New 93 turbo engine, lots of white smoke.

raydav

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I got my 84 E350 in 1995. It came with a 460/C6. Over the next decade I swapped the C6 for an E4OD and the D70 rear for a D70 dually. In 2005 I got an 89 E350 for it's IDI. A few years ago I added a remote turbo. At that time I also had a 2001 E350 PSD. They are both 7.3, the PSD turbo seems to work well, so I had a shop build me one like the PSD. The most boost I ever saw was ten pounds. But five pounds put me up one gear on hills and the black soot was almost gone.

Prior to adding the turbo I removed the fuel filter from the engine and put a Racor on the frame.

I had bought a turbo-calibrated IP in anticipation of adding a turbo, was carrying it, and swapped it in on the road prior to adding the turbo. I replaced the injectors about a year ago. And all was well.

Recently the 89 IDI produced a large cloud of white smoke when starting cold.

I have just replaced the 89 IDI with a rebuilt 93 turbo IDI. I set the IP at the center of the slots. It produced enough white smoke to make it unusable. I advanced the IP what little I could without reforming the lines.

Now, a few seconds after starting it idles very smooth. After it warms a bit it starts instantly, and the white smoke is hardly noticeable. But run it up to maybe 2K and it billows white smoke, and runs a bit rough.

And that is where it stands. I have driven it only enough to get it on the lift, and that felt normal.

Suggestions?
 
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icanfixall

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Your engine really needs to be timed with a meter. Hopefully you did not remove the injection pump with the top gear housing and gear at the same time.If you did then I feel you are not gear timed correctly.
 

raydav

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Hopefully you did not remove the injection pump with the top gear housing and gear at the same time.If you did then I feel you are not gear timed correctly.

Yes I removed the housing with the pump. You don't get a pump, gear or housing with a rebuilt engine. And they went on gear > housing > pump.
 

towcat

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I got my 84 E350 in 1995. It came with a 460/C6. Over the next decade I swapped the C6 for an E4OD and the D70 rear for a D70 dually. In 2005 I got an 89 E350 for it's IDI. A few years ago I added a remote turbo. At that time I also had a 2001 E350 PSD. They are both 7.3, the PSD turbo seems to work well, so I had a shop build me one like the PSD. The most boost I ever saw was ten pounds. But five pounds put me up one gear on hills and the black soot was almost gone.

Prior to adding the turbo I removed the fuel filter from the engine and put a Racor on the frame.

I had bought a turbo-calibrated IP in anticipation of adding a turbo, was carrying it, and swapped it in on the road prior to adding the turbo. I replaced the injectors about a year ago. And all was well.

Recently the 89 IDI produced a large cloud of white smoke when starting cold.

I have just replaced the 89 IDI with a rebuilt 93 turbo IDI. I set the IP at the center of the slots. It produced enough white smoke to make it unusable. I advanced the IP what little I could without reforming the lines.

Now, a few seconds after starting it idles very smooth. After it warms a bit it starts instantly, and the white smoke is hardly noticeable. But run it up to maybe 2K and it billows white smoke, and runs a bit rough.

And that is where it stands. I have driven it only enough to get it on the lift, and that felt normal.

Suggestions?
white smoke at idle and clears up instantly.....injectors.
white smoke and rpms breaking up as you throttle up....you're either off a tooth or.....your pump is done.
good luck.
 

Sidewinded_idi

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Yea, right after I turn a couple offset box end wrenches into tube wrenches to get at the bottom lines on the pump.

I got a new set of lines recently. Do they really need to be that stiff?
For the bottom two nuts I use a stubby craftsmen combination open/box wrench. It’s only about 3 inches in length but the open end reaches the bottom ones no problem
 

Macrobb

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advance the ip gear 1 tooth(clockwise when viewed from the front of the engine).
 

raydav

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I advanced the IP drive gear one tooth. I left the advance I previously got by twisting the pump.

It now seems functional. It is still on the lift, it idles smooth, and is smooth up to I am guessing about 2K; I don't have a tach. And no clouds of smoke. I hope to soon have a timing system.

When I assembled the engine, I set the IP gear on the cam gear with no gear cover or front cover. I then bolted the gear cover on, then tried to disengage the IP gear. I rattled the IP gear around in the cover but the gears stayed meshed. I then sealed to IP gear cover and did a final bolt down. I left the front cover off as long as I could and then finally installed it and the pan. I installed the IP later. That was all done on a stand.

I am confident the timing marks were properly aligned. Are the timing marks not necessarily true?
 

raydav

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I got a Kent-Moore J- 33300 Tach-N-Time. I already had a serious timing light. Everything about working on a van is awkward, including timing it.

I think it is at 4 degrees BTDC at 2K RPM.

I drove it a couple miles. Under acceleration there is a lot of grey smoke, and to borrow a term from top fuel, it reminds me of cackle. But it feels OK.

At the risk of starting another G-BB discussion, what is this weeks choice for injectors? And trusted source please.

And I posted a few more pics.
https://goo.gl/photos/LJNV4esgmYmSzKdL8
 

raydav

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I had a discussion with an IP and injector re-builder. Like most others he said white smoke indicates the IP should be advanced. So I advanced it and the rattle got worse. So I retarded it and the rattle is either gone or almost so. I have said that if it was a gas engine I would think it had too much spark advance.

It idles and runs smooth, never a miss, and warm starts instantly. But the white/grey smoke is still antisocial.

I have not yet got on it hard up hill to check max performance.

All the fuel related stuff from the old engine went on the new. Could a fresh engine make obvious smoke that was only marginal with the old engine?
 

raydav

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I don’t see a reason why the old engine would mask that

The question was more like could the higher compression of a fresh engine produce more smoke?

I have kinda got it to where the old was; it produces white/grey smoke with a heavy foot at low RPM, and the sound during that time tends toward what I call rattle.
 
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