Author Topic: resurrecting a long sitting motor (Read 2859 times)

sdwarf36 · « **on:** March 21, 2009, 12:58:51 pm »

Its a '84 1.6 with alledgedly only 60k on it-been sitting 13? years. It took some work but I finally got it running. I still have one cylinder that doesnt have great compression yet-but hoping it comes around.
Problem is it smokes like a train. (mainly gray) I can fire it after I use an electric fuel pump to make sure the pump is full-It revs pretty high and stays there and the throttle doesnt change rpm any. (Slightly lower if the cold start lever is off.) Unless I give it fuel with the electric pump every now + then, it will only run apx. 30 seconds before dying. I dont want to run it too long due to no water in the motor.

Any ideas?

jtanguay · « **Reply #1 on:** March 21, 2009, 02:09:14 pm »

first thing you should do on a car sitting that long is change the fuel filter. diesel fuel will break down over time. running a can of diesel purge through the pump might help free up any sticking pump parts and injectors. the oil is probably not in the best of shape either...

veedubcanuck · « **Reply #2 on:** March 21, 2009, 04:11:28 pm »

Had the same happen to me. The vanes in the IP are stuck. Also the fuel collar is stuck inside pump. Likely the old fuel turned to gum. You MIGHT be able to get it free if you fill the pump with a good diesel fuel system cleaner and let it sit for a few days. Other than that you will have to take the IP apart and clean it up. Change all the seals while doing that. As for the miss.... well it can be the pump, bad injector (sticking) or likely the valves are not sealing good due to corrosion on the seats and face from sitting.

jettabrendan · « **Reply #3 on:** March 21, 2009, 04:29:53 pm »

Seafoam!

ilikevwdiesel · « **Reply #4 on:** March 21, 2009, 05:02:38 pm »

lubromoly diesel purge

Rabbit TD · « **Reply #5 on:** March 21, 2009, 05:18:17 pm »

Quote from: "veedubcanuck"

Had the same happen to me. The vanes in the IP are stuck. Also the fuel collar is stuck inside pump. Likely the old fuel turned to gum. You MIGHT be able to get it free if you fill the pump with a good diesel fuel system cleaner and let it sit for a few days. Other than that you will have to take the IP apart and clean it up. Change all the seals while doing that. As for the miss.... well it can be the pump, bad injector (sticking) or likely the valves are not sealing good due to corrosion on the seats and face from sitting.

If you can get it to the point that it will run without the the extra pump feeding it and the throttle starts to straighten up but you still have the miss it is most likely in one of the delivery valves or discharge valves whichever name they are called. The injector won't spray if the valve is stuck. They are the fittings on the end of the pump that it's individual lines for the injectors fasten to. They very often stick but if they aren't corroded bad internaly they can be removed easily and cleaned, lubed and put back in and work in most cases. Be very careful you don't loose the parts and put them in in the same order, there is a small copper or brass washer in the bottom of the hole they come out of and make sure it is in there and bottomed out when you put the assembly back in. Have a rag under the pump to catch the parts if you drop them and they are spring loaded also. It's not complicated part but very precise tolerances. It works pretty much like an injector and don't interchange the springs or shim's if you remove them. Once you track it down to the right cylinder and it has enough compression check that delivery valve first, then the injector itself, dicharge valve has to work first to feed the injector.

sdwarf36 · « **Reply #6 on:** March 21, 2009, 09:46:09 pm »

Thanks for the replies guys. The motor is out of the car-had it running on the bench-no fuel filter. I didnt have a diesel compression tester-so the quicky way I checked was turn the motor over by the nut on the bottom pulley + mark where i 1st felt compression-then felt for it ever 180* for 2 laps.
I Thought after I 1st posted, my next (lazy) thing to do was mainline some Seafoam in there.
If I can get it to run on all 4, Then I clean + reseal the pump + away I go with limited boost. If I have to dive into the motor, and now that I'm armed with all the great hop up info I've found over the last couple of weeks, then it will get built right. It helps that I work In a hi performance auto-machine shop.

katakura silk · « **Reply #7 on:** April 02, 2009, 09:02:12 pm »

any luck?

sdwarf36 · « **Reply #8 on:** April 03, 2009, 10:55:41 am »

Quote from: "katakura silk"

any luck?

Nope. Still only have compression on 3 cylinders + the pump doesnt respond. :cry: Ran a can of seafoam thru the system. Something must have changed because now it doesnt like stay running on its own. Oh well-guess it gets hopped up. Good thing we are an ARP dealer.