Rebuilt Pinzgauer engine, hard starting, smoke....

Sethsquatch · #1 11-25-2020, 05:50 PM

Hey all!

So my Pinzgauer has been in the shop for over 4 months now (!) and is finally back together, and running. It basically has new everything, from the head gasket up, turbo, injectors, injection pump, etc.
Now that it's back together, it has a hell of a time starting, like several cycles of the glow plugs, cranking for 30+ seconds before it finally catches and idles, this being on a cold day. (40f)
As soon as it started, it ran good, but smoked a lot, black smoke at idle and more as it was driven and revved.
I have heard there's adjustments on the timing of the pump, and also on the pump itself as far as lessening the fuel...I'm not a technical person, which is why I had a shop do the work, and he's fairly confident he has the pump timed correctly. Just wondering if there's a diagram of that pump somewhere of the adjustments on it. Also any advice you'd have to dial it in.
Thank you so much!

anders · #2 11-25-2020, 07:02 PM

I would definitely confirm injection timing. Sounds like it might be retard or even 180* out. Fuel rate adjustment won’t make it smoke at idle, if the engine is timed correctly and healthy, more fuel equals more RPM.

v8volvo · #3 11-25-2020, 09:10 PM

Agreed on timing being the first suspect.

When you say the guy who worked on it is "fairly confident" he has the pump timed correctly, what do you mean? There's nothing to be confident or not confident about... It either IS timed correctly, or it isn't.

There's a specification and a process, involving a measurement with a dial indicator. You want to find out whether the guy who did the work has the the right equipment and knowledge, and if he understands how it works, and what their actual timing measurement is if the answer is yes.

anders · #4 11-26-2020, 08:15 AM

You can ask the mechanic a simple question, what did he set the timing at?

Sethsquatch · #5 11-30-2020, 01:53 PM

Hey guys, sorry it took me so long to respond, my email alerts weren't coming through.
The short answer is yes, the mechanic timed it with the dial gauge.
The long answer is muddied. My pinzgauer was originally an automatic transmission, and has been converted to manual. With that done, he was wondering if there was an issue with timing marks, because of the bellhousing. (maybe this makes sense to you?)
Also, once it did start, it ran pretty darn good, which makes me think it just needs some adjusting of fuel flow rather than timing. This isn't my area of expertise which is why I'm here though. The guy from UK who rebuilds pinzgauers is confident that it's just an adjustment issue not a timing issue. Please give me any and all advice! Thank you in advance!

ngoma · #6 11-30-2020, 04:11 PM

A: What did he time it to? (Usually expressed as 0.xx mm, ex. 0.95 mm)

It may have been asked before, I did not see the answer.

B: What method did he use?

C: Were any "adjustments" made to the injection pump that may have thrown it out of adjustment?

D: Is it still hard to start or was that difficulty just the first time?