2 cylinder AAZ!

[Googledave]

Hi all, so after three months of my diesel being parked in the driveway, I attempted to start it… hard start and then dies. It’ll start with half throttle and once warm it’ll idle rough with a ton of smoke and the worst smell! I check the motor and see the injector return pipes had air bubbles and three injectors were wet. I traced the leaks to the return lines. I replaced them and now the injectors are all dry and I see one return with the tiniest bubble. So start her up and still the same thing is happening.. so I crack the injector lines one at a time and notice that all four are have fuel spraying out of the tops of the injectors but that when I crack #1 and #3 there is NO difference in the engine running and #2and#4 will cause the engine to die…. Leading me to believe that #1 and #3 are not firing. What could cause that? Did the timing belt slip a tooth or two? There’s no air in either feed or return lines and and when I cracked the lines at the injectors they all seem to spray a healthy amount of diesel (everywhere). Thanks! Dave

Almost forgot: I’m running a 1.6tdjx pump

[dieseltdi]

Could be the injectors are fouled. Might need to pull those two and make sure they aren’t plugged. The pump may also be to blame. Maybe try running some diesel purge in turning the engine off and letting it set for a day and then try again.
_________________
When a clown moves into a palace he doesn’t become a king, the palace instead becomes a circus. — Turkish proverb

Those who will willingly sacrifice freedom for security, deserve neither.

Currently:
1982 Vanagon Westy TDI conversion with Coast Mt. Hightop - SKYE
2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6 EV
2015 Golf Sportwagen S TDI
Way too many previously owned to list!

[Phishman068]

Doesn't sound like a timing belt related issue. If that were the case, you'd have an issue with "when" each (ALL) cylinders get their fuel relative to combustion, so two cylinders wouldn't work normally.... all of them wouldn't.

Since you're getting fuel TO each injector, it definitely sounds like an injector issue, or something profoundly worse (Ate multiple valves, burned holes in pistons, etc).
Id start with swapping the injectors around to see if it changes which cylinders work.
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http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=569774
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6864936#6864936

"Along with the ability to go fast, one looses the desire to hurry."

[hardway]

With any misfire the first thing to check is compression.

[Phishman068]

Checking compression on a diesel is not only tricky, it requires some real specialty gear that most folks don't have access to. Especially on an IDI diesel (AAZ).
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http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=482402&highlight=sunroof+syncro
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=569774
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6864936#6864936

"Along with the ability to go fast, one looses the desire to hurry."

[dieseltdi]

The fact that the engine isn't affected by the cracking of the fuel lines on those two cylinders indicates that they are not receiving any fuel. After sitting for 2 months, it is likely that they are plugged up. Diesel Purge can really work wonders but I would still remove the two suspect injectors and at least clean up the tips. If you are handy and know what you are doing, you can open the injectors up and clean them internally. As long as they are rebuilt EXACTLY as they were before they were disassembled, shouldn't be any problem with needing to be pressure tested and reshimmed. Also, how cold was it when you started the van? Could be that your diesel waxed up and clogged the injectors. You could try a heat gun or wait until it is warm and try again.
_________________
When a clown moves into a palace he doesn’t become a king, the palace instead becomes a circus. — Turkish proverb

Those who will willingly sacrifice freedom for security, deserve neither.

Currently:
1982 Vanagon Westy TDI conversion with Coast Mt. Hightop - SKYE
2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6 EV
2015 Golf Sportwagen S TDI
Way too many previously owned to list!

[Googledave]

Thanks! I’ll try that! I have a spare set of injectors that I know are good and I’ll throw those in and get myself some diesel purge! I’ll post with results. As for temps it was 40F so not cold. Thanks !!

[Gizmoman]

You may already know this, but there is a specific way to remove injectors in an AAZ head to keep from cracking the threaded boss.

I believe that the wrench handle needs to be back towards the firewall, and you apply torque towards the valve cover.

Where's Waldo may hopefully drop in and clarify.
_________________
82 Vanagon Westy - AAZ 1.9 TD, HE200 Holset, WAIC, 27.75 dia tires, Electric power steering, 5-speed AAP w/.078 5th
Oversize spare carrier - stock location (no longer for sale).

[?Waldo?]

Soak the injector threads with penetrating oil before getting started.

As Gizmoman mentioned, for removal orient the bar so that it is parallel with the injectors with the end of the handle pointing toward the front of the van. Oriented that way, and side loads will be into the head at the top of the injector and the strong base of the injector boss will be what is resisting that side motion.

If the injectors have been installed in the head for a long time (more than a year or two) then do not just twist them out in one go. Instead do 1/4 turn out, 1/8 turn in, 1/4 turn out, etc... If you feel any significant resistance, thread them in/out more.

[Googledave]

Thanks guys, I’appreciate the tech advice!! As soon as this snowstorm blows thru I’m going to switch out thes injectors and try it!!

[Googledave]

Reporting back to tell you guys it indeed was two injectors all gummed up!! Thanks for the input!! Amazing!! You guys are the best!! Seriously!!
So one more question: is there a cold start idle sensor or throttle doohickey on these? I daily drive a Toyota 70 series with a 3b diesel and there’s a throttle lock for cold days to help idle the truck, even though on the Toyota even in 5* F I haven’t neede it yet.. but the Syncro, I have to keep my foot on the throttle for 3-4 minutes before she idles on her own….and now when I give her a quick application of the throttle she revs no problem but she dies…. Almost as if the throttle is to low… she idles at around 900rpm

[Googledave]

I think I may have found the issue with it not idling and so smoky… I found the small return hose from the back of the pump to injector #1 leaking… so I took the opportunity to replace all the small return hoses with new clear hoses…. And now I see air bubbles in all of the small return lines but nothing in the one going to the fuel filter from the pump.. I also noticed the air bubbles are traveling up and down the small return hose from the back of pump to #1 injector…. Any ideas? Thanks again

[dieseltdi]

There should be a cold start knob up from on the dash for cold start. It advances the timing a bit until warmup. As for the air bubbles, you need to see if the air is coming through the pump or just from the injectors. Your clear line should be the supply line between the filter and the pump. I wouldn’t worry too much about using clear lines in the return hoses, just use the correct size fuel hoses and make sure that the injector connectors are tight but don’t go gorilla on them. Thinking about it again, I believe at least some of the AAZ pumps had electric timing advances controlled by relays at least in the cars.
_________________
When a clown moves into a palace he doesn’t become a king, the palace instead becomes a circus. — Turkish proverb

Those who will willingly sacrifice freedom for security, deserve neither.

Currently:
1982 Vanagon Westy TDI conversion with Coast Mt. Hightop - SKYE
2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6 EV
2015 Golf Sportwagen S TDI
Way too many previously owned to list!

[dieseltdi]

Post a picture of your injection pump.
_________________
When a clown moves into a palace he doesn’t become a king, the palace instead becomes a circus. — Turkish proverb

Those who will willingly sacrifice freedom for security, deserve neither.

Currently:
1982 Vanagon Westy TDI conversion with Coast Mt. Hightop - SKYE
2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6 EV
2015 Golf Sportwagen S TDI
Way too many previously owned to list!

[Googledave]

I will in the am! But it’s a pump from a 1.6tdjx.. I do know about cold start lever just wondering if it had some other throttle lock or some cold start device other than just the cold start lever… also- it sounds like I’m hearing some sort of either sucking or hissing coming from the fuel filter which is new… but I can’t find any leaks

[AndyBees]

Subscribed for updates.
_________________
'84 Vanagon Tin-top, ALH TDI, two trips to Alaska, 2014 & 16. 1989 Tin-top unmolested.
1983 Air-cool, 225k miles, 180k miles mine, seven trips to Alaska from 1986 thru 2003. 1975 Bay hopeful.

[dieseltdi]

Nope, if it is using the stock vanagon pump, there isn't any other kind of device. BTW, unless someone has tuned the pump, you are missing a lot of potential power out of the AAZ.
_________________
When a clown moves into a palace he doesn’t become a king, the palace instead becomes a circus. — Turkish proverb

Those who will willingly sacrifice freedom for security, deserve neither.

Currently:
1982 Vanagon Westy TDI conversion with Coast Mt. Hightop - SKYE
2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6 EV
2015 Golf Sportwagen S TDI
Way too many previously owned to list!

[MsTaboo]

[Googledave]

[Googledave]

So this morning it’s 34*F and she started a bit easier with cold start pulled out.. but I have to give it half throttle to start for about 3-4 minutes and then she idles… not the best idle….. but she idles… and a ton of white nasty smelling smoke- which she has never done until I parked her for a few months… changing the injectors out definately runs 100% better! But the smoke is awful…. So this before I started her I checked the fuel lines and the feed line to the pump was full with one tiny air bubble… maybe 3/16” just one.. but the small injector return pipes all have air in them and it doesn’t look like the main return to the filter has any air at all… I did find one small injector return line at #1 injector leaking.. so I replaced it with a new black line and leak has stopped…. I’ll get a clear line on monday when the shop opens on monday… I did time the pump to 1.00 mm and see no difference in smoke or start… and I don’t hear hissing from the filter this morning…. The filter I replaced when I parked her for the winter and she ran fine then….