Initial Start - Is there a better way????

[FWBennett]

OK I finished installing my new long block for the 2nd time (first one was bad, had to ship it back and after a month they FINALLY returned it and I've finished installing it UGH!)
Now I'm trying to get it started for the first time. I understand SOME of the air-lock situation but still have some questions.
I've got an auxillary electric fuel pump which I used to make sure I've got fuel all the way to the fuel filter. I can get to all the injectors on the Left (driver's) side and one on the right side - I got all 5 of them to the point where fuel weeps. BUT I bet I charged and discharged the batteries 20 times yesterday - trying to get it to start for the first time.

When I put the Long-Block in the first time it took me about a week :mad: of after-work Charge & discharge before it started THEN it turned out to be a bad motor (they said 2 of the pre-combustion cups were just rattling loose and tha's what caused the low compression readings.

I understand that the injectors have a high threshold of pressure B4 the squirt and if there's air in the line, the air compresses and the injector never squirts - if you can only get to a few of the injectors - how does the air ever get out of the other lines? Does anyone have a sure-FIRE proceture to get the motor started the first day??? I've got the block heater plugged in - we've got daytime temps in the low 70's, I understand you can't use starting-fluid on a diesel and WD40 changed their formula or Propellant - so that can't be used.

Does anyone have a sure-FIRE proceture to get the motor started the first day??? :confused:
Thanks!!!

[Peter J. Bierman]

What I did when I mounted the new peninsular pump is fill the pump by removing the return nipple and poor in VERY CLEAN fuel with a small funnel
and put the nipple back in
After that I did start it for 10 seconds twice with a couple of minutes cool down.
This was with the glow plugs removed and full trottle with lines loose at injectors.
Then tightened the lines and did the same thing again. After putting in the glow plugs it fired right up.
This was a dry pump so I'm pretty sure it works.
If you can get to 6 out of 8 injectors, it should start but run a little rough for a few moments.

Good luck, Peter

[EWC]

I like the idea of not having the glow plugs in . Less effort to turn the engine over and faster cranking speed to help get the fuel where it needs to go . You also build oil pressure faster and don't have pressure on the connecting rod bearings . Keep the throttle wide open , to move the most fuel , and crank until you have some good fuel at the lines . Some will disagree but I think that cracking the lines is not necessary when you have the glow plugs out . Crank until you see a mist coming out or fuel stains or marks on the fenderwells . Put the plugs back in and happy motoring !

[NH2112]

I've never bothered cracking more than 2 injectors after an airlock, as long as you don't pick 2 that are right next to each other in the firing order it'll run well enough on 2 for the others to bleed the air out. Just give it enough throttle so it doesn't die during the bleeding process, and if it does just restart and do it again. Pulling the glow plugs is a great way to prime the system for the first time after doing the pump, etc, mainly because your cranking RPM (and therefore fuel volume from the mechanical pump) will be very high. In this case, I would crack all 8 injectors, or as many as you can reach.

[FWBennett]

OK it was a long night! I got in about 7 or 8 trys B4 it got too cold and dark and I had other pressing things. I did pull the glow plugs on the driver's side and got some nice puffs of diesel mist. Several times if got spinning pretty fast (with cylinders firing) ALMOST starting. TWICE it started turning over itself but died even before I could get my foot out of it, then it would go back to ALMOST starting. Guess I may have some other problem - I did check all my hose connections - they were tight.
Any suggestions???
Thanks!

[john8662]

Get a pinched or crimped metal connection line? It's sometimes hard to determine if you've got a fuel delivery problem to the IP without a fuel pressure gauge. As much as you've cranked on it, you should have the air of the system well enough for it to be getting fuel into the cylinders to fire. Glows are working well?

[FWBennett]

Hi john8662 - funny you should mention a pinched hose - the ATS turbo kit has this big aluminum piece that fits on top of the intake manifold with 2 air passages that reach towards the turbo. Then there's a 90degree port under the back intake tha accepts the hose from the CDR(?) valve. It appeared that the 90degree piece was pinching the rubber hose to the IP - I corrected this, and turned on the aux electric fuel pump and bent the rubber hose every wich way to see if I had a leak and didn't. But that didn't seem to solve the problem.
Let me pose THIS question: When I had the new IP pump installed I asked the mechanic to turn up the fuel flow a bit to match the turbo (ATS aftermarket addition) then when I installed the BAD Long-Block - it was blowing quite a bit of black smoke so he turned down the IP flow - if memory serves me - I thought he ran it "turned down" but at some point in there it stopped running all-together, he finally did the compression test and found it BAD and the rebuild place said that 2 of the pre-combustion cups were rattling loose in the head. I know (un-like gassers) you can add more fuel and the diesel will burn it till ya melt the pistons. My question is - how little fuel will it run on. The "almost" starting seems to do it's best when I've got my foot ALL the way into it, and dies when I think about taking my foot off the pedal - not wanting to race a new motor.
I'm thinking of trying the "Pressurize" the gass tank test - gotta build the gas cap thing and was gonna put the clear hose at the IP pump test also.
Any thoughts??? :confused:

[FWBennett]

Yahoo! I got it started last night! On the 2nd try - I'm not sure if it was the after effects of fixing the pinched hose OR earlier I had removed the fuel cap to inspect it (relieved vacuum??) who knows cuz taking off the fuel cap was the only thing I did differenty. Now to fix the oil leak @ the lift pump UGH!