OM617 turbo out of ideas smokes and rough idle

[jpelletier]

So, I will try to keep this short. I have a 84 vintage OM617 turbo diesel, has about 135K on it, had the head done at a reputable machine shop, new guides, oil seals, valves lapped, oil and exhaust seals are correct and I have lashed the valves they are correct. New injectors pop test out at 1900 psi, new injector heat shields, engine compression is 300-310, looking inside cylinders after running engine they are dry ie no oil, primed and bled injector lines, rebuild fuel pump and it seems fine fuel is clean ie no oill leaking from IP into fuel pump, IP was installed at 24 degrees BTDC and I have done this 3 times to be sure it did not jump, chain stretch is just about zero, new glow plugs all heat up fine. No oil in intake or exhaust, exhaust has some soot but nothing unusual.



So, when I start the engine it is smoking and idles really rough, it will idle but rough and smokey, it seems like the JP timing is off, I did have the head off and replaced the front crank seal but I am sure as I can be that I put it back together correctly, verified TDC with the borascope and cam is dead on with cyl 1 exhaust lobe at 45 degrees to the right if looking from front of engine. I did hear the engine run before I bought it a few years ago.



At this point I am out of ideas, I have an original FSM as a reference.


I have followed the threads in this forum for years seems there is a lot of knowledge here so hoping someone has an idea on what may be happening here, thanks