TheBeastie

Having just got The Beastoe's smoke problem sorted (timing belt tensioner had disintegrated) and got her through her MOT disaster has again struck on my way to a RAYNET gig. Loss of power, knocking and more smoke (different through which makes a change). Had to go about half a mile to get somewhere reasonably safe to stop then called RAC. Guy said big ends (which was my thought) and called a lorry to take me home. Really frustrating after 10 days of glorious trouble free driving. I cannot see how the two are related so must have done something really horrid in a previous life! I am also getting oil now slowly dripping from the hand brake drum which never happened before so clearly some collateral damage too. Is this likely to be repairable (probably by garage rather than me I suspect) or is it time to look for a new engine? Have no idea of costs but will speak to the guys who ladle out the TLC to the old girl on Monday. Any pointers though would be really useful. Thanks Malcy

Finally got tester (now a Draper not Silverline - twice the price but there was some adverse comment re: the Silverline kit on Amazon). Am I best checking through glow plug or injector? Also can I do from cold cranking manually from the front? I tried putting one adapter into glowplug hole 1 and it fits but seems slightly loose so put another (ostensibly same thread) in and it only goes in about 3 turns and then sticks. Feel reluctant to force it. Thanks for any pointers Best wishes Malcy

Can I ask whether this is something I am best getting done professionally or is it worth getting a Silverline 196602 Dielsel Engine Compression Testing kit which seems to be about £55. Not sure how good, or otherwise, this kit is. Any views? Best wishes Malcy

Thanks. Yes I was aware 6v-24v too so surprised. What I had done is not set jumpers for switch on/off automatically with ignition since did not want that but have fed same 12v fused supply to both the +ve and also to the ignition feed. This works fine on the PSU. Will test boot up with engine running but have current on-going issues with engine (serious groan) so reluctant to do unnecessary starts. My hunch is once engine running and slightly higher voltage (so any sensor such as you mention will be satisfied) it will start but wondered if anyone else had come across this. Once engine sorted (which is the bigger issue) then will let you know.

Not sure where to go here and wonder if anyone can help. I have built an ITX PC using an M3-ATX PSU. Running it off a bench PSU it goes fine but putting it into The Beastie it refuses to fire up the PC. I have checked the power and it is getting 12.75V off the auxilliary battery. I put it back on the bench PSU and it is fine - so the PC working. On a hunch I have just re-set the bench PSU to about 12.5V and lo and behold the PC will not start. As soon as I ramp it up to about 13.2V or so we are back in business. Once it is running I can wind back the voltage a bit without seeming to upset it. Am I right in thinking this means I will not be able to fire up the PC unless the engine is running (and the split charge supplying a tad extra voltage to the auxilliary), but that once started I should be able to run it with the engine off?

Grrummph!! Valve clearances spot on but still loads of white smoke and little power. Managed to get her out of the drive (so up a decent slope) but did not feel like chancing a run without fog lights :-) Now to find a garage man to see if he can pinpoint what needs done. I had hoped it might have been my sloppy valve adjustment:-(

Thanks guys I think I will re-check valve clearances as suggested when get opportunity (currently sleet with snow falling over Pentlands - though nothing major, but I have to work outside!). It is possible I got them wrong and quick easy fix if so. Otherwise I suspect I must have pushed the effects of some other failing a bit further along the line. When I saw valve cover loose I thought perhaps something had been hitting it and loosened it but no signs of anything like that - seems odd that it suddenly loosened on two of the three holding bolts so reckoned had to be pressure of some sort. Failing that I will try working through western's chart.

It was ok apart from spilling oil from what I now know was loose valve cover.

Thanks Ralph. Be lovely if it was so simple - fingers crossed. So much smoke have not had nerve to take her out for a run. Also feels as if very little power when she does actually respond to throttle. Will give it a try tomorrow and see.

Thanks. Will check oil filler cap in morning but it was 100% ok before I first started it this morning, which gave all the new issue of snmoke. Loss of compression sounds a possible but instinct says all connected to initial fault (earlier thread) which seems to have been problem with intercooler pipes. If deid turbo how would I tell? Sorry if it is obvious! BTW it is a 200Tdi so no fancy electronics. Am hoping it stays a 200Tdi and is not goosed!!

Thanks. Oil seems to be OK. Just tried starting her again (now dark so less alarming to neighbours). Started but still lots smoke smelling quite strongly of what I assume is diesel. Press throttle and no engine speed up. Do not feel it would have the power to move off in gear. If white smoke smelling diesel then reading suggests unburnt fuel which in turn suggests timing off (I think), but how could timing go off so suddenly???

Checking for oil leak this morning found valve cover loose. Took it off to see if anything amiss and nothing seems wrong. Checked tappets and apart from few minor adjustments seems ok. Also checked and cleaned cyclonic breather as suggested. Used paraffin but gave couple hours and a good shaking to try and dry off. Checked new turbo hoses & all seem OK. Put it all back together (tightening valve cover bolts firmly) and started it up. Holy Moley! Clouds of white smoke (need to replace front exhaust downpipe LOL) which just kept coming. Ran on tickover for minute or two then stopped engine but could not see anything odd. On restart it didn't really want to but did. Lumpy & quite unresponsive to throttle. More white smoke. Not sure whether to try and take for run down road to see if it clears or if this should all be telling me I am in the sticky brown stuff! Any suggestions most welcome since currently feeling a tad nervous!! Thanks Malcy

After replacing turbo hoses everything great for a while then noticed tinny metallic klunking and power not good. I wondered if it might have been the turbo packing up having had full pressure perhaps for first time in a while. Visually nothing I could see and since hectic this week carried on. Today noticed oil under the engine when parked up - always a bit of oil but never this much. Opening bonnet there was a lot of oil everywhere so it has to be spraying out somewhere. Checked sump oil and levels are ok so not losing masses but more than I should be. Hoping to have a look tomorrow but hard since street all dug up and only very cramped drive on steep slope to weork on. Reckoned I would check tappets first and then try cleaning up before trying to run engine to see if I can see anything but wondered if the symptoms screamed anything to any of the grown ups which might help narrow my search down. Thanks for any pointers.

Have just replaced the large bore pipes on the turbocharge system (used Terra Firma blue silicone ones which I hope are good) and the noise appears to have now vanished - at least on idling in the drive. Could see no overt sign of damage in the old pipes but the fact that the change made a difference sort of says it all. Hopefully performance on hills might pick up a tad too! Thanks for everyone's help.

Thanks. Have managed to do quick visual check and not seen anything obvious but they are clearly quite old so am tempted to replace anyway since I am 99% sure this is the problem. Have seen other references to blue pipes which are meant to be much better. Found one source at about £50 or so which seems a tad pricey. Are all blue turbo pipes the same or has anyone got recommendation? Also should I avoid driving till sorted lest I damage turbo?? Thanks for any further pointers BEst wishes Malcy

Discovered a new noise on Friday. Only noticable when idling or low revs. It is a sort of whirr / schlurp noise like a bearing or pump with airlock which is going (very unscientifically) about 150rpm. A quick visual check showed nothing that I noticed. Then this afternoon I also noticed a sort of whistling sound (not loud but could make out over the engine noise at 50mph) when accelerating but which went as soon as I eased off the throttle. This makes me think it is something to do with the turbo. Anyone got any thoughts?

Thanks guys. The airline did the trick. I had fully expected it to all crumple in my hands as I touched it but it was all in better nick than I expected. I can now see again - mind you some of the driving last week it was almost better not seeing out the windscreen since too scary when wipers cannot keep up with all the snow flakes even on fast setting!

Typically my windrscreen washers seem to have stopped working. Assumed it was lack of fluid (it was dark!) so put more in but still no joy. Today I have had careful look and tank is 60% full, there has been a thaw on for 36 hours so very unlikely anything frozen. I have cleaned the connectors to the pump and tested that voltage delivered - it is. If I look carefully some bubbles appear out of the nozzles so something is happening but not a lot. I expected to see a non return valve on the pipe near the pump but there is nothing between the pump and the pipe disappearing through the bulkhead. I am nervous of taking the pipe off the pump since I think it is original and fear I would never get it reconnected. Any ideas? I need a solution (pun not intended) fast since we are still on standby here and more serious weather expected from middle of next week. To replace fully seems I need dash off and the works which sounds a pain so if anyone has any shortcuts I might try I would be really grateful. Thanks

Thanks. Will pit in a new bulb and see what it does. Hopefully nice cheap solution - always a first!!!

My worklamp has stopped working and in trying to identify problem I find that if I put multimeter onto the integral supply wire for the bulb and also onto the metal surround (earth) it is all connected - the resistance is 0 ohms whereas I would have expected some resistance from the filament??? I assume this is why it isn't working but thought best to confirm this is not as it should be. Can only think something insulating must have corroded, rotted or fallen off but if anyone can confirm bulb is faulty it would be a big help! Thanks

Can anyone explain the route the two brown wires take from the alternator - one to battery and other to starter motor? Mine seem to go across front of engine then along LH side (as you look from front) and then join into a loom. I presume this is to avoid exhaust pipe. I need to upgrade wires to take 65A alternator (instead of original 45A) and trying to get idea of lengths needed. Additionally the heaviest wire that VWP does in brown is 8.5mm sq or 63 amp wire whereas I have seen others recommending 10 mm sq wire or even heavier. Should I look harder to find 10mm sq wire in brown (VWP only do red and black at that thickness but feel that getting red would be potentially confusing later on). Presumably running the original with a new 63 amp in parallel would overcome any issues but feel it would be neater (and less confusing)to run one new cable if I can. Thanks Malc

Thanks western. Presumably if going for the 65 amp upgrade still worth upgrading the cabling?

Noticed very low volts and on investigation found (to cut a long story short) that the casing of the alternator has sheered just above the front securing bolt. It is a clean break through the casting. There is no sign of a bolt securing the rear which makes me a bit suspicious since I had the steering pump looked at and I know they took pump out so am guessing he took alternator off to get at it and perhaps forgot to put back the rear securing bolt on the alternator - Can see how it could be quite easy to forget, but may be doing him an injustice! I have checked the hole at the back of the bracket which would take the rear bolt and I can put a cable tie in for 40mm from the face. I do not know however if this means a bolt has sheered off or if it is completely clear for new bolt to go in??? My main question however is the alternator is the original 1991 A127-45. It would seem to me to be worth upgrading to a more powerful alternator given I have to get a new one and wonder if others agree. I run a double battery setup with split charge and use aux battery quite a lot for radio work. The current alternator seems to (be meant to) have three fixing points - bottom front and rear plus top front on the sliding bracket. Presumably much easier to get another alternator with same fixing points. What would I be best getting? Will also have hopefully constructive discussion with guy on Monday - grrr! Any thoughts most appreciated Malc

Thanks. Yes they are for my 1991 200Tdi 90 so looks like that is OK on an MOT front but are there likely to be any insurance issues??

I feel putting in forward facing seats would lose me all my load space so reluctant to follow this route really. Inward facing would give me decent load space for the 98% of the time when seats not being used.