silent running

BIG PROBLEM! All help gratefully received.

Just today finished replacing my VF35 for a TD05. Everything was fine. Left it on low 1 bar setting on Power FC pending a remap and took it out for a spin to check no leaks, weird noises, strange driving characteristics etc.

Then after twenty minutes of warming up, I gave it a few mid revs full throttle pulls through the gears and again, fine. Decided to head for home so put my foot down and CLUNK was all I heard as the engine died. Pulled in at the side of the road and went to start it and was surrounded by a cloud of grey/white smoke (hard to tell at night). Anyway, I was near home so tried to start it again and this time it caught, but almost straight away died again. Next time it caught and I kept the revs up then pulled away. Drove home at 10-15mph as there seemed to be a sweet spot around mid throttle/2000 revs where it would chug along. It felt like driving with a really really bad misfire, like 2 cylinders out and every few seconds, only one cylinder working, it was that rough and gutless. Now I know what it's like to drive one of those steam tractors with a cloud of smoke behind you holding up all the traffic.

All the way home I was watching my FC Commander and gauges and I couldn't see any problems - all temps and pressures were fine, oil/air/water etc. With all the smoke billowing out behind me I was expecting to see oil or water temp rise or oil pressure to drop, but nothing.

Anyway, got home, popped the bonnet and jumped out - not a drop of oil or water to be seen. Nothing. Nothing out of place in the engine bay, nothing come loose or broken. But somehow it won't start cleanly and won't run without giving it some throttle and keeping it there.

HELP!

SNAP-ON

iTrader: (1)

dont sound too good , maybe cambelt jumped a couple of teeth ? i would check timing belt first unless its melted a rod .

Gear Head

iTrader: (2)

If the smoke was black then its unburnt fuel. Check the plugs/leads mate.

silent running

Cheers! OK how tricky is it to check? I'm guessing; remove auxiliary belts and pulleys then remove cambelt covers? Not 5 minutes work though.

I just checked the crank sensor plug and it was loose. I pushed it back on but it's still struggling to start and idle. I don't know whether the better running I thought I heard was real or imaginary. I'll have another look in the morning? Anything else that I could have disturbed while changing the turbo that might cause it.

I'm sure this car is cursed. I've only just had to replace the clutch and flywheel as well.

silent running

Don't THINK it was black but it's hard to tell. After I just got it running on the driveway using light throttle it smelt very rich and wouldn't idle on its own. There doesn't seem to be any mayo anywhere, or any water, or any oil. Nothing.

Anything I can check on the FC Commander's screen?

Butty

iTrader: (2)

Double check the turbo to IC or IC to throttle hose hasn't come off completely.

nick

silent running

Good call! The FMIC outlet pipe had blown off! The hose and pipe are just wedged close enough together to pass some air through but obviously there's no way it would run right with an inch gap between the two LOL.

Let's hope that's all it is. Will it have done any damage driving it around with a blown hose for 5 minutes? Obviously it would have put the AF ratio out but will it recover?

The clunk I heard must have been when it blew.

Andygreer

iTrader: (4)

itll be fine My FMIC used to pop off and just stop wouldnt start at all.


Get it fitted back on. and see


can i ask u a question when you fitted your turbo how did u get the oil return feed on??

did you connect to the engine side then on tot he turbo??

Andy

silent running

Yay! Fixed. Cracked on with it this morning, reconnected the hose properly (I think I had tightened it up right on the swage line before rather than behind it) and it STILL wouldn't start and run properly, which I had a few choice words for. Then remembering how last time after I'd fixed something major (replaced idle valve) the Power FC took a while to relearn how to run smoothly, I gave it a good old twenty minute drive and it's now back to normal! Thanks for all the help I got regarding this, it saved a lot of bother.

As far as the turbo goes Andy, I've never disconnected the rubber oil return hose from the engine. The metal turbo drain pipe has always just slipped in and out of the hose quite easily - just line it up by eye with the turbo sitting just on top of its three up-pipe studs, then give it a tap with a hammer to drop it into place, checking that the metal drain slips into the rubber hose OK. It doesn't seem to be under any kind of oil pressure and I've never had any leaks. I've had the turbo off two or three times in the last month, both a VF35 and a TD05, and neither were a problem.

I can't see any way of getting your hand to the pipe properly with the turbo in situ. You have to just line it up and drop it on, it's the only way.

DAVE26

yes andy thats how ive done the turbo many a time
line it up with the pip e and just pop it down
it should line up and go on fine

dave

Butty

iTrader: (2)

Pop a jubilee clip on the oil return pipe going into the sump.
Then when you put the rubber return hose on and force the turbo metal return pipe down onto it, the rubber hose stays put and doesn't shift down - it avoids a nasty little oil leak.

Good to hear it wasn't a terminal problem in the end.

Nick

Andygreer

iTrader: (4)

thanks guys, need to get the bloody up pipe to align with the headers now OMG why oh Why LOL.


Glad yours is fixed

silent running

So have you solved that problem? One thing I can think of: if it's a slip jointed up-pipe (or an OEM one where the bellows have cracked?) it's possible (in fact very easy if it's in good nick) to twist the top and bottom around so that they won't line up properly with the headers and turbo. That could be what it is.