Remotor question

[gunner 6165]

My Suburban is smoking alot more at start up, some black, mostly white/gray (looks like it anyway in side view mirror), guessing it's the cracked block thing. :eek: Any sure fire indications to tell for sure? It only smokes on first start up of the day.

IF so, besides the Hummer block and GM crate, who else does reman'd motors? Money is a limiting factor right now. :(
Any and all suggestions are welcome.

[markrinker]

Could be alot of things - I wouldn't assume the worst just yet.

First of all, some smoke on startup is completely normal. If there is more than usual, have you checked normal startup items like 8 new glow plugs? How many miles on those injectors?

If you invested in both of these items, you could also get a compression check done at the same time, and have a pretty good gauge on the health of your rings and/or cylinder bores if you are still concerned with cracks.

If anything was way out of spec, you could make the decision then to pull the motor and dig deeper into the problem.

[DmaxMaverick]

Mark is correct.

Some smoke at a cold startup is normal. Excessive smoke is usually caused by bad glow plugs, bad injectors, and/or off timing. There are other possible causes, but these are the most common.

If you have a cracked block/head, there should be a noticeable drop in cylinder compression, which can cause a rough running engine once it warms up. It will also show a loss of coolant over time.

If you haven't done a compression check, and are still concerned, do one.

Also, remove the radiator cap when the engine is cold. Check for an "oil slick" or black scum on the top of the coolant. Watch for gases (bubbles) after startup, and as it warms up to operating temp. An oil slick or gases coming out of the coolant indicates combustion gases getting into the coolant. If the coolant is clean, and the level remains constant, you probably don't have a crack problem.

[gunner 6165]

Thanks for the info Mark and DmaxMaverick.

I have not changed anything on the truck yet but the oil and a few light bulbs. Have not yet gotten much other info on what else was changed.

I've been driving it to see if it has any major issues before I go and spend money on getting it in shape, and it really has none except this.


I'll get the compression test done, and then go from there.

Thanks for the glimmer of hope, I'll post results when I get them

[Hye]

PMD Velcro'd to intake???
I hope it has a heat sink too.
You don't say how many miles on the odometer. If less than 120K, read "DS4 Electronic Fuel Injection Pump Warranty Replacement Policy #00064D" in the member's area. Under 120K or not, do a search on PMD Heatsink using the tiny "search" below the flashin banner at the top of the page.

[gunner 6165]

Nope, no heat sink on the PMD, just velcro holding it against the pipe into the intake manifold. I know about the heat sink, just waiting for this one to go before I add that.

The Suburban has 164K on it so I know the warranty is no longer good.

[Dvldog 8793]

Howdy
By velcroing the PMD to the intake I would really want to have a new PMD sitting in the seat with me as the old one is going to go south. They generate MUCH heat and velcro transfers LITTLE heat, your PMD must be getting VERY warm. If you already have the extension cables a good heat sink is easy to make from old amplifier parts. The main thing is to make sure that a FLAT mounting spot is used/made on the heat sink and then mount as far away from the engine/ turbo as possible.
L8r
Conley JAnssen

[gunner 6165]

Hey Conley,

Yea I'm aware of the heat they generate. I accidently touched the back side of the PMD one night after moving my truck about 2/10 of a mile to remove the cover on the intake.(Got it closer to my tool box)

I've got a new PMD ordered, just waiting for it to arrive.

Now I just need to find a place to do the compression check on the motor, and we'll get moving.

[Dihrdbowti]

Heat is one of the number one killers of electronics and can cause intermittent problems. When you get the heat sink make sure you have some heat sink grease. It helps to transfer the heat to the heat sink.

[gunner 6165]

Well, the wife picked up the truck from the stealer after compression test. Was told everything was good. :rolleyes: Going to see if I can get some specific numbers for each cylinder.

Has anybody done this themselves? If so what tool did you use to do it?

As for the oil slime in the coolant, I haven't seen any in the overflow tank. Haven't noticed any coolant in the oil either. I have noticed the more glow plugs are on before starting, the less smoke there is.

Decided to drive it 'till it dies, then go from there.

[gunner 6165]

Well I got the specific numbers, don't have tha paper in front of me though. None of the cylinders were below 390. Highest was 410. They had problems getting 2 glow plugs out, and found another one bad. Truck starts quicker now, smoke is less. I redid the battery connections as well, so that helped a bit too.

Injectors are next, but first Christmas. :D