[Vwdiesel] RE:82 diesel vanagon passed the diesel emissions test...

[LBaird119 at aol.com]

> I'm wondering what might have got wet
>  that prevented it starting and why it dried so quick to start 3rd time.  If
>  this happens again I'd like to know where to start troubleshooting.
>
  Most likely water on the connections to the starter.  You might want to
check and clean them.  The resistance probably built up enough heat
to evaporate the water and let it make good (?) contact.

>  A couple of times over the last week I've also heard a buzzing kind of
noise
>  when I turn the key one position before actually starting the engine.  At
>  first I thought it was the fuel pump, but the fact that it doesn't do it
>  everytime probably means it can't be.  The noise would continue for a few
>  moments after the engine started too.  I noticed it first with the engine
>  cover off but could also detect it with the cover back on.  It's a high
>  pitch kind of buzzing noise.  Anyone know what that might be?

  Sort of like a mad or dying large bee?  Glow plug relays will do that
sometimes.  Not much possibility of it being an electric fuel pump since
it doesn't have one.  :)  There is a possibility that someone has retrofitted
a small on though so check the lines for an inline fuel pump just in case.
They're usually higher pitch than a GP relay.

These
>  intermittent problems are the worst kind to try and troubleshoot.
>  Basically, I just want to be sure that I've covered the bases to make sure
>  the van starts when I'm on a trip.  I don't have the owners manual for my
>  van and find the Bentley kind of overwhelming.

  Problem is the owner's manual pretty well just covers stuff like changing
fuses, tires and how to make heat come out of the ducts you want.  The
easiest way to go through a Bentley is either as you need it or sit down
with it for an evening and thumb through it.  Read areas that strike you as
interesting and it usually pays off down the road.  Nothing like sitting down
to a good repair manual for a nice, relaxing read I always say!  :)
>
>  Another question concerns kinds of engine noises.  I know diesels are quite
>  a bit louder mechanically than their gas counterparts, but I find myself
>  wondering what the different noises are.  I was just looking at the engine
>  yesterday, listening and heard this new sound.  It's a metallic kind of
>  pingy sound - fast ping, ping, ping, ping.  I notice it at idle and it
>  increases with revs then goes away as the revs climb.  If you had a metal
>  rod and banged it on something hard the resonating noise is a similar kind
>  of sound.  I'm wondering what that might be.

  Hard to say by description but it sounds like the typical diesel knock.  It
goes away with higher rpm, just cruising rpm.  That was one of the design
objectives of the engine.  Nearly as quiet as a gasser while driving.  Not
much to do about idling other than staying away from direct injection.  Now
though, since you're really noticing this noise, it could be a bad injector.
They will make a knocking noise anywhere from a harsher ping/knock to
sounding like you've lost a rod bearing!  Try to determine if it's all the
cylinders or just one.  Advanced timing is also noisier sometimes.  If
the  timing is more advanced now or was too retarded before the engine
will likely be nosier.
  Lifters usually are a clatter or tick, depending on how many are loose.
They usually get tighter though which is why checking them is important.
  Exhaust leaks usually sound a lot like a ticking lifter only there's a
slight
pffft sound at the end of it.  Often it's hard to hear the difference though.
Then there's alternator and water pump noises and bad belt tensioners.
They tend to be at a different rpm than the engine and can be anything
from a growl or rumble to a squeal or whine.

  I could do with a list of
>  engine noises and what they all mean.  I was also wondering how noisy the
>  valves should be?  I'm guessing a normal or slightly loose valve clearance
>  is noisier than a tight one?
>
  Tight ones are quiet, slightly loose ones often can't be heard above the
din.
Loose ones can but you usually notice the difference rather than diagnose
it by the sound.
     Loren