Reply With QuoteHave you ran the engine with the filler cap off? Are there excessive pulses of smoke?
JC
Howdy,
I wonder if someone could give me some idea on what might be
wrong with my normally trusty 300 tdi.
After driving about 1000k's over Easter it started to run rough and there is now a nasty burnt oil smell under the bonnet...No obvious signs of oil leaks or smoke from the muffler, but there is whitish smoke in the rocker cover and similar in air filter intake pipe.
No sign of water in the oil sump, or oil in the coolant, and the radiator pipes are not under pressure.
It's got 380k km on the clock so the engine is run in (LOL), but I've had the head gasket replaced and head planned and honed about 80k's ago..
THe problems did seems to coincide with filling up at a Caltex on the way home. I definitely used the diesel pump, but naturally I'm wondering about the fuel a little (more out of hope that it is a simple fix).
Any ideas to help me narrow this down would be appreciated. I'm booked to take it in to the local deisel mechanic on Monday, but it would be good to have a better idea on the possible problems before I do.
Chrs
Hendrous
Swaggie
Have you ran the engine with the filler cap off? Are there excessive pulses of smoke?
JC
Thanks for the reponse.
I just turned it over with the cap off and yes plenty of smoke is puffing out and it sounds not good at all.
AT REST
Sounds like a blown head gasket leaking from combustion chamber to pushrod holes into rocker area, Regards Frank.
Swaggie
Right on Frank, Thats what I was thinking with those symptoms. Don't drive it anymore, next thing it will try and run on its own oil.Originally Posted by Tank
Common place to blow through too.
JC
Thanks Tank and JC,
Not the diagnosis I was hoping for, but at least I know not to drive it now.
Considering the head gasket was replaced about 80k kms ago, is this hinting that the cooling system/radiator isn't working properly? I hoped to go a bit further on the new gasket that 80k km.
With 380k kms on the clock, I'm wondering if it would be better to look at buying a reconditioned engine rather than spend on another head gasket only to find the pistons rings give out or something down in the block.
Chrs
Hendrous
Swaggie
I wouldn't hesitate at 380K, I have replaced head gaskets at 450K in these engines before and bores look as new, that particular engine is now over 550K and going just as well as before.
Was the previous head gasket a genuine brand, IE Elring? Was it steel shim or composite?
Both those factors are important.
Elring (Genuine Landrover supplier) have proven to be the choice for longevity, and steel shim gaskets require an almost new block face to seal correctly, so it is still possible that the 80,000km lifespan of the current gasket isn't the engines fault, possibly a materials issue.
The cooling system may or may not have a bearing on this instance as the gasket seems to have blown as Frank suggested through to a pushrod gallery, usually indicative of age related failure as the original composite gasket can literally break down and allow the fire ring to push out, then gas to track across finally blowing through. Obviously Tdi's require exemplary cooling systems due to their miniscule radiator capacity but I'm not certain in this case it is a factor, usually if a gasket fails due to overheating, the vehicle becomes undriveable due to pressurising the cooling system or worse, hydraulic lock.
JC
G'day JC
I don't know what gasket they used last time, but I'm guessing it probably wasn't an Elring. I had it done at my local garage and after charging me about two grand the guy handed me back a car which was running on two pots and said he couldn't do any better without reconditioning the injectors. At that point I had to take it to an expert diesel machanic (who also drives a 200tdi) and he got it humming in no time after adjusting tapets and moving some gear to its proper position. So based on all this, i reckon it's a fair chance the first bloke didn't think about what gasket to use.
To save some bucks I'm considering trying to change the gasket myself. I have a manual and torque wrench, but I am concerned I might stuff the project up..
I've read through the manual and one thing it is telling me is to measure how far the pistons protrude to determine the thickness of the new gasket. Would you say this is essential? I haven't seen any gasket kits advertised of varying thicknesses.
Also had a look on utube to see if someone has filmed a gasket change on a 300tdi, but I couldn't find anything. Don't suppose someone has posted a link or made a thread about what to look out for on this site?
Chrs
Hendrous
Swaggie
Chris, this really is a simple job, about as simple as removing and replacing a 6 cylinder Holden Red motor head
The gaske protrusion doesn't need measuring in this case as the block hasn't been machined (Decked) and the pistons replaced, just check how many holes were on the edge of your existing gasket (There are a series of small holes punched into a small outer section of the gasket determining its thickness, 1,2,3 and no holes)I usually go with a 3 hole in most cases as it is the safest bet. The 'no hole' gasket is actually the thickest, so you could use that if you are worried about it.
You'll be fine but you need to angle torque the final 2 stages after the initial torque up.
JC
Thanks again,
After talking with my mechanic today, he wouldn't give me a ball park figure to replace the gasket and so I've decided to give it a go. I guess there are a number of possibles and he didn't want to tell me one thing and then have the figure blow out (parden the pun.) Hope you don't mind if I ask for some further advice if I hit a snag or two.
Found some helpfull threads on this forum and reading those has alerted me to a few potential pitfalls. If anyone can think of any common mistakes offhand, I'm keen to hear about them before I find out the hard way.
Chrs
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