NO START after HEAD REBUILD and install...
 

well, just had the head rebuilt on my 300td, and have finally completed installation, after some setbacks mentioned in this POST.

I set valve clearances, got her all put back together, took a deep breath, and tried to start her. No go. :(

I pumped the primer til I heard it squirting and fill the secondary filter. No go.
I unscrewed the injector lines at the injectors and gave her ignition until I could see fuel coming out. Reattached and still no go.

I've been turning her over again and again, and can't get the slightest sign of starting, and ZERO smoke out of the tailpipe. :confused:

What are some conditions that would allow for what I'm describing?

I know there was a question in my post (linked above) as to whether I'd skipped a tooth and would possibly need to time the IP...but if that were the case, would I be getting black smoke, or at least some indication of bad timing other than the simple nothing I'm getting now?

What shape is the Pre-Glow system in?
 

Glow system status?

Take it from someone who has had timing after head rebuild WAY off, you would at least have some indication of ignition. I can't remember exactly (it was over a year ago and my short term just ain't what it used to be), but I want to say I was off by 10 or 12 teeth on the cam. It was a disaster figuring it all out. But even with that I was able to drive it down the road--ran like crap, but I was still able to drive. As long as you don't have valve to piston interference, I would think it'd at least give you a little ignition. As suggested, I would look at glow plugs. After that, I'd consider testing compression just to make sure you didn't adjust valves opposite of their stroke. One thing that I do remember helped me alot in getting timing back was taking off the #1 injector line and rotating the motor to see when the valve would spit. Then look at the cam lobe on #1 to see if you're on the right stroke. I would also look to make sure that vacuum shutoff on the ip didn't get bumped around during the head r&r.

Good luck!

If it's not the glow plugs, set the engine to the zero degree mark on the damper and take a look at the #1 set of valves (thorugh the oil fill). Can you see the cam lobes pointing upward to some degree............or do you see no lobes and the lobes are pointed downward?

Please don.t take offense, but could you possibly be 180 degrees out on the valve timing? The fact that your not getting anything at all, and you are showing fuel at the injector lines is kind of odd. Good luck

I would turn the engine over manually till the first injector sprays. You may have to get an old injector line from the salvage yards or somewhere if you cannot utilise one of your own.

The bottom crank pulley should be somewhere around 14 degrees before top dead centre when this occurs. Now you check your first cylinders cam lobes for being in an upward position.

If the lobes are pointing downward you are out 180 degrees on the cam in relationship to the injection pump. Remember the crank has to rotate twice to get one single spray from the number one injector. So on one crank rotation there is no spray.

Unfortunatly if the cam lobes are pointing in a downward position when the pump sprays the cam will have to be corrected. Since you cannot rotate the cam with the head back on. You will have to either remove the valve rockers or lift the cam off the head to reset it. At least just time rather than money.

One final thing I always did on a rebuilt head before installing it. I invert the head and apply some thin oil to each valve/valve seat area. Let it sit awhile and verify the oil is still all there. If it has escaped on one or more seats the valve job is pretty poor and I will send the head back. For the time and effort to do this simple check it is time well spent.

If your 180 degrees off on the injection pump timing, the engine will still run if you can belive it.

I believe the correct statement is that the engine "might run". Others have been successful in starting it with heavy smoke. But, I wouldn't want to take this tidbit to the bank on an engine with unknown compression.

Compression?
 

Have you performed a compression check?

SteveM

It was me
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/198092-ip-timing-after-valve-job.html?highlight=head

All i can say start from the basic,damper cam shaft marks shoud be aligned,rotate by hand ,if valves dont hit piston you are good.

Good luck.
PS . Car runs great after head rebuild.

awwww....
 

thanks for the replies, guys.

glow plugs are good.
man, at TDC the lobes of #1 definitely aren't pointing "UP." :o

how in the hell did i manage that?
and what do i have to do now? any advice on what's the best/quickest way to fix?

You really need a compression test.

perhaps you forgot the head gasket?
perhaps you didnt use heat sheilds on your injectors...etc...

we need to know if you have compression to ignite

The engine has two times it is at top centre indicated at the crank in the otto cycle. On the power stroke initiation both valves are closed and the injector has just finished squirting. The lobes are pointing upward. The next time it approaches top centre it is just finishing its exhaust extraction from the power stroke and the inlet valve is starting to open to admit fresh air for the forthcoming power stroke. So the lobes are generally pointing downward to activate the valves.
So if you where to rotate your crank one more turn the lobes will be upward. Your real problem is to find out if the number one injector is spraying on the right stroke.

So far you have just got the engine up on its exhaust and intake stroke. You do not yet know if the injector is spraying at that point or where it should be really activating at the initiation of the power stroke. You have a little more work to do. If you find this confusing another way to express it is one rotation of the crank will place the cam timing mark 180 degrees from the next turn of the crank. The injection pump turns at half the crankshaft speed as well. The relationship between the cam and injection pump can be easily disturbed when removing and installing a head.

Thats why you should make sure the cam mark is on before removing the head just before you removed it. Then after the valve job install the head again in a fashion that duplicates what you had. Paint marks on the cam sprocket and chain are also a good refference to use by the way. Otherwise you run a fifty/fifty chance of getting the cam relationship to the injection pump wrong.

You still have to verify what stroke the injection of fuel on number one cylinder is occuring. You can use the line with the injector in the open air or the welling up method in the number one injection pump element. The welling up method you can read about in the archives should be good enough for your purposes. Easier to manage as well in my opinion.

I may have misunderstood your post but think not. If you want to see your cam lobes pointing generally upward just rotate the crankshaft one more turn to top dead centre indicated. Also ask any questions that occur to you so members on site can attempt to clarify anything. There is yet no proof that you are out of sequence just because you see the cam lobes pointing down.

Let's be careful here.

One out of every two rotations, the lobes will be down and both valves will be open. This is normal. Rotate the engine 360 degrees and the lobes will be up and the valves will be closed.

The question is whether the camshaft is in time with the IP. Does the #1 cylinder get fuel on the proper compression stroke and not on the exhaust stroke.

You'll probably need to remove the delivery valve and spring from #1 and see if it delivers fuel on the compression stroke (as determined by the current cam position).

i'm trying
 

well, i'm working THREE jobs right now, so i haven't been able to get back to wrenchin' until today.

the head gasket is definitely on.
the injector heat shields are definitely in.
the glow plugs are definitely wired and hot.

i went to test the 'start of delivery' by removing the #1 injector spring and valve and connected my home-made drip tube. i wired the IP linkage into the 'up' position and disconnected the vacuum hose to the IP, and:

i can't get the drip tube to drip anything when i rotate by hand. when i turn it with the key, i get a stream, but obviously no way to tell when it's squirting when using the ignition. i can't turn her over by using the PS bolt, so i've been underneath turning the crank and waiting for the drip tube to drop some in my eyeball. so far, no luck!