I would sing to you but I want this to be a GOOD day for ya.

but HAPPY BIRTHDAY Maurice.

__________________
Mike Tangas
'73 280SEL 4.5 (9/72)- RIP
Only 8,173 units built from 5/71 thru 11/72

'02 CLK320 Cabriolet - wifey's mid-life crisis

2012 VW Jetta Sportwagon TDI...at least its a diesel

Non illegitemae carborundum.

Thanks guys!! I really needed the boost! At 54 I'm getting to the top of the hill. Got a headache with an 89 VW turbo diesel right now. The engine was re-built - new rings, honed, new mains, new shells, crank redone, seals and the head was pressure tested at a machine shop- valves lapped and lifters looked fine and reinstalled. The engine starts right up with 1/2 a crank but has a steady small 1-2 foot long stream of blue - white smoke from the exhaust that turns into a billow of smoke when you rev the engine. At the same time there is an intermittent knocking sound that causes the engine to shake- pretty sure it is a sticking lifter or cam follower -but the wierd part is - the engine will idle smoothly while puffing the blue-white smoke then after a few minutes will start clanking (lifter sticking) and shaking like it has a strong miss. Only problem is - if I loosen the injector lines one at a time and then tighten - they ALL cause a drop in engine speed - so all cylinders are firing even with the shaking like a miss. When it starts clanking with the miss - the revs go UP about 100-200 rpm and the smoke increases to a cloud. As the clanking goes away after 15-20 seconds the shaking stops, the revs go down and the smoke goes down to a puffing level again. Normally bad injectors cause black smoke and in real bad ring cases the engine oil is burned with the diesel and you don't normally see blue smoke out the exhaust. The smoke is the same color as unburned diesel on a cold start and continues even when the engine is at operating temp. I am leaning towards too much diesel being injected into the cylinders - so much so that the smoke is not black but blue - only thing is - the injectors were pressure tested OK before being reinstalled. What else can cause too much diesel to be injected? This is my son's car - talk about a great birthday present - when he says "Dad - fix it". Once I find the problems I will post back, but in all my years of diesel work - have never had one like this! - Oh well - live and keep learning!

Well now I can have a belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I got the diesel working great. The knocking was a sticking lifter - replaced and cured that problem- sure sounded like a rod knocking though. Had a diesel man suggest that if an injection pump has not been used in a while they can cause a lot of blue smoke even if the car runs good. Sometimes they come back - sometimes they have to be rebuilt or changed. I filled the injection pump with ATF and let it sit for a day. Then I started driving the car for a couple of hours and slowly but surely the smoke started to disappear. It now is fine. Just learned another thing with diesels that I did not know. With a sigh of relief I now say thank you for your birthday wishes!!!:p :p :p :p

Happy Birthday either way just be sure to enjoy each day to it's fullest. !!!!!

__________________
1994 E500 (MY SUNDAY DRIVER)
1993 190E SPORTLINE LE W/ M104 SWAP
1997 C230
2002 ML320
2000 BMW 528I (WIFEY'S CAR)

"Excuses are crutches for the unfounded."