[Vwdiesel] New engine help 1.9NA diesel

[Michael Snow]

With some timely assistance from several people, the new engine runs.
0.90mm is right on for the pump timing.  Thanks to Mark Shepherd, Robert
Keezer and Sandy Cameron :-)

I learned some new tricks in the process, which should be educational
for anyone else who has to do this.

First thing, the injector pump was so full of garbage that it could not
pump fuel.  We tried gravity feeding (through an inline fuel filter)
directly into the intake port on the pump.  I'm used to having a large
volume of fuel coming from the vent port on top of the pump and
returning to the fuel tank.  There was nothing but a trickle.  The
engine would run for 5-10 seconds, then die.  The filter screen on the
banjo bolt for the vent had big chunks of brown stuff on the *inside*.
I thought for sure that the pump was defective, figuring the vane pump
inside could not create enough vacuum to draw fuel from the tank.  The
only alternative seemed to be to admit defeat, remove the pump, repair
or replace the pump, at a cost of at least $400-500.  Having nothing to
lose, we tried running a can of LubroMoly Diesel Purge through the pump
instead of diesel fuel.  We used one of the banjo bolts for the intake
side on the vent instead of the normal one with the screen filter.  We
used clear aquarium tubing to help the diagnostic process.  You would
not believe the stuff that came out of the injector pump!  Diesel Purge
is clear, but the outflow from the pump was dark brown with huge chunks
of sediment.  I assume that it was the residue of whatever fuel was used
to test run the engine at the factory years ago.  After 15-20 seconds of
running on straight Diesel Purge, something broke loose in the pump and
it started to work correctly.  The trickle coming from the vent turned
into a strong stream of dark brown *stuff* coming out of the vent.  Trip
to the Bosch shop avoided :-)  Diesel Purge is now on my list of
must-have stuff in the garage.  I view most of it as snake oil.  This is
the *real thing*.

We ran the engine at about 1800 RPM for 20 minutes or so to begin the
break-in process, then switched back to regular diesel.  I always use
Stanadyne Performance Formula, so that's in there too.  Time for a test
drive.  We head out of the driveway for a short tour of the
neighborhood, and meet utter disappointment head-on.  A check of the
part numbers confirms that the engine I purchased is not a 1Y, as
advertised, but a ADG industrial engine with an injector pump that is
governed to around 3000 RPM.  No external adustments have any effect on
the governed speed.  I now have a giant 30 MPH "tool shed" in the
driveway that looks a lot like a Westfalia camper.  Hopefully, the
company that sold me the engine has a solution.

A strong warning to anyone buying new VW diesel engines.  Make sure you
know what you are getting, because the vendor may *not*.  I should have
looked up the part numbers in ETKA and brought the info with me when I
went to make the purchase.  Now I am faced with unanticipated delay and
possibly a large additional expense that I did not budget for.

For those of you who are interested, I have already sent an e-mail to
the vendor asking how to proceed.

Mike Snow
1982 Westfalia tool shed