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  #21  
Old 12-07-2009, 08:20 AM
Slobodan Slobodan is offline
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I would do it, but I am helping 77volvo245 with a head gasket today.
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  #22  
Old 12-07-2009, 09:50 AM
Josh Josh is offline
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Well, we're going to see what exactly is wrong with it today (even though its 22 degrees).

Sadly, if the headgasket is gone or worse, we're thinking about buying a donor car and switching it over to B230FT with a 5-speed.. It'd almost be cheaper than rebuilding and would most definitely be more fun to drive at that point.
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  #23  
Old 12-07-2009, 10:05 AM
IceV_760 IceV_760 is offline
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Dont listen gasser guys about funnines of b230:s,
their just jealous since they cant get their hands to diesels.
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  #24  
Old 12-07-2009, 12:35 PM
Josh Josh is offline
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Hmm... dad was able to put his finger up to the #1 cylinder glow plug hole while I turned it over and it didn't hurt him... shouldn't it be pretty intense compression coming through that hole?
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  #25  
Old 12-07-2009, 02:38 PM
Josh Josh is offline
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Took out the glow plug for the #4 cylinder and it was dripping with oil... any idea what that would mean?
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  #26  
Old 12-07-2009, 02:57 PM
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Maybe you lost a ring on one of the pistons. Yes there should be a decent amount of air comming out of the glow plug hole on the compression stroke. I still don't see how this happened over night!

Jason
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  #27  
Old 12-07-2009, 03:31 PM
Josh Josh is offline
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Well it didn't just happen overnight. Its been getting harder and harder to start ever since I bought it. In the last few weeks it sometimes would take quite a bit of cranking to get it to spin up, and I'd have to pump the gas to get it to build up the revs from zero. It was smoking quite a bit more the last week it was running than any other time... Not really an instant problem.
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  #28  
Old 12-07-2009, 04:37 PM
EvoStevo EvoStevo is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Josh View Post
Well it didn't just happen overnight. Its been getting harder and harder to start ever since I bought it. In the last few weeks it sometimes would take quite a bit of cranking to get it to spin up, and I'd have to pump the gas to get it to build up the revs from zero. It was smoking quite a bit more the last week it was running than any other time... Not really an instant problem.
Sounds very similar to what happened with mine. Hope you can figure it out. I'll start trying to fix mine again when it stops raining then maybe you and I can compare notes.
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  #29  
Old 12-07-2009, 06:35 PM
v8volvo v8volvo is offline
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Almost guarantee you the #4 glow plug you took out that you thought was wet with oil is actually soaked in fuel. Odds are your injectors have never been rebuilt, and after a few hundred thousand miles and over two decades, they are beginning to leak... not to mention which, you have been cranking it over and trying to start it. The front three glow plugs were dry when you took them out because they are still live, according to your resistance measurements, so they have been getting hot enough to burn the fuel off of them when it gets sprayed down by the injector above. I'll bet money that the #4 plug is dead, and that is why it is wet, and also part of why the motor is not starting.

I think your problems are probably not as serious as you think they are. Despite their reputation, these engines are actually pretty tough units as long as they are not abused (which really means only three things: use of low-quality non-synthetic oil, overheating, or neglect of routine maintenance such as timing belts, valve adjustments, glow plugs and injector rebuilds). In the wintertime, when the cold weather sets in, there is always a rash of people thinking their car has finally died because it won't start anymore. Notice that here in the Pacific Northwest (I'm a few hours north of you in Seattle), we are experiencing temperatures that are about as cold as it ever gets around our region. These are the kinds of conditions that test your diesel's cold starting ability, which means timing, valves, injectors, and most of all, glow plugs. If an IDI diesel has good glow plugs in all cylinders it WILL start even if it is very worn, assuming other factors (timing, valves, fuel etc) are in spec. I am virtually certain engine wear is not the cause of your sudden failure. It might be an ongoing issue in your motor's life, but I believe it is not what caused this particular episode.

If it was smoking a particularly large amount leading up to the no-start, I would be looking more and more at fuel quality and at engine timing. Is the crank bolt loose, allowing the timing belt drive sprocket to slip? What about the front or rear cam sprocket bolts? If any of those works loose enough for the sprocket to move, the engine will come out of time and not start. I mentioned before about doing a rudimentary visual check of basic timing, which requires no tools and will ensure that the timing is at least close enough for the engine to start. Give that a try and see what you find out.

Smoke is also caused by incorrectly adjusted valves, and if they are severely out of adjustment it can cause a loss of compression. As the valves and valve seats wear, the valve lash DECREASES (contrary to what most people assume). The valves get tighter, not looser. If neglected, they eventually tighten up to the point that they are not completely closing, and that causes major issues since the cylinder seal is lost and achieving full compression is impossible. That might be why you experienced additional smoke and felt so little compression from one of your cylinders. If you don't know whether the valves are properly adjusted, get a set of angled feeler gauges for a few bucks and check it. Takes only about 10 minutes.

If one or multiple cylinders are low on compression, you will be able to hear it as the engine cranks, since the cranking speed will be irregular. Do you hear an abnormal rhythm as it cranks on the starter?

What kind of fuel do you have in it? If it's diesel, is it winterized to deal with cold temps? If it's biodiesel, could the cold weather have gelled it up?

Don't give up hope and switch to the dark side. A gasser swap is not the answer! I think you're looking at something simpler than you expect, like a failed injector, a bunch of bad glow plugs, wrong timing, wrong valve lash, or some bad fuel. D24Ts do wear out, but not in a week. That is still considered a very short progression of symptoms... yes, I almost would call it an "instant problem." Cover all the basics before you assume the worst. I believe your diesel will ride again.
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  #30  
Old 12-07-2009, 06:52 PM
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From what I read you had said it was running a few hours before and now wouldn't do anything. I was under the impression that it was a sudden problem. Even with the harder starting over time, I absolutely agree with everything George said. Did you check the wet glow plug for being good? I would bet two of those back three were already bad, and when the 3rd went bad and the temps dropped that little extra bit, it was no go.

Let us know what you find.

Jason
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Back again with a '84 760 GLE D24T/ZF

SOLD but not forgotten! 1984
760 Sedan, built D24Tic/ T-5 swapped

My engine build: http://www.d24t.com/showthread.php?t...t=engine+build
T-5 swap: http://d24t.com/showthread.php?399-W...to-quot-w-pics!
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