The B*tchin Defender gets a playmate
- Thread starter gjackson
- Start date
Michael Slade
Untitled
Yeah, sounds familiar. You're getting it sorted out. Good luck with the tranny swap. You might want to put that flex plate back in if you can and run it for a while with the ZF.
More pics of the engine bay please.
More pics of the engine bay please.
Michael Slade
Untitled
I had my wife read your list of travails with that truck. She stopped half-way through.
I told her, "It really is a beautiful truck." She chuckled...I added, "...when it's running right".
You have a truck that I am envious of, even with the head/overheating/trans issues. Sort it out and I'll be even more jealous!
I told her, "It really is a beautiful truck." She chuckled...I added, "...when it's running right".
You have a truck that I am envious of, even with the head/overheating/trans issues. Sort it out and I'll be even more jealous!
James86004
Expedition Leader
That drive up I-17 is quite the test of balancing cooling and power, especially in the summer. Our 89 RR with the 3.9 V8 climbed it at 45-50 mph towing our camper, with the temperature gauge just fine. Our 93 with the 4.2 pulling the same camper was going 50-55, but overheating. I think that was an early symptom of the blown head gasket.
overlander
Expedition Leader
Glad to hear that the engine issues are resolved. Tranny is much easier to troubleshoot. Good news is now you have both vehicles sharing a 380 and common parts!
I am surprised to hear that the winch alone impacted airflow enough to effect overheating. Maybe it's time to add some rows to your radiator core.
Nice looking machine. Hopefully the "what trouble will the next mile bring" anxiety won't last too long after you get the tranny in.
I am surprised to hear that the winch alone impacted airflow enough to effect overheating. Maybe it's time to add some rows to your radiator core.
Nice looking machine. Hopefully the "what trouble will the next mile bring" anxiety won't last too long after you get the tranny in.
revor
Explorer
You should see all the forehead sized dents in my kitchen wall made after he realized what he passed up! :sombrero:
michaelgroves
Explorer
Hi Graham.
Just a thought, since it seems to me a 300TDi should run nice and cool even with a winch in front of the radiator: is the cowling around the fan properly installed? I know from experience that without a proper cowl, the engine will overheat unless you have the radiator completely unrestricted, and are travelling reasonably fast.
The cowling should be the right diameter for the fan, and fit snugly to the radiator itself, else the fan will suck air from anywhere but through the radiator core.
Rgds,
Michael
Just a thought, since it seems to me a 300TDi should run nice and cool even with a winch in front of the radiator: is the cowling around the fan properly installed? I know from experience that without a proper cowl, the engine will overheat unless you have the radiator completely unrestricted, and are travelling reasonably fast.
The cowling should be the right diameter for the fan, and fit snugly to the radiator itself, else the fan will suck air from anywhere but through the radiator core.
Rgds,
Michael
Oilburner
Adventurer
I hate to armchair quarterback this, and I'm sure you have lots of good diesel repair people in your vicinity, but my money would be on it having severely retarded timing. VE pumps are prone to this if they have restricted fuel supply, or it might have incorrect base timing.
I would be looking at the fuel supply lines to the pump and making sure that there is 100% free flow without any restriction (save for a new fuel filter). When the filters get clogged on my VE pumped 6BT (same logic, different animal) I can feel the engine's sound change, I lose fuel pressure to the pump (BTs have an intermediate lift pump and I have a pre and post gauge) and my EGTs get out of whack. My fuel mileage also goes down the drain from about 21-22 mpg to 16. No joke, all from the timing getting sucked back.
The VE advances timing with internal fuel pressure. There are two pumps - a supply pump in the front of the pump near the pulley, and the actual rotary plunger pump (the business end). As the engine gains RPMs the internal pressure rises due to the frotn pump spinning faster, which pushes on a piston in the bottom of the pump, that rotates the entire fueling rack and advances the timing. When the fuel supply is inadequate or otherwise restricted, the pump starves, and cannot develop sufficient pressure, which prevents the timing from being advanced. Retarded temps result in high cyl head temperatures, high exhaust temps, low cylinder pressures, low power, and lots of energy being transferred into the cooling jackets and not used for locomotion.
I also have VE timing tools that I can send you shipping collect and you just send them back to me when you are done, to set base timing. I won't need them until later this summer. I bought them off Ebay and they are cheap chinese crap but they work reasonably well for setting base timing (nothing more than a dial indicator and some specialized adapters). Setting base timing would take that whole possibility out of the equation. Since I think you have two of these, it might make sense to get your own tools. Of course, there is always the unscientific "advance it until it sounds like a can of marbles and back of a smidge", probably better left to cast iron dinosaurs like by BT.
Best of luck. What has been done to the trans to make it happy behind the TDI?
I would be looking at the fuel supply lines to the pump and making sure that there is 100% free flow without any restriction (save for a new fuel filter). When the filters get clogged on my VE pumped 6BT (same logic, different animal) I can feel the engine's sound change, I lose fuel pressure to the pump (BTs have an intermediate lift pump and I have a pre and post gauge) and my EGTs get out of whack. My fuel mileage also goes down the drain from about 21-22 mpg to 16. No joke, all from the timing getting sucked back.
The VE advances timing with internal fuel pressure. There are two pumps - a supply pump in the front of the pump near the pulley, and the actual rotary plunger pump (the business end). As the engine gains RPMs the internal pressure rises due to the frotn pump spinning faster, which pushes on a piston in the bottom of the pump, that rotates the entire fueling rack and advances the timing. When the fuel supply is inadequate or otherwise restricted, the pump starves, and cannot develop sufficient pressure, which prevents the timing from being advanced. Retarded temps result in high cyl head temperatures, high exhaust temps, low cylinder pressures, low power, and lots of energy being transferred into the cooling jackets and not used for locomotion.
I also have VE timing tools that I can send you shipping collect and you just send them back to me when you are done, to set base timing. I won't need them until later this summer. I bought them off Ebay and they are cheap chinese crap but they work reasonably well for setting base timing (nothing more than a dial indicator and some specialized adapters). Setting base timing would take that whole possibility out of the equation. Since I think you have two of these, it might make sense to get your own tools. Of course, there is always the unscientific "advance it until it sounds like a can of marbles and back of a smidge", probably better left to cast iron dinosaurs like by BT.
Best of luck. What has been done to the trans to make it happy behind the TDI?
gjackson
FRGS
Michael,
Thanks for the reply. You are not the only one thinking that a RR should give plenty of air flow to a 300. The cowl is correct and seems to be as well positioned as it is in my 110. What I have not done is pull the grille and check out the installation of the trans oil cooler and the other stuff sitting in front of the rad. That will happen shortly as soon as the ZF is out. I'll report back.
cheers
gjackson
FRGS
J L,
Thanks for that info as well. I did check the base timing with a dial gauge and adaptor borrowed from a friend. It was dead on. So I think that's okay. That being said, after running ATF through the injection pump it sure made the engine run better; got more power and fuel consumption went down. So maybe the pump wasn't advancing the timing correctly before that. May well have been part of the overheating problem that blew the first couple head gaskets!
And as Keith said, an R380 will shortly sit behind the motor. That will help cooling as well, so I think we'll get it sorted. Every little bit helps.
cheers
bigreen505
Expedition Leader
And by 'shortly' I mean sometime before the end of July . . .
cheers
Yell when you need a hand!