Diesel Doctor Wanted...

[vyv_cox]

I feel certain that Easistart or its equivalent will be available in Norway. It's an aerosol can of di-ethyl ether that runs very readily in a compression-ignition engine. You don't need to make any adjustments or changes to the fuel system as the Easistart is squirted into the air filter as the engine is turned over. The beauty of this is that:

a. It effectively eliminates the fuel system from the equation. If the engine runs on it you know that nothing else is wrong.

b. If there is air in the system you can often get the engine away by giving it a bit of encouragement from the Easistart. As you have found out, very little fuel is moved per revolution of the engine and the starter motor struggles. Having it run on an alternative fuel makes everything happen much faster.

In the short term the oil change will have no effect on the engine. Certainly won't stop it from starting.

Adjust your tappets like this. Count the number, usually two per cylinder, so 8 for a 4 cylinder, for example. Make adjustments so the valve checks add up to the number plus 1, so check No.8 with No. 1 depressed, No.2 with No. 7 depressed, etc. This normally works for all numbers of cylinders.

 

[duncan]

not more help for you I am afraid but a request for help!
you mentioned oil bypassing the head gasket and getting into the cooling water.
How did this look? I am getting a grey substance appearing in the header tank but it collects at the bottom not floating on the surface - can this be oil - does antifreeze int eh water make a difference to which floats? As you I have checked but do not seem to have water in the oil at all and both water and oil levels remain constant apart from this tiny amount of 'something'. Power is completely unaffected - this is a large (newish) diesel in a planning power boat. Any comment s appreciated.
Good luck with yours

 

[frilaens]

I can't tell you the exact revs but if I used mine over 3-4 knots of a possible 5-6, then the cooling water became grey and then black with oil in an emulsion (engine is seawater cooled). The problem was in one corner of a hole in the gasket for cooling water, near the oil inlet. I reckon the oil pressure was higher than the cooling water at higher revs and over a threshold that opened the gasket and allowed the oil to leak. I never had water enter the oil. Symptoms (apart from black cooling water!) were it used a lot of oil in a short period. Luckily I had noticed before it started overheating and could run by just topping up oil. I haven't managed to start the motor yet after replacing the gasket so I may not have fixed the problem! Curiously the cylinder block had 4 round cooling water holes but the cylinder head had one which was half round and half triangular (and a much smaller hole). The gasket had this same semi-circle-triangle shape and this was where the problem was.

Andy

 

[duncan]

thank you - sounds like I have a similar problem but at either an earlier stage or just a smaller issue. Being freshwater cooled the oil circulates in the cooling water but when it gets into the header tank it cannot get suck back as the pipe doesn't go to the bottom - and it collects there over time.
I still don't understand why it doesn't float though? Maybe someone can explain the differeing relationships between oil, water, antifreeze, temperature and pressure.......

thanks again

 

[aztec]

hi again, the valves are where the problem will lie, lack of compression, the marks on the tube under the nut are for an alluminium locking clamp, this may only be used on twin cylinder applications. as long as you've done it up it should be fine.

to do the valves, get them to rock.. so one's opening when the other is closing. then mark the flywheel or front pulley, then turn the engine by hand one revolution.. 360 degrees the cam/valves shoukld now be on the back of the lobes, and closed. adjust the valves to the recommended clearances. thuis should have her up and running. check the clearances again after a few hours running to make sure all is well.

all the best, steve.

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://homepage.ntlworld.com/s.amos/index.html>http://homepage.ntlworld.com/s.amos/index.html</A>

 

[frilaens]

I found the "easistart" in my local gas station so I'll try it tonight. I've checked the gaps in the way recommended but the adjustment made on them was minimal so I am not too optimistic. The oil change is not a factor (just something I knew I needed to do anyhow.) So, I still can't really see where the problem lies; maybe the timing on the high pressure pump is out.

Andy

 

[jleaworthy]

Just picked up this subject. Have you used the correct cold start routine? With the Volvo 2000 series you have to first open the throttle at least half way; then operate the engine cut-out lever, and then start the engine. Best of luck

 

[duncan]

thank you for your help the other day - I though you might be interested in what is now believed to be the cause of the 'oil' in my cooling water.
Foundry sand............
Stubborn clump refuses to be washed out initially - 100 hours later starts to breakdown and, combines/reacts with antifreeze to do a damm good impression of emulsified oil - (4/4 of the engineers who expressed an initial opinion said head gasket). Even a few basic flushes through didn't remove it all so a more thorough flushing process to be followed!
regards

 

[brianrunyard]

As I said before, Check the Injection Timing.

Brian
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/brunyard

 

[frilaens]

Thank-you to Diesel Doctors

Many thanks for everyones help; I'm sure I will be asking for advice in the future

After finishing off a few of the "routine" jobs on the motor I finally gave it a burst of "Easistart" and to my astonishment it caught immediately. I now know the cold start proceedure and will use it in the future (I have not used it in 4 years thinking cold meant low air tempreatures.) After warming it up at higher revs and in-gear I re-adjusted the gaps. The cooling water contained no oil (so far) so my head gasket change appears to be OK and the original problem solved. The cooling system functions normally after the overhaul of the pump.

However, at idle the motor died occasionally and ran a little erratically so I will look at the injector timing and the idle adjustment. Tonight I will try and start it from cold. I also think the engine is knocking; but this is difficult to compare to "normal" as I took out all the old sound insulation ready to replace it. Mis-timing of the injector pump might be a cause here too.

Again, I appreciate the help.

Andy

Now the fuel gauge has stopped working.....

 

[vyv_cox]

Re: Thank-you to Diesel Doctors

Glad it worked out. Now put the Easistart at the bottom of a locker and never use it again, except in the absolutely direst emergency. Any engine should start without need for this stuff but if you continue to use it the engine's requirement for it will increase.

 

[chippie]

Re: Thank-you to Diesel Doctors

Vyv, what is the mechanism that makes an engine's need for easistart increase?
I thought that it was more a case of treating the symptom instead of the illness, ie an engine that already had a problem.

Cheers

 

[vyv_cox]

Re: Thank-you to Diesel Doctors

It's a good question that I have pondered on occasion. Two possibilities:

1.The compression is so bad that the fuel cannot ignite at the temperature generated. Easistart overcomes this problem, but the engine continues to deteriorate anyway, so continued use of Easistart is inevitable.

2. Easistart flushes the bores and rings, reducing or eliminating lubrication during the critical first few firing strokes. This accelerates an already bad situation and the bore/ring surfaces scuff, in addition to their already worn condition. Wear becomes far more severe, as the scuffed surfaces bed in and begin to polish as the engine runs normally, but are then re-scuffed at the next (Easi)start.

It's maybe six of one and half a dozen of the other. I have heard that engines that start easily in summer but not winter, if started in winter with Easistart are then found to need it in summer as well.

 

[yachtcharisma]

Easistart and 2 strokes

While we're on the subject of easistart, I was looking at a can of the stuff when having trouble with my outboard a while ago, and several of the cans specifically warned against using with two stroke engines. As it happened, I traced the problem elsewhere before needing to use it anyway, so never got to experiment, but do you know why there might have been such a warning? Does it damage the engine more than in a four stroke (dissolving the oil?). Or is it actually dangerous??

Cheers
Patrick

==================
Sailing a Corribee
vzone.virgin.net/patrick.fox
==================

 

[vyv_cox]

Re: Easistart and 2 strokes

It is a very effective washing agent for lubricants. I can only guess that it could cause damage to bearings in a two-stroke that would not occur in a four stroke?

Another thing about it is that ether is a very effective fuel. Many, many years ago a guy I knew had a Mini and discovered that squirting Easistart into the carburettor increased power output quite dramatically. He rigged up a can by the speedometer, piped through to the air cleaner just the other side of the bulkhead, and gave it a squirt when overtaking. Quite effective for a while, until the engine gave way and blew up!

 

[frilaens]

I looked at the injection pump in more detail last night and took the cylinder out. On the cylinder is a nut and grips, and it is sealed above the thread with an o ring. On the side is a yelow dab of paint and a corresponding dab on the engine block, along with the number 5 stamped on it. I think I can safely say the pump had been moved when I took the fule pipe off (as I didn't realize the o ring arrangement) and when tightening the nut on the fuel pipe olive I saw it move...

So my question is; how would one get it back to it's original position? And is this adjustment of the pump body to do with the injection timing? One would intuatively say that this o ring arrangement must be for adjustment; but what is the number 5? Five turns before lining up the yellow dabs?

Needless to say she wouldn't start cold last night with and without start gas. She did catch a couple of times (without the gas) but never ran. And I may have overheated the starting motor....

Regards,

Andy

 

[johnt]

Kan du oversaet til englansk . jeg kan ikke snakke norsk

and your recent posts still indicate your problem is in your fuel lines or lift pump! not the pressure pump ; as I said ..if it hasnt been disturbed ....its not out if timing, or the engine would never have run!

 

[frilaens]

I looked in more detail at the internal parts of the high pressure pump and now know that the o ring arrangement is not for adjusting it. If it is screwed in fuly then the yellow dabs of paint almost match up. I thought I had disturbed it when it moved along with the locking nut on the fuel pipe. Last night I managed to get her running again after bleeding air at the injector. I did this for a long time (several minutes) and several times but never saw completely bubble free diesel. My conclusions were;

1 that as I was watching the top of the nut there may be air coming in through the threads (unlikely?)

2 there is so much air in the pump and pipe (or from the filters) that it would take several minutes to clear

3 that the pipe between the pump and injector is actually difficult to clear (it has several bends and loops)

I will re-check the low pressure side and repeat the high pressure side until I get bubble free diesel. The engine caught almost immediately last night but ran for only a few minutes at high revs (sounded OK) but would never idle without slowly stopping.

Andy

 

[brianrunyard]

You're sucking in air somewhere!


Brian
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/brunyard

 

[oldharry]

Re: Your problem is an air leak.

Definitely you have an air leak on the low pressure side of the fuel lift system. Poor starting, rough running refusal to idle properly, dying out at idle, all point to this as the problem.

Replace ALL the sealing washers on the pipe junctions between the fuel lift pump and the injection pump, and check all fuel connections back to the tank. It only takes a tiny leak to cause problems. Dry off each pipe joint carefully, then pump up the fuel lift pump manually without starting the engine to check if there is any trace of fuel escaping.

Injector pumps suck fuel in in 'gulps', which create a momentary suction in the fuel line. If there is the slightest air leak anywhere, air will enter. The minute - sometimes microsopic - bubbles are enough to cause rough running, poor idling, or even to stop the engine altogether. They can be so small as to be invisible when bleeding at the injectors, and still cause bad problems. At the next cold start the bubbles that were in suspension may have introduced enough air to airlock the injectors, preventing it from starting at all, even though it ran 'yesterday'.

DONT fiddle with the injection pump unless you know exactly what you are doing with it - they need very precise setting up by an experienced engineer, and it is definitely not a job for the DIYer. Although precise injector timing is critical for satisfactory performance, an otherwise good engine should fire and run reliably if the timing has been set approximately right.