[Gkmac13]

Right.....hey everyone, new to the forum & new to T4 ownership. What a journey so far 😅

Bought the Camper converted 1991 1.9d 1x H Reg VW T4, now knows an TED in April, as a lock-down toy. It had good service history, 118,000miles on the clock, New gearbox & all the goodies (auto-Manual conversion), Plus other typical service parts in the last year. 👍🏽

Now, A few months later 121,000 miles on the clock, we bust a coolant hose whilst climbing a hill in Exmoor. We loose the lot (Pisssss), engine gets nice & toasty.....split coolant flange & blown head gasket. Yippee 🥳

Get the van home & replace;
Coolant flange, Coolant hoses, Water pump, timing belt, head gasket, head-bolts, crankshaft pulley & belts, alternator, gasket for inlet & exhaust manifolds, glow plugs, new oil & filter, fuel filter & a few sensors to be on the safe side.

Now it starts (a little stubbornly) runs rough as hell with blue smoke & then once I take my foot off the accelerator and get it to idle, it cuts out.

Anyone have any suggestions of possible causes? Before I strip it apart again & rebuild. 😅


Thanks in advance,
Gregor

 

[gtijames]

First thing I'd double check before stripping too much is the timing, sounds like the diesel pump could be a little out

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[Paramedic]

The timing procedure for this engine is rather odd if you're used to more modern petrol engines.

The pulleys on the cam and injection pump need to slack on their shafts - with the shafts locked and the crank at TDC - as the belt is tensioned so the pulleys fall in to place around the belt. If the pulleys arent floating on their shafts your cam and more importantly injection pump timing will be retarded - not enough to cause damage but it won't be right.

Does it start with the advance lever pulled? Thats a dead giveaway.

Tippex is never good enough to time these, though many generic garages think it is!

 

[Gkmac13]

First thing I'd double check before stripping too much is the timing, sounds like the diesel pump could be a little out

Sent from my SM-A505FN using Tapatalk

Thanks for the reply, I did fix the diesel pump pulley in place, then mark it’s position. However the camshaft pulley (when crank set to TDC) was slightly out by 1 tooth. Would this make that much of a difference?

 

[Gkmac13]

The timing procedure for this engine is rather odd if you're used to more modern petrol engines.

The pulleys on the cam and injection pump need to slack on their shafts - with the shafts locked and the crank at TDC - as the belt is tensioned so the pulleys fall in to place around the belt. If the pulleys arent floating on their shafts your cam and more importantly injection pump timing will be retarded - not enough to cause damage but it won't be right.

Does it start with the advance lever pulled? Thats a dead giveaway.

Tippex is never good enough to time these, though many generic garages think it is!

Cheers for your advice,
How can I check whether the cam/injection pump are in the right position to prevent being retarded?

What’s the best way to ‘time’ these if tipex/nail polish 😅 isn’t good enough?

This is my first time doing any of this, so I’m all open to guidance & suggestions. 👌🏽

 

[Gkmac13]

Attached a video of the Engine starting, running & cut-out.

Click the link to watch ^^^^^^^

 

[Paramedic]

If you google 1x/ABL (I'm sure they are exactly the same) timing belt change your find loads of walkthroughs. You ideally need the correct tools to lock the camshaft and injection pump. You can apparently do the former with a 3" brass door hinge and a pair of feeler gauges, and you can definitely do the latter with a 6 or 7mm drill bit (then guides say 7, mine was 6) - go with whichever is the tightest fit. I bought the timing tools for a 1z TDI secondhand for £5.

Its a rocker cover off job, so you may as well change the gasket too.

When you read the walkthroughs you will find nearly all of the engines are out of time. Its a mornings work, check out timing, turn it over twice check again and then check again. Its well worth getting it right - imdid mine 4 times until I was happy. I found mine wandered slightly when I re-torqued the injection pump so I had to hold a spanner on the crank pulley at the same time. None of the torque settings are overly tight - people will tell you that a torque wrench is unnecessary, and for them it may be, but they specify a torque for a reason and the timing belt is a critical component. So I used one Hardest bit is getting the cam pulley loose - there is a hole in the back off the cam cover, insert 5mm bolt (Brass if you can find one, its softer) or drift and apply hammer.

 

[BingleyLion]

Attached a video of the Engine starting, running & cut-out.

Click the link to watch ^^^^^^^

It sounds to me like pump timing too. One tooth out is huge on the timing of these engines mate.

 

[Gkmac13]

Thanks for all the input.

So, turns out injector pump was out by 2 teeth also. Even though I’d held it in place with a screw driver, it still must have slipped when putting the belt on. 😅

Runs like a dream now, all the new parts have done wonders to the 30yr old beauty!!

 

[Gkmac13]

It sounds to me like pump timing too. One tooth out is huge on the timing of these engines mate.

You were right on that one, 2 teeth out made it run horrendously! 💨💨💨💨💨💨💨

 

[Gkmac13]

If you google 1x/ABL (I'm sure they are exactly the same) timing belt change your find loads of walkthroughs. You ideally need the correct tools to lock the camshaft and injection pump. You can apparently do the former with a 3" brass door hinge and a pair of feeler gauges, and you can definitely do the latter with a 6 or 7mm drill bit (then guides say 7, mine was 6) - go with whichever is the tightest fit. I bought the timing tools for a 1z TDI secondhand for £5.

Its a rocker cover off job, so you may as well change the gasket too.

When you read the walkthroughs you will find nearly all of the engines are out of time. Its a mornings work, check out timing, turn it over twice check again and then check again. Its well worth getting it right - imdid mine 4 times until I was happy. I found mine wandered slightly when I re-torqued the injection pump so I had to hold a spanner on the crank pulley at the same time. None of the torque settings are overly tight - people will tell you that a torque wrench is unnecessary, and for them it may be, but they specify a torque for a reason and the timing belt is a critical component. So I used one Hardest bit is getting the cam pulley loose - there is a hole in the back off the cam cover, insert 5mm bolt (Brass if you can find one, its softer) or drift and apply hammer.

Thanks a lot for your info, really helped to sort this issue 👍🏽

 

[Paramedic]

Glad its sorted

When I did mine it was better beyond belief afterwards. I often wonder how many people who post considering engine swaps might be better off checking their timing?