Hey gimme - nice to chat again! Not much has changed since last year - not much love for the 3B. I really like what fedtime said though. He gets it. Accept the design limitations and appreciate it for all its good characteristics. Since we last talked my 3B has clocked another 20,000K...
I don't think setting valves properly would hurt - more likely help. Lower compression - spins twice as fast - builds more heat then fires. High compression is good if engine starter speed doesn't get dragged down by the cold -30! Also some diesels seem to just cold start better than others...
The fact that it starts relatively easy in minus 30 would suggest low compression. Those numbers are really low if they are I/2 of standard spec - maybe double check with another tester? Did the engine suffer some abuse prior to your ownership? Seems like a lot of wear for only 550k on a...
Wow-what an ordeal! 5 1/2 months later and back to the original problem ( seems like a couple of years - so much has happened since then ). No harm in having all the work done though. Now some of the original suggestions for troubleshooting are coming back. Like you said, may be time to...
OGBeno -wtf! You know this is a sixteen year old member who is trying to work on his cruiser? Why do you keep bombing his threads? You would think that as a moderator you would maybe support and encourage a young member even if you don't like 3Bs.
Gimme a 60 - I agree with John - not good...
when you do get to the swap maybe consider pulling the engine and tranny as one unit and then put the diesel power train back in the same way. I have a friend who did quite a few r and r of 60 series power trains who said it was quicker that way.
What about glow plugs? If they're tired then there will be unburnt smoke on cold startup - then subsequent warm starts won't smoke. I've noticed that this can be worse at higher altitudes but I don't really know why.
I had to do the same thing to remove my primer pump. I used a stubby wrench and ground down the open end so that it was much thinner to get it to fit. Then I used a piece of metal to tap the wrench to crack it loose cause I couldn't get the leverage on it due to the tight spot.