Valve Adjustment 300Tdi

Aha another familiar vehicle
my first 4wd was a lada niva,brand new out of the container
i saw some good descriptions,
nobody mentioned the fuel tank breathers blocked and the tanks suck in,
it was my first attempt at trying to get something to go better, , a webber carby, 2" system, blanking off the EGr system
all for an extra 1mpg and a little power increase.
But the ride was armchair, was told the suspension was copied from a landrover discovery.
But as far as off road capability goes, you couldn't stop it, rode like a boat in deep mud. Mine never leaked.
The secret to driving the lada was to drive it like a truck , they go slow up hill and half fast down hill, the rubber donut that connects the gearbox and transfer case gives a little vibration but is bearable.
i could go on.
Easy to work on.

wouldn't mind another as a paddock basher, funny there is one down the road sitting in a paddock.
But the older ones all have bad rust in them.


john

Have to agree it was a fantastic little 4x4. Definately comfortable and yes the 2L Fiat almost drops straight in. You have to modify the sump a bit and grind a small area of the rear bellhousing off. Also need to make up brackets as the engine mounts don't quite line up.

Yes they go well, Mine had the 2L fiat and was good for 140km/h (more comfortable at 110km/h)

Heaps of room for the size of the vehicle. Mine didn't leak either (and yes the fluids were all there)

I'd love to get one again for playing with. Goes anywhere and very stable.

I reckon the same team responsible for Land rover electrics designed the Niva's whilst they were apprentice's.

The gearbox failure was the main input shaft... (2L engine and bad driving no doubt added to that!).

Useless fact: apparently the Lada was designed so that you did not need any special equipment or lifting gear to work on the vehicle. One of the reasons they are so easy to work on! My favourite part of the owners manual (yep, still had it!) was the instructions for starting the vehicle in -40 degress celsius!

Valve clearances all done. Used the Alternator nut to turn the engine without removing the glow plugs, works a treat.
Definately less smoke and smoother bottom end. Seems to have more tourque. Unfortunately didn't make much difference to "clatter"... That's the next thing to work on. Any ideas? Seems to be noiser than she used to be or perhaps it is just an illusion as she was so quiet after the 2.8 TD Jackaroo!

I never owned a Niva but a mate at trade school had one and I seemed to be working on it ALL the time.

My ex wife called him her second hubby as he was all ways there working on his car in my garage.

It was an early one so that might account for something and it was terrific off road but thats where the good stoped.

He used to take a full tool box and a box of spares to drive to work and I don't know if he once made it to work on time while he owned it.

He now has a pootrol after owning a series 2 shorty for a while with a ford 250 x flow in it.

As far as the clatter, the injector pumps make a fair bit of noise when they aren't timed correctly and that could account for the smoke.

Have you done the timing belt lately?

Have you fiddled with the injector pump to get more out of it as that also makes them a bit clacky but failing that I don't know.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DarrenR

As they are rigid axle coil & constant 4WDrive,DarrenR

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Only rigid rear, independent front. Coils all round.

Yeah they can be real hit and miss, I only had the gearbox trouble and a couple of other bits like faulty electrics that were more a pain than anything. The gearbox I can't complain about considering the engine was more powerful than the original.

Timing belt would be about 25,000km's. Pump the top screw is up a little but has been that way for a fair while now. I have dropped some injector cleaner in so hopefully that will clear it up. Might replace the timing belt anyway as were heading to Darwin in July and looking at around 10,000km/s

At least then you will know that your injector timing is correct as when the belt stretches that bees d#$k it changes a lot on them.

Mine is very tempremental about its timing belt and I know to replace it when the pump starts clacking.

But it not that loud most of the time in comparison with some so I dont know weather this is just one car to the next or a timing belt issue.

They cost bugger all in comparison to a new engine so you may as well.

By the way, use a 200tdi tensioner, they work better than the one in the 300tdi kit.

Mine was rattling like a can full of marbles before i did the tappets, after it the rattling partially stopped.
Anyway, it was due for a timing belt which i had done, by one of the recommended suppliers, rick at nerang.
the rattling i was hearing after adjusting the tappets was the adjusting pulley bearing for the timing belt.
He showed me the bits he replaced and when i spun the pulley, you could hear the hollow sounding rattle.
So if your timing belt is 25k off getting done, I suspect it is the cause of your rattling motor.
Mine now is quiet, well relatively, after getting the belt done, Nothing can stop the deisel tick. short of a petrol transplant.

Back to all things lada, what about the full russian tool kit that came with it, the best was working under the car, I think its in the manual, get the spare tyre roll down the drivers or passenger window, tip the car onto its side and put the spare up against the top of the door and rest the car on it.
mine was original 1.8 110km was too fast for it,
the only electric probs i had was the CDI unit, the russian one was the size of a shoebox, a warranty fix had it replaced with a bosch one that was the size of a matchbox with a huge aluminium plate under it. Oh yes and the voltage regulator, but that was replaced the day i picked it up.


john

I'm going to do the timing belt. I've only had diesels and use to the rattles but it definately seems louder than she used to be.

I had forgotton about the laying it on the side in the Lada Manual. My electrics probs were the headlights/washers/wipers, did all sorts of wierd and wonderful things! Luckily they were all easily fixed with some rewiring

yep sounds like yours has the same problems mine had. I think you will find a full belt kit will fix it,
i isolated my rattles to the front, first thought water pump then idler bearing for the drive belt, and it ended up being the timing belt stuff.


john