Follow the tubes from oil filter housing to the oil cooler = driver side of radiator.
The rubber hose, and hose crimps is what fails.

UPDATE

I checked and adjusted the valves and replaced the valve cover gasket. Initially the exhaust was really smoky and the idle was pretty rough. No smoke from under the hood.

I put it on the road for a 75 mile (successful!) trip back to my house. I stopped periodically for inspection and nothing looked awry, except the rough idle.
- The engine sounded ok, as long as I was driving 50mph and had the radio above 15! It sounds like doo doo otherwise. The engine was very "click-y".
- After I made it back, I popped the hood and noticed a slight hint of smoke coming from beneath the air filter housing.
- It seems like the clicking noise is coming from this side of the engine as well.
- The exhaust problem dissapated after 20 miles or so.
- The power seemed comparable to pre-incident.

ANy ideas what's up here?

Where the valves tight, before you adjusted them?
Klackta, Klackta, Klackta, Klackta is the normal sound.

the cracking an injector line test yet?

if a bad valve you should be able to hear it. if exhaust in the exhaust note... a phht phht sound. if an intake you will hear it on that side but with a turbo it may be muted.

course it could be a hole in a piston. then you would be getting diesel unburned into the crankcase. so that might make a lot of smoke and would smell like unburned diesel.

tom w

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I am working on the recording, whunter... not really set up for it right now. Great idea...

It looks like I have lost the fourth cylinder from the front, though I suspect that it was misfiring before this whole debacle (after driving another turbo, it was apparent that mine didn't have that kind of power). Here's what I did today...

- I ran the car at idle and loosed the lines from the injectors. All roughened the idle, except for the fourth one.

- I yanked the injector, which looked like crap. There was a ton of buildup around the nozzle.

- I replaced the injector with a freshly tested and cleaned injector. Still no response when removing the line.

So... could this lost cylinder be the result/cause of all of this? Is there any other things I should look for, or does she need the cylinder replaced? How much will it cost (range) to get it fixed? How intensive is this for me to do myself?

Thanks all!

and leakdown test will tell the tale.

tom w

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I suggest you not waste time or effort on testing, until the money question is answered.
How much money are you willing to put in the car; $1000.00 - $7000.00 USD is the range???
Be honest with yourself and us please.

I am willing to put $1000-$2000 into the vehicle...

What's a leakdown test?

Something that can cause an oil leak is the oil return line that goes from the air filter housing back to the engine block. If for some reason it comes off, the oil separator won't work as there is now a pressure difference from inside the air filter to the outside air, which results in air flowing (unfiltered!) into the housing. You'll get a bunch of oil inside the air filter housing, and oil will leak out of the air filter housing (mine has a hole in it that appears factory, dunno if yours will or not).

Hope all your fixes are as simple as the gasket!

__________________
John Robbins
'05 E320 CDI - 240k
'87 300TD - 318k

This is my best guess, and the same advice I have given my sister twice on domestic cars.

Leakdown test is used to check valve seat sealing, and piston ring leakage rate.
I do not know if the test cost can be justified in your budget, unless you answer YES to the three following questions.

Next question:
#1. Can you remove the head yourself?
#2. Can you install the head and set the timing yourself?
#3. Can you live without the car for unknown duration of time?

If any of those are NO, IMO you should get a good used engine, and stop spending any money on your current one.

If you are willing to try to DIY #1 &#2, many here will offer SOLID advice, and there are enough HEAD R&R threads to choke an elephant if they where printed.

There is a very high probability that:
#A. The head gasket is gone = can be fixed by pulling the head.
#B. Rings/piston/cylinder #4 are bad = at least a partial rebuild.
#C. Intake valve stem seal and guide is bad = is a machine shop job.
All require the head off the engine.
Note:
If it is #A and/or #C your budget should cover it.

The choice is yours.
Please let us know your decision, regardless of what it is.

Interesting... I am not yet sure exactly what I am going to do with it. I can probably do without it for a bit, but I'm in Maine and I don't have a garage, so I don't see myself doing it any time soon. Part of me likes the thought of tearing the engine apart... the putting it back together part doesn't sounds as fun.

I was thinking about taking a year or forever in central or south america, so maybe I'll just leave it here for my return (or for someone else to deal with if I never return!).

Perils of continuing to drive it for short trips?

How long would it take a reasonable competent person to replace the head gasket or rebuild a cylinder?

I believe it's about 8 hrs labor. If the head is off- grinding the valves and replacing all the guides+ valve seals is probably $250-400.


Michael

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Michael McGuire
83 300d
01 vw A4 TDI
66 Chevy Corsa
68 GMC V6 w/oD
86 300E

OK... I've done my research. I was a little wary of replacing the head gasket, but it looks like it is well within my tolerance for frustration (at least in theory).

So...
- I order the head gasket kit and the valve stem seal kit
- I follow the necessary steps to remove the head
- I take the valves to a local shop (research I need to do) to be serviced

How will I know whether the cylinder needs to be rebuilt? I have to be honest - anything that requires removing the timing chain and/or the fuel injection timing device looks pretty ugly to me right now.

Also, are there any tests I should run (compression, for instance) before I take the head off of this thing? It seems like I am resigned to pulling it off regardless, eh?

One of the nice things about potentially having to replace an engine... DIY and f' it up and your pretty much where you were going to be any way, eh?

Leakdown test is used to check valve seat sealing, and piston ring leakage rate.
If it says rings/piston = get another engine.