Offroad-Express

Yeah I think I killed it..

Went to Whakatane for a funeral a couple of days ago, and decided to conquer the Kaimais... big mistake!

Half way up the old girl started getting a bit sluggish, not a lot but certainly she was struggling. No great plumes of smoke nor did I have to break out the circus midgets and make them push, but something wasn't right.

Anyway, some hours later I made the return trip north.

Well, the circus midgets got a bloody work out, because at the slightest hint of a hill, the wagon was more sluggish than a beneficiary on a porch!

Fast forward to today, she's got no power on take-off, won't get above 80km/h on the motorway, starts missing a bit after around 1500rpm and has taken up smoking. Lots of white smoke.

Here's an educational video I prepared earlier...



Having just bought it a few months ago and spent a few coins on toys and the like, mother is not happy. And as I essentially have no wheels, fair to say I'm pretty pissed.

So, bring forth thy wisdom O keyboard mechanics, let me know thy thoughts - how many virgins and goats need a I sacrifice?

Or, in a more straight forward way, any thoughts on what I have done, and how many hours of overtime is this going to cost?

(Okay, for those who were bored and skipped to the end, here's a summary - my wagon is sick, and I have no idea what I have done. I am poor, and thus am begging for ideas to try before I need to take it to a real mechanic, who will likely use me to make at least several payments on his mortgage and quite likely get his kid braces and a small university education, ta muchly in advance)

The first things to check would be Fuel and Air filters.mine did a simular thing and Fuel filter was half blocked with crap ,replaced it and all good

monstr wrote:The first things to check would be Fuel and Air filters.mine did a simular thing and Fuel filter was half blocked with crap ,replaced it and all good

Both air and fuel filters got replaced about 6 weeks ago, though I did read in another thread somewhere about the dreaded diesel bug... might have to have a wee lookee...

Chur!

Pull your intake pipe off and check the Turbo is spinning freely. You should be able to rotate the turbine by hand easily.

Look for oil inside the intake piping. Heaps of oil is not good, a fair bit of oily residue on the walls of the intake piping is ok and normal.

Check fuel filter.

Check the gauze filter at the inlet to the injector pump.

It is quite possible it could be suffering from Diesel Bug.

Make sure the water trap on the fuel filter isnt cracked also, had that happen on a Safari was sucking air and caused the same problem .it was strange as there was no sign of fuel leak ,just while under load or above 12/1500 rpm would cough and fart around .

white smoke = stuffed turbo or water getting in during combustion.

get a compression test dude

I'll let the other "keyboard mechanics" give advise, I just wanted to say thanks for the laugh......awesome reading and vid dude, awesome

Overkill wrote:I'll let the other "keyboard mechanics" give advise, I just wanted to say thanks for the laugh......awesome reading and vid dude, awesome

I figure if it's that buggered, then I can try and fund raise using my patented busking routine.

The way it works is, that if I hang round long enough whining like a housewife on the blob, people will pay me to go away. (Kind of like the beggars in a certain comedic series of books!)

This in turn will pay for any future vehicular surgeries, or at least provide enough beer to anaesthetise me when her indoors starts up with the "I bloody told you, you should have got someone who knows what they are doing to look at it before you shelled out you fat moron!"

I've seen the same as your video when someone sticks petrol in a Diesel. It was about half and half mix when it happened to the truck I had (never let forecourt attendants do anything). I couldn't figure it out so I drained it and gave it fresh diesel (cos it was a cheap option) and it stopped smoking and running like shit. My receipt showed 91 was stuck in it .

It was worst on an uphill or engine braking.

Well, took the fuel filter off, gave it shake and poured the diesel into a container.



Now I'm going to suggest that scaley bits with furry edges probably shouldn't be in the fuel...

Why does this shit happen just after you've fuelled up for the week? Sigh...

Great movie Love the sound
That is bug alright. Not in plague amounts, but enough to block a filter.
Apply a small amount of bio-cide to the tank. Replace that primary filter. Check the gauze at the pump (not the easiest task).
Bleed injection pump. It should run better at this stage. Run till that tank is near empty, and refill completely.
After that tank is used replace the primary filter again. These filters can block with particles invisible to the naked eye.
This should prevent it coming back.
Long term bug can cause injection pumps and injectors to fail due to the acidic nature of the bug itself
Hope this helps.
Cheers,

how has chainging the filter worked out for you? had wondered what the 'bug' looked like.

love your way with words, makes for some entertaining reading.

sibainmud wrote:Great movie Check the gauze at the pump (not the easiest task).

My brother n laws old SWB safari did this and I ended up towing him home and we cleaned out the gauze filter and cracked the fuel line to check for blocked lines and that was all good then it ran mint as. The motor is now in my father n laws 30ft boat and goes perfect been in there for nearly 2 years with no more issues.

Well, pulled the old filter off... it's scary what you can find staring back at you sometimes... you know, like when you're under a wagon and look up through the engine bay, and the missus is staring down through it, without any make-up?



An update shall follow post-testing tomorrow!

(This is purely an informational video to further show what bug looks like, the music is just cool, and really creeps my kids out, bwahaha...)

Well, I came, I saw and I was conquered...

So the fuel has been dosed with Moreys, the primary filter has been replaced, the little gauze filter from the top of the diesel pump has been cleaned (it was absolutely chocka with crap!) and a broken earth cable has been repaired.

Now, after several hours and a bit of skin, I'd like to report just what a magnificent difference this has made and how I am once again ecstatic and giggly having a fine piece of machinery in my stable.

But as this would be a blatant load of cobblers, I'm not going to.

Same thing, starts okay and idles just fine. Touch the gas and it'll rev hugely at about 3,000rpm and then start belching eye watering white smoke, start spluttering and farting (though admittedly not quite as bad as yesterday) and then the revs will drop to virtually nothing.

Foot flat, it's doing jack... injectors? Head gasket? Shagged injector pump? Sabotage by greenpeace members who object to my way of life and the rampant devastation and destruction it brings?

I'm out of ideas... time to take it to a mechanic methinks... *sigh*

Oh, here's a short and boring video for those who have never actually seen this mystical little gauze filter - enjoy! (It's a bit dark, but you get the idea

Any change in your water level and/or is it getting hot? If so it's likely getting water where it shouldn't.

Injector pump isn't loose or too far retarded? Move top away from engine to advance if needed. Excessively retarded will smoke and have reduced power, usually hard to start as well.

P.

Buy this and fit it.
Cheap pump.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=379518758

When it starts dying, have you pumped the primer pump on the filter?

Or are you affraid of the OSH issues shortening someone elses life with the smoke?

Look forward to your reponse

Cheers,

Generickiwi wrote:Well, I came, I saw and I was conquered...

So the fuel has been dosed with Moreys, the primary filter has been replaced, the little gauze filter from the top of the diesel pump has been cleaned (it was absolutely chocka with crap!) and a broken earth cable has been repaired.

Now, after several hours and a bit of skin, I'd like to report just what a magnificent difference this has made and how I am once again ecstatic and giggly having a fine piece of machinery in my stable.

But as this would be a blatant load of cobblers, I'm not going to.

Same thing, starts okay and idles just fine. Touch the gas and it'll rev hugely at about 3,000rpm and then start belching eye watering white smoke, start spluttering and farting (though admittedly not quite as bad as yesterday) and then the revs will drop to virtually nothing.

Foot flat, it's doing jack... injectors? Head gasket? Shagged injector pump? Sabotage by greenpeace members who object to my way of life and the rampant devastation and destruction it brings?

I'm out of ideas... time to take it to a mechanic methinks... *sigh*

Oh, here's a short and boring video for those who have never actually seen this mystical little gauze filter - enjoy! (It's a bit dark, but you get the idea

Great music on the Vid's mate, bummer about your truck.

sibainmud wrote:When it starts dying, have you pumped the primer pump on the filter?

Or are you affraid of the OSH issues shortening someone elses life with the smoke?

Cheers,

I reckon a few minutes more and the smoke will shortly be visible from the International Space Station! On the plus side, the greenies will never be able to find me so long as I keep hiding in the cloud...

So today I had a play, starting up and seeing how well it revved... it was managing to almost redline which it hasn't done in days!

Of course, this was too good to last and shortly afterwards it was farting and spluttering like a ... thingy that does that...

Fortunately, a mate had brought me a sanity beer over, so while it was farting and popping and being all sick, he started pumping the primer and bloody hell, it came back to life!

Injector pump? Methinks highly probable - though open to being told I'm wrong...

So, do I buy one or is there a lot of work in re-kitting one, if only for the experience? A kit can't cost that much surely, and thank god I still get trade at my usual parts outlets...

In lieu of a video today, here is a text based version of what the wagon is now doing:

Rrrr VROOM!

VROOM! VROOM! VROOM!

VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

*idle for beer opening*

VROOOOOOOOOO*splutter*OOOOOOOO*cough cough*OOOOOO*splutter, fart*OOOOOOM...

*idle for beer drinking*

VROOOOOO*splutter fart, cough belch*OOOM *click* (Ignition off)

*finish beer, get next one*

I hope this has been graphic and descriptive enough to assist in your enjoyment of this message.

It will still be "Da Bug" playing havoc with everything.

There is one more filter you can check, its locate inside the fuel tank on the end of the pick up.

You will need to lift up the carpet in the back, open up the round inspection cover in the floor and then open up the inspection cover on the fuel tank. It should lift out of the tank complete with the fuel pick up and filter attached.

Clean it.

Dump the fuel out of the tank and save it to mix with your old engine oil to treat fence posts or light bonfires with.

Check your I.P gauze filter again, I bet you its blocked up again already.

You might also want to use compressed air to blow back through the fuel lines to the tank.

Diesel Bug can be a mongrel to get rid of.

If its running at all, it most definately 100% won't be the injector pump. Don't go there.

Using the primer really suggest resistance in getting the fuel from the tank, which spells a clogged gauze filter on the pick up.

Alrighty - pulled the carpet up and opened the inspection cover on top of the tank.

As expected, the pickup, float and several other curly wurly bits and bobs are there, but damned if I can see anything that looks like a filter.

This will take a bit of detective work...

IT LIVES!

Well, pretty much - it seems that after persistence and prayer the old girl has finished sulking.

I put the gears back in the tank, but not before picking out some sizeable pebbles and crap, started it up, and it ran like a dream.

Being a sucker for punishment (and knowing a mate of mine was home to tow me if needed) I went for a strop up a very big hill, through a 100km/h zone and parked rather conveniently outside a bakery.

Couple of pies later and I was home, scoffing and chuckling merrily.

So, I reckon I'll knock the half tank of diesel off that's in it, as it is probably 20% treatments and potions, then replace the primary filter and clean out the IP filter again, as well as treating the next lot of nice clean and un-buggy fuel.

Fingers crossed, we've sorted the bugger!

Well done indeed, I had my fingers crossed; well just for a minute.

Well, it's still a tad gutless, has issues with hills and probably needs a little more TLC, but it's better than it was...

Time to get digging again...

Methinks that the little injector pump filter is going to be a thorn in my side for a little while yet... curse you little filter!

**EDIT**

Well, it's Thursday and I've cleaned the injector pump filter again - what a completely different vehicle! You'd think it had never been crook!

So Saturday I will be doing it properly and right, dropping the remaining fuel (now that I have some fresh stuff to put in), replacing the primary filter, and doing the injector pump filter for the 3rd time. As well, much Moreys shall flow!

I started off a few days ago a diesel engine novice, but for the record, today the injector pump filter was removed, cleaned, re-fitted and the vehicle running in approximately 15 minutes.

Yeah, I'm a filter God. (Well, in my house...)

nice to met you at the club meeting tonight

Not a hell of alot pete, id put an ice cream container under it just to be safe, but you would be lucky to get an egg cup full.

Cheers Daniel

Hey good to see you've found a solution. Nice to see another nissan that hasnt really broken down .
If you get any further issue, try getting some clear tube, and use it to (temporarily) replace the fuel lines after filter/before pump, and also after pump on return to tank. Watch for any air bubbles in the lines. Good trick to show up air leaks into system

Well, things have been pretty good... or HAD been pretty good.

After a club run round Waiuku forest mid-June, wound up shelling out a mortgage payment on a new alternator, and now the old girl is giving me more issues.

She's fine and dandy on the flat, loves going downhill, but by god show her a hill and she sulks and says "screw this" before crawling up at a slow rate and pissing off traffic behind me.

So, after much deliberation and interweb surfing, it's either A) Air flow problems (filter, vacuum leak) B) Blocked injectors C) Glow plugs.

I should mention that if I drive for 20-30 mins she gets a bit of power back, but isn't the same nippy thing I bought a few months ago.

I'm starting to miss my station wagon a little... *sigh*

Any thoughts folks? Please?

(Perhaps I should run a diagnosis competition, box of beers for the winner!)

rule out glowplugs: once it's running they're redundant, essentially.
check your airfilter and piping.
can you hear the turbo 'spooling'?
smoke: has the amount of smoke increased or decreased? being diesel there will be a slight haze, usually. often not noticeable in daylight though from the drivers seat.

I would check the butterfly on the intake pipe from turbo to inlet manifold, its controlled by a vacuum valve next to the pipe. I freed mine up and got lots more power back - I'm sure it was stuck semi closed and blocking off air.