Hints on making an inpection pipe (3B)

[RufusTheDufus]

I ordered a set of new injector nozzles for my 3B and would like to check the pump timing after I do the injectors. Anyone have any hints on the easiest way to fab an inspection pipe? Anyone have one they'd like to part with?

 

[ngiri]

Cut the end off a stock line and taper the pipe end, makes it easier to see. Make it as short as possible, this doesn't effect the timing, you just don't have to swing the crank back and forth as much.

Sorry you can't have mine, I'm sure someone here has a junk engine they could pull a pipe off of. AFAIK all/most of the LC diesels use the same fuel pipe fittings.

If your 3B has the EDIC unit on it, pull off the rod going from the EDIC to the injector pump, otherwise you can pump the crank till you puke and not get any fuel to rise.
The EDIC holds the pump in the shut down position when the ignition is off, so no fuel for you.

You may find some folks are dead set against timing the fuel pump. They are of the assumption that once it has been set by the factory that the setting is eternal and not to be messed with by mere mortals. The injector pump and the timing gears are mechanical units made of metal and subject to wear, this will change the settings.

But, having said that, don't mess with it just cause you can. Check the timing by all means, run through it several times to make sure, but adjust the pump ONLY if you are sure it is out of time.

Mark your original setting, scribe a line in the housing, no felt pen here.
HTH,
Regards,
Dave

 

[cruiser_guy]

If you want to check it out, go ahead. I tried setting the timing on the 3B after the rebuild and even using the cut off injector pipe I was off several degrees.

Save yourself the headache and have a diesel shop check it if you are concerned.

If you still want to do it yourself and borrow my cut off pipe PM me for details.

 

[RufusTheDufus]

I've looked around my area for diesel shops. Everything around here is geared towards the logging industry. It's incredibly difficult to find a mechanic that has experience with "common" diesels like VW TDIs. You can't buy a new diesel vehicle here in Maine which limits the market for mechanics to service them.

This is the kind of thing I think I should know how to do. I'm one of those kinds of people that prefers to do everything on my own vehicles that doesn't require me to buy multi-thousand dollar machine shop equipment.

 

[jb BJ73]

don't know how much the injectors in cruisers could take but i've read on a nissan patrol forum that they bump the cracking prssures of the injectors up about 50 to 100psi. after doing this they've had to advance the timing a bit. makes a fair bit of difference apparently. (better milage, more power)

 

[cruiser_guy]

Well like I said, if you want to borrow my pipe just e-mail/PM me and let me know.

 

[RufusTheDufus]

Thanks for the offer. I'm going to hold off on the pump timing for the moment. There's a few projects ahead of that at the moment: I'm building an aluminum roof rack, new seals and bearings in both knuckles, installing aux fuel tank and replacing all stock fuel lines with biodiesel-compatible lines. That should keep me busy until early May.

 

[Dougal]

don't know how much the injectors in cruisers could take but i've read on a nissan patrol forum that they bump the cracking prssures of the injectors up about 50 to 100psi. after doing this they've had to advance the timing a bit. makes a fair bit of difference apparently. (better milage, more power)

There was a guy on the schuman mercedes forums who pushed his injection pressures so high that it was working like a direct injection engine. Squirting fuel out the precombustion chamber.
Instead of timing it to work like that though (i.e. severely retarding it) he dropped the nozzle opening pressure back.