fresh motor, lots of smoke?!

[2mAn]

just finished rebuilding my motor. 1.6 D with all the turbo accesories, but not a TD bottom end....

anyways ive got it to idle but its smoking a LOT. is this common? its white smoke, a LOT of white smoke. i believe everything is timed correctly, but i feel something is still wrong. what can i check to make sure everything is legit? we turned the motor over several times by hand to make sure all the timing marks lined up on the pump sprocket, flywheel and crank. it fires up pretty fast too... im really anxious to start driving it, but theres no way i could drive it with this much smoke

[Black Smokin' Diesel]

The engine needs to be broken in, that's why it smokes. Drive it at night if you have to but drive it.

[2mAn]

Look for air bubbles in the fuel line.  Doublecheck the timing, making sure the cold start lever is in.

Andrew

we've removed most air bubbles from the fuel line. i never use the cold start lever so its in, but not hooked up

[2mAn]

The engine needs to be broken in, that's why it smokes. Drive it at night if you have to but drive it.

thats what i kinda figured... looks like im going driving tonight :lol:

should i be breaking it in the same way as my gas motor was? lower rpms at first, but progressively going higher and higher up? not really babying it, but not abusing it

[Black Smokin' Diesel]

not really babying it, but not abusing it

That's how I'd do it. Try some uphills and acceleration/deceleration (compression) on flat roads.

[blkboostedtruck]

after you put 5 hundred miles on it change oil! after that it should be broke in and no more smoke after warm up! I did have a set of rings once that never broke in and it is still is a mysterie in a motor that rebuilt iv'e never seen nothing like it ! the block had something wrong wih it though it must of really got ran hot at one time where it changed the molecular structure of the casting! because it was even hard to hone out. also when it ran it had white smoke all the time just like when it was first started up. when i tore it back down the rings looked like they were worn out and the cylinders did not have up and down warn marks at all and there was only less then 1000 miles on it.
or maybe i got a bad set of rings ?who knows! well that was my horror story!
 thanks Duane

[jackbombay]

we turned the motor over several times by hand to make sure all the timing marks lined up on the pump sprocket, flywheel and crank.

  But you didn't use a dial gauge to set the timing? If not, find someone with a dial gauge ad set the timing right before messing with anything else.

[bigblockchev]

Sounds like the rings have not seated yet. If they glaze over sometimes they never do seat and the smoking continues. Another thing that I have seen and even been guilty of myself is getting one or more rings in upside down lots of smoke foreverSo far the advice to drive it at moderate loads and vary it a bit is consistant. It should be broken in after several hundred miles. Careful not to get it too hot as the piston clearances are tightest when they are new/rebored. Cheers Dan

[Vincent Waldon]

we turned the motor over several times by hand to make sure all the timing marks lined up on the pump sprocket, flywheel and crank.

  But you didn't use a dial gauge to set the timing? If not, find someone with a dial gauge ad set the timing right before messing with anything else.

2X the above.  You'll get the timing only approximate by lining up marks... for the proper accuracy you need a dial gauge or piezo adapter to a timing light.

[Black Smokin' Diesel]

we turned the motor over several times by hand to make sure all the timing marks lined up on the pump sprocket, flywheel and crank.

  But you didn't use a dial gauge to set the timing? If not, find someone with a dial gauge ad set the timing right before messing with anything else.

2X the above.  You'll get the timing only approximate by lining up marks... for the proper accuracy you need a dial gauge or piezo adapter to a timing light.

Yep. I eyeballed mine when I replaced the head and it ran like *** and smoked BAD untill I got it timed with the gauge.

[hillfolk'r]

after you put 5 hundred miles on it change oil! after that it should be broke in and no more smoke after warm up! I did have a set of rings once that never broke in and it is still is a mysterie in a motor that rebuilt iv'e never seen nothing like it ! the block had something wrong wih it though it must of really got ran hot at one time where it changed the molecular structure of the casting! because it was even hard to hone out. also when it ran it had white smoke all the time just like when it was first started up. when i tore it back down the rings looked like they were worn out and the cylinders did not have up and down warn marks at all and there was only less then 1000 miles on it.
or maybe i got a bad set of rings ?who knows! well that was my horror story!
 thanks Duane

rings should seat within 20 mins
if not you better take it+load it sorta hard...chances are though,if they didnt seat within 20 mins they never will

[2mAn]

we did use a dial gauge to time it. i borrowed one from a friend and using the bentley we set it. but like i said it was our first time so i wouldnt be surprised if its off by a fraction of a mm from where it needs to be.

now as far as the 20min break in goes, can i just let it idle for 20 mins and assume that the rings shouldve broekn in by then? or should i let it run for 20 mins with varying loads and rpms? i wont be driving it during these 20 mins

[myke_w]

Most of the engines that I've rebuilt, timed and bled properly didn't smoke much except for in the first minute or so of running, if it smokes a cloud every time you start it, that's abnormal.

I'd double check timing with the gauge again, it's so easy it's stupid not to, and then you're sure, also leave the gauge in until all the pump bolts are tight, because occasionally tightening them changes timing.

[Vincent Waldon]

Idling doesn't load the rings or force them into different positions within their range of motion, so it won't break them it.  It will, however, allow the cylinder walls time to glaze over, further preventing the rings from breaking in !!

A few minutes of idling to check for leaks on a fresh engine, a quick oil change, and then get that engine out there working for a living.  Working, but not getting hot... little bursts of throttle combined with some time for the cylinders to cool off, varied speeds, etc.