Another one of my little problems...Cold start.

[pyromaniac_yeti]

When i start my car in the morning, it fires, runs lovely then after a few seconds starts bogging down and sounding like its running on three cylinders. It smokes a helluva lot of blue/white smoke whilst doing this. Has done scince i got it, but stops as soon as the engines revved a few times/you blast it down the road.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1blN13pZAos

Im 99% sure its not a headgasket, as the engine doesnt overheat or burn excess oil (that i've noticed!)

However, it does smoke like anything out of the breather pipe. I mean realy realy badly, leading me to think the bottom end is on its way, that theres a lot of pressure in the crankcase that there shouldnt be for whatever reason. Its been like that scince i got it.

Also, it'll boost happily up to 17psi, then it'll judder. going between 9psi and 17psi like im pumping the throttle - im assuming the actuator/turbo is shot. I've turned the boost controller right back down, and wound the fuel screw back to where it was to try and get as much life out of the engine which im convinced has only got a few months tops left in it, but it'll now boost up to around 14-15psi then bomb back out to around 10 and fluctuate like crazy. Im not sure what standard pressure should be, but it was running 15psi when i got it, and i opened the fuel screw 1/4 turn from where it was then.

In all seriousness, im beginning to think i'd have been better off getting a clean standard 1.2 and converting it to diesel...this things becoming a severe pain in the **** :mad:

[MK999]

Both of my diesel engines breathed heavily, I put it down to the massive compression pushing way more than a petrol past the rings, which aren't massively different on a diesel, normally a pretty similar 2+1 setup but with thicker rings to take the pressure in terms of bending etc, seal wise they're probably worse off being thicker... spoke to Will F about it for quite a while actually and he agreed it was a fairly logical explanation.

Not sure about the boost issue, odd that it was running 15 as it should be around 9 up to about 10 way past the max power, I haven't wound that engine up as high as 17+ so it's possible something didn't like the extra boost, possibly the pop off valve although that normally dumps everything when it senses overboost. Wonder if being sat for a couple weeks made the actuator a bit sticky in diesel muck but it seems unlikely.

Starting issue is most likely the shims not giving clearance, did mention that to you when you picked it up. The white is unburnt diesel, not oil which is noticably a lot more 'blue'. Although it was never quite that bad when I had it so it's possible the extra boost or being sat for a couple weeks has upset something.

You're welcome to the 2nd engine I offered you with the car still, it's not runnable atm but it would be fine for a rebuild and saves you losing the car for a while. I'm happy too look into parts costs etc through work too if you wanted.

edit: Just noticed you mention in another thread that it's lost the heater matrix? Is the cooling system shot?

[Balley]

Every Td nova I have had has done this. Its either the glow plugs or the valve clearances. I did my clearances and it stopped it :) Bit or a Cun7 to do though!!

[Will F]

As above - really common and nothing to worry about (the start up issue), its prob glow plugs tbh

Re the breathing, diesels do 'breathe' a bit more than a petrol engine, it could be condensation that your seeing though, cos if it was breating that heavily you would be blowing the dipstick out and oil seals etc...

[pyromaniac_yeti]

Idk, now its being plain weird. Im now seeing a spike to 17psi, and then dropping back down to 15psi as normal. Im pretty sure now i've got some muck in the actuator when we did the alternator, ill get a petrol soaked rag and give it a good clean all round.

Tbh, those cheapo ebay spec boost controllers are a nightmare. We had one fitted on the turbo civic and it ended up in the bin within a month. kept spiking up, kicking the saftey in on the ecu and shutting everything down. This might be half the problem if its leaking or something, then suddenly starting to work and letting the actuator see the pressure, actuator then proceeds to shut all the boost down to factory settings. I'll investigate this, clean the boost controller out with some WD40 or something and see where that gets me.

I'll pull the glow plugs one by one - if it is one of the plugs not heating propperly then replace the duff one. If i remember rightly blue/white = good, red/orange/**** all = shot?

See where all of this gets me, as its not going to break the bank or take any amount of time to do and go from there - how do i go about doing the valve clearances? Only thing i've ever done them on was a mini, and being OHC this would be completely different i'd imagine. :confused:

On a side note, the cooling systems fine - just the damn heater! beginning to think its blocked somewhere along the line. Again, a weekend job.


did mention that to you when you picked it up.
Several hours of public transport does tend to turn ones brain into a cabbage! There's always silly little bits i'll forget from any conversation lol

Regarding the boost level, can anyone see problems increasing it to 20psi when my intercooler gets here?

[MK999]

Regarding the boost level, can anyone see problems increasing it to 20psi when my intercooler gets here?

Check the clearances before you push it harder, got a really pretty valve at work with big lines melted out of it from a bad seat (same effect as no clearance) and overboost in a lancia delta integrale.

Just noticed you asked how, whip the rocker off, make sure the cams you're testing have the nose pointing straight up, and slide a feeler gauge under them, if 10 thou fits and 9 thou doesn't you have a 9 thou clearance, etc. Then it's a case of working out what the clearance needs to be and getting the right shim... this is the difficult bit as vauxhall are all out of most, so it's aftermarket.

[pyromaniac_yeti]

I'll be checking that before i wind it up anymore then!

By any chance does this mean that the cam has to come out to fit said shims if i can get my hands on em??

[Balley]

No you can get them out with a couple of screw drivers by opening the valve and then flicking them out.. The Inlets will be to tight. I would guess a couple of them are constantly open as mine were. I ground my shims down on a service grinder as trying to get new ones is hard work and can take a few days. Its a ball ache though as because there is no clearance you have to keep guessing how much to take off, then put it back in and try again etc...

Once its done though it will make a big difference.

[pyromaniac_yeti]

After some swearing and a failed attempt to solve the boosting problem by blasting all the controller through with WD40 it led me to a theory as to what is going on.

I stripped the boost controller itself, and found that it is just a pin, with a thread on it. you open the boost controller up, it makes the hole bigger. nothings blocked.

I then checked the hose down to it, completely clear. so its not that.

Got to the T piece and found it did different things on different ports. Conclusion, its not a normal T piece at all, more moving parts more problems so proceeded to unbolt it all to find a ball/spring valve?! Bollocks that, my audi had a boost controller made from a fishtank valve, fishtank T piece and washer tubing and that worked perfectly. pulled the ball and spring out and binned...

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/302606_10150973799090054_816330053_21954676_102853 2237_n.jpg

Im thinking that if im running enough boost to push that ball back far enough to seal the take off for the boost controller then that'd cause the bouncing! it'd be jamming the wasegate back to standard boost...

Whilst under there i also spotted this:

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/306301_10150973799070054_816330053_21954674_288883 137_n.jpg

Now im assuming that this is the overboost valve...and that said valve was partially opening due to the gaffa tape coming part off and that'd be why its not dumping all the boost!

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/319208_10150973799200054_816330053_21954679_492936 28_n.jpg

The overboost valve would explain the jumping around of the boost, and the ball & spring would explain why the boost doesnt adjust the way i'd expect it to!

I'll have to try using the newly adapted boost controller to catch the boost a couple PSI before the valve opens for the time being, and try and get ahold of a huge bolt to blank it. possibly out of a household radiator or something, idk yet. Suggestions are as always very much welcome on that one! :thumb:

[paddy quinn]

i say loose injector mine misfired when cold before i tightend them all