Volvo EC15B mini - engine removal & injection pump overhaul - plus ......

[Muz]

Ah but you are getting there though .. I might have a working set of injectors you could try, and that would at least eliminate that problem I'll have a look

[jackpreacher]

Doug just worked solidly for 2 hours finishing the grading of the drive. Although he was a bit slow he never conked out. Is he fixed? No, but he's on the mend.. I wouldn't trust him with trench work though

I rang round a few Diesel Injection specialists earlier and the cost of testing each injector starts at £15.00 rising up to £90.00. Fully serviced and calibrated injectors the [the ones in him now] range from £45.00 to £120.00 plus FAT.

I'm going to remove the injectors over the weekend and try to service/calibrate them myself - there's nowt to lose. If Doug is still underpowered the injectors will have to be sent off for servicing.

BTW, the ECU that is controlled by the engine overheat sensor is something that I will check further but I have a hunch that it's ok. There have been many niggling little problems that all occurred around the same time: Injection Pump disintegrating, Fuel pump failure, contaminated fuel , and , of course, my own ineptitude & inexperience that have all culminated in problems which hinder analysis of what to do. Still, at least the cab doesn't leak.

TBC

[jackpreacher]

New Injectors or Professionally servicing the originals?

Just been quoted £685 plus FAT for 3 new injectors for the L3E engine

What should I do?

[jackpreacher]

You never need them .. just stick to the three main reliefs designated P1 P2 P3 on their .. erm .. maps .. no .. drawings .. umm sheets thingies

Visual aids....?? (Can one say that these days.....)

Once again I have thank you for advice which saves time and (probably) money.

[Muz]

Naturally I started with the easiest one to find...., and got lucky!

The pilot lines will be for another day

You never need them .. just stick to the three main reliefs designated P1 P2 P3 on their .. erm .. maps .. no .. drawings .. umm sheets thingies

[jackpreacher]

Naturally I started with the easiest one to find...., and got lucky!

The pilot lines will be for another day

I actually like my EC15....we're both simple (I meant..er.....me & Doug...)

[Muz]

Yeah, I know what you mean, plus it's a hard copy which means it'll be tricky to share with other EC15 owners. On the plus side the hydraulic schematics are first class, well, they must be because even I figured out where the PRV is located.

Ahhhh........ you have a head start on many .. scratch that .......most other EC15 owners then even me .. from the shit I get from my dealers .. but there are 3 tho .. so still 2 to go

[jackpreacher]

Blimey has it got an 18 Ct gold binder

Yeah, I know what you mean, plus it's a hard copy which means it'll be tricky to share with other EC15 owners. On the plus side the hydraulic schematics are first class, well, they must be because even I figured out where the PRV is located.

[Muz]

Oddly enough my new £89.00 service manual

Blimey has it got an 18 Ct gold binder

I wonder if the spill washers are the right way round

It wont matter .. all of that is on the low pressure side ... at worst you get a leak (if at all) .. but wont affect engine performance

[jackpreacher]

but what ever you do and I cant stress this enough ... make sure you wear eye protection and keep your hands clear from high pressure diesel workings I'm sure you will know this, but as a public forum I have to remind folks

Top advice.

1. Ok, so a compression test first - at least I can do that.

2. Injector spray test and pressure test - I'll see what I can rig up if the compression test passes muster. I sense the parting of money..........

3. I'll post photos of the PRV and test points for the hydraulic testing.

Oddly enough my new £89.00 service manual didn't have my injectors detailed. I wonder if the spill washers are the right way round

TBC

[Muz]

That makes a lot of sense as the engine was generating full power (admittedly on 85 Bar ) before all the problems with the fuel injection pump. So maybe my tinkering has actually created a problem.

No I think you've eliminated a steady stream of faults from someones discarded EC15 .. like many machines, theres a limit to what faults they tolerate before giving poorer performance .. The EC15 isnt the most refined piece of engineering, but being fairly basic its fairly easy to get to being what 100% it should be which is why I like them.

Tomorrow I'll rig up some kind of jig to observe the spray pattern from the injectors. I reckon one was a bit dodgy hence the sooted up injector.

You could try that but it wont always reveal a problem .. incomplete combustion could just as easily be low compression causing that .. (but if you forgot your copper washers at the injector seat that would give you some leakage )

but what ever you do and I cant stress this enough ... make sure you wear eye protection and keep your hands clear from high pressure diesel workings I'm sure you will know this, but as a public forum I have to remind folks

Muz, do you calibrate/mend your own injectors

No .. its a specialised job, that requires special test kit to measure pressure, spill, etc etc

[jackpreacher]

....and, er,.....one lump or two?

[jackpreacher]

That makes a lot of sense as the engine was generating full power (admittedly on 85 Bar ) before all the problems with the fuel injection pump. So maybe my tinkering has actually created a problem.

Tomorrow I'll rig up some kind of jig to observe the spray pattern from the injectors. I reckon one was a bit dodgy hence the sooted up injector.

Muz, do you calibrate/mend your own injectors or do you farm that job out?

[Muz]

Not neccesarily .. Injectors are not just so simple to service though .. the working pressures are critical, and good though your intentions may have been, you may not have cured a fault within. They need tested on a jig to ensure correct operation.

For example .. I took one out of a single cylinder diesel cement mixer recently that I could see had completely the wrong spray pattern, I connected it up out side the cylinder and was spraying neat diesel and not atomising the fuel properly, and this engine would barely run... replacing it cured the problem completely and the engine ran fine. I stripped the faulty injector and could not see anything with the naked eye that convinced me there was a fault. Its possible, if you have eliminated all the other issues, that this is why the engine will not generate full power

If it is generating full power, it will generate near 200 Bar and at full relief, should not kill the engine, just make it labour only and smoke a bit.

Glad youve identified your main reliefs though .. thats a good job well done

Also .. shorting your sender wire to chassis just proves the ECU is doing its job .. it doesnt mean that the thermistor is not faulty, or there is not still a broken wire at the ECU, because together, these could still be giving a 'phantom' shut down

[jackpreacher]

Onto the Hydraulics

Wednesday Afternoon

1. Warmed up engine and hydraulic fluid for 20mins.
2. Removed battery compartment door then lifted the floor out.
3. Attached hi-pressure gauge to P1 (labelled from the manual)
4. Tested the pressure from the Hydraulic Pump - 85 Bar. The service manual states it should be 170 Bar give or take 5 Bar.

So, the reason that Doug doesn't travel too well is because his pressure relief valve is set way too low at around half of what it should be. At least now I know

5. Adjusted the PRV (engine running but no services) and tested the pressure. The maximum I could get Doug to hold revs against was 100 Bar, after that he just dropped revs, blew smelly blue fumes out of his exhaust and then stalled.

In the 3 or 4 seconds he worked at 100 Bar he stopped shuffling and actually turned on the spot
I reset him to 80 Bar so at least I can carry on doing the drive (1/3 mile long) grading without stalling all the time.

Now I need help from you guys

Is his engine goosed?