 1/2 pint)

You should be able to get 44+ mpg with the 4 spd.  I had one that got 60 in an early Rabbit.
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: Guipo on August 01, 2008, 08:52:36 pm
Cool Thanks.  After replacing the air filter, smoke is no longer a major problem.  

Now to fix the oil in the air filter, and it should be alot better.  What a mess that was.  

I did check the blow by, and there is quite a bit.  Sounds pretty Standard for diesels, but never good.

You know my chevy diesel has a CDR vent that has a brillo pad type thing in it that stops oil.  Would something like that work for me?

Thanks for all the help guys.  I'm glad that there's a community for such a rare car.  I look forward to being a part of it for a while.  Thanks again for everything!

Guipo
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: janb on August 01, 2008, 11:35:06 pm
something else that may help reduce blow-by is to increase oil viscosity.

I use 20w-50 in my early engines (non-hydraulic... pre-'86).  They seem to like it much better than 15-40 (they use less of it and run quieter).
You should be safe with heavy oil in your warm climate, you will need to rebuild it when it will no longer start in cold weather. (or plug in a tank type water heater), eventually it will just not start even when warm.  A good battery and starter will keep it spinning fast enough to start for awhile.

Rings and bearings are cheap.  If you have good oil pressure, you can possibly get by with an econo 'in-frame' rebuild.  If you have low oil pressure you probably have bad intermediate cam bearings, which require removal of the engine to repair. Valve Guides and seals will probably be a big help too, the head is our 'weak' link.  :oops:
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: Smokey Eddy on August 02, 2008, 01:27:36 am
the circled screw is the fuel screw. I know thats a pump for something with 6 cylinders but they look identical. Look there and you'll see your screw if you haven't already(http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f279/edmcclung/0706dp_04_sdiesel_fuel_injection_te.jpg)
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: Guipo on August 05, 2008, 12:03:47 pm
Thanks for all the Help guys.  Down the road I'll probadly throw a 1.6 in it.  Who do you guys' like for rebuilds?
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: Possum79 on August 05, 2008, 01:46:12 pm
if you ever get ride of the 1.5 you can always give it to me  :lol:

I want a 1.6TD for my car but can afford to do it.
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: zukgod1 on August 05, 2008, 02:13:14 pm
Most of us rebuild our own junk to save funds..
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: Guipo on August 05, 2008, 02:22:38 pm
do you piece together stuff, or buy kits?
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: zukgod1 on August 05, 2008, 03:14:14 pm
PM myke_w on this board for parts, he can get you everything you need.
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: Possum79 on August 05, 2008, 03:54:26 pm
you can always compression test to check the wear level on your current engine.
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: Guipo on August 05, 2008, 04:18:05 pm
I plan on it.  I'm just covering all my bases!  You wouldnt happen to have a diesel compression tester would ya!  :)
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: Possum79 on August 05, 2008, 06:29:52 pm
I do! I just bought one from harbor freight and yet to use it. If you wana bum it I'm willing to help. I need to do mine I'm just concerned of breaking something on mine. You have to take out the injectors for this one to work.
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: VW Fox on August 07, 2008, 10:33:56 am
Quote from: "Guipo"
Down the road I'll probadly throw a 1.6 in it.


Do it!  Using Quantum TD parts, the swap is really easy.  A Quantum downpipe even fits perfectly.  48HP -> 68HP is a big jump.

For transmissions (http://www.lunaticfringe.org/vwfox/mod/transmission-swap-specs.html), look to the 4-cyl VW Quantum/Audi 4000 and VW Fox.  The Fox's 4-speed has a taller 4th and is almost a direct swap (rear transmission mount is different).  The 5-speeds fit as well (I've got a 5M in mine), but require transmission tunnel modifications, the mount mentioned above and 5-speed linkage.
Title: So i know they are supposed to smoke
Post by: Guipo on August 07, 2008, 11:12:54 am
oh gosh, I'd love a new transmission.  I think if I can get a motor from a junk yard, work on it slowly would be the best idea.