trying to bring 1.6 diesel back to life, car stalls out and constantly smokes - Troubleshooting - VWDiesel.net The IDI, TDI, and mTDI source.

trying to bring 1.6 diesel back to life, car stalls out and constantly smokes by damac on 17 Oct, 2017 22:29
as of now i have checked timing and put to max advance. its a non turbo engine on 86 golf. i ran atf through it a while and let it sit for days, purged it and am now running on bucket of fresh diesel.

its taking 30 seconds to start in 80 degree weather. if its warmed up and i turn it off it vibrates allot and then takes a few seconds to restart so delayed to a normal up to temp engine. if i leave for just 5 minutes i have to do an extended cranking session again.

i don't see any hint of pump leaks or air bubbles. new injector hoses, clean out bolt. fuel flow seems normal to me when cranking and running.

i am getting constant smoking, i got no downpipe gasket on right now. its a darker smoke, doesn't stink like unburnt diesel, doesn't get better warmed up.

if i rev it its taking time to come down, linkage seems ok.

so i thought maybe that part was injectors i have seen that before but this seems like too much, i wouldn't drive it on streets like that.

i tried to drive it around flat property on the dirt and found its dying with the strain of slipping the clutch.

so at this point my gut is telling me something is up with fuel system? i once came across a car that had a cursed injection pump like this. i sold it for parts because i broke it all down to reseal and clean and it didn't help. i never messed with settings because the lock collar to fuel screw was on and i have no idea to set all that stuff up.

the car is making it through cooling cycles, i'm not hearing any crazy noises to me based on past motors so i'm not sure what effect compression or the head, etc. could have on my situation.

here is a video, for some reason it doesn't look like the iphone is picking up the chugs of smoke out the tailpipe, most of its upfront.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=186aBbuzlFc
#1 by ORCoaster on 17 Oct, 2017 23:11
Any engine that takes that long to crank over in 80 degree weather has problems with compression or GP's. Constant smoke sounds like rings are gone. Have you numbers for 1-4 cylinders from a compression check?
#2 by vanbcguy on 17 Oct, 2017 23:40
Do you have a clear return line on the pump? If the main shaft seal or the return lines between the injectors are leaking it tends to let air in to the pump without showing any external signs other than starting and sometimes running problems. The difficulty restarting after sitting for a few minutes suggests an air leak to me.

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#3 by damac on 18 Oct, 2017 13:14
i have clear lines in a jug with new return lines, no signs of leaks or weeping. fuel collar isn't touched. i don't have a compression checker.

but the workings of the pump and impact on my situation are over my head. i have seen these things happen on other engines but not all at once.

could the injection pump being out of whack cause all these issues assuming nobody tampered with it?

could low compression cause the delayed hot restart? can low compression once the car is running like in the video cause the low power?
#4 by ORCoaster on 18 Oct, 2017 20:55
When I read vanbcguys note I thought, yeah more likely air in the lines then compression. But you say there is no air coming into or going out of the IP. Correct?

So the only thing I would say is that low compression does not generally cause delayed hot restart. But it will cause low power.

So I would be checking the connections on the GP's, pull them all and see if they actually glow when 12 volts are applied. Then make sure you get that when the key is turned on. Just hook a meter to the buss bar or the fuse on the firewall. Verify you have a good connection from battery to fuse to buss bar. If you have not checked the ground straps on the trans and engine then do that as well. Tis the season to be cleaning those.

Injectors are suspect here as well. So have you run some diesel purge through the system recently?

Since you have the IP hooked to lines that are not part of the standard system you can figure out what the pumping volume is by letting it idle at about 1000 rpms and have the output from the IP go into a second container. Do that for 90 seconds and see if you end up with close to a liter of diesel. If you don't have that kind of volume I would be thinking along the line of the pressure regulator at the front of the pump being low. You can correct that but it is a touchy thing and you do it with a punch and hammer. Not exactly the fine tools you would think VW would use.

Out of ideas until you tell me the results of the suggested fixes.
#5 by Dakotakid on 19 Oct, 2017 01:26
IN bolt and OUT bolt in respective places?
#6 by air-cooled or diesel on 19 Oct, 2017 11:17
it would seem a inj pump problem, air in the system would seem the most likely cause, is it possible you missing it?not seeing it? thats an easy case, air gets in, esp after a few minutes of sitting. usually an easy one, its usually the main seal, 1st that is. other seals may have problems as well. takes a while of cranking for the inj pump to get primed, again, and fuel (enough) to get to injectors. its also very possible an internal problem. <perhaps it takes a while for pump to build pressure up, and/or get on the intake,low pressure side, fuel to flow. then it never has free fuel flow, or enough pressure. id do a simple test. unhook inj lines @injectors. dont just crack. another thing you can do/i would do, relieve cyl pressure. either take out glow plugs, or injectors. in this, with inj lines off of injectors, you will crank, or if you take my advice, let engine turn freely, freewheel. let sit like you normally have problem. so maybe at least 1/2 hr sitting. you want to see whats coming out of that side on inj lines. crank freely for a while, if you think starter will, or could be a problem, feel for too much heat. theres really no pressure there, just turn it over and see whats coming out of your lines.
if you have glow plugs out, do not hook up inj lines to injectors!
#7 by fatmobile on 24 Oct, 2017 13:54
Retatrded timing?
Advance it a little and see what happens.
Bottle feeding with the bottle above the pump or sitting on the ground?