Hi guys, I have a case 580d which I just did a head gasket on when I bought the machine it was not running so i dont know how much it smoked before I did the head gasket but heres my question The machine runs fantastic however at idle it has a constant( minimal )amount of fuel smoke when I hold the rpms around 1700 the smoke clear up this leads me to beleive that at idle it is getting too much fuel - How do I lean it out a little at idle?
There is no external adjustment on an injection pump for rich/lean mixture. If your getting a bluish/white smoke at idle, I'd try rebuilding the injectors first and see is that helps it. It's usually not terribly expensive to do. I wouldn't do anything with the injection pump unless it has a problem. Blue/white smoke at idle could also be caused by weak compression from an aged engine.
I'd have to agree with ATCOEQUIP. You haven't told us what color your smoke is and unless it's black, it's probably not a fuel/air ratio problem. Replacing the injectors is about your only first option, unless a minor timing adjustment might correct it. The pencil type injector can be quite difficult to remove if it's been in there a long time. If it's bent a bit from removal it won't pass a pop-test. I haven't found new ones for less than $100 each, but do shop around if you do want to buy a set. A grey colored smoke can be coolant leakage or just somewhat incomplete combustion. There is a test for combustion gases in the coolant, Snap-On makes a kit, possibly others. Other basic checks you could make, are correct coolant temperature(thermostat not stuck open), air filter condition, valve clearances, and flow through your final fuel filter. A compression test is nice to do if you have your injectors out. I forgot to add that if they come out well then you have the option of getting them tested first. Phil
I did have the injectors out when I did the head gasket and they came right out. The smoke is blue but it does smell like unburned fuel not burning oil. Like I said earlier it runs like a raped ape and after about 30 secs of rpm the smoke clears up so I dont believe it to be low compression or a ring problem. Do they make rebuild kits for the injectors or are they only replacement ones? If there is a rebuild kit on a scale from 1-10 how hard r they to do?
As explained to me by the local fuel injection repair shop, they don't like to work on these injectors anymore. They don't have replaceable nozzles so the holes have to be cleaned and the seats lapped, then the unseating pressure checked as well as leakage. Some don't come back to life, so it's wasted time for them. Fuel injection parts in general are becoming more available over the internet, from various off shore suppliers and I feel it's putting pressure on what was once a very lucrative market for injection repair shops. One can build a simple injector tester from a bottle jack. I had a 580B that smoked blue and I never did figure out what was doing it. I've had a diesel engine running on 100% used motor oil and there was no smoke at the exhaust so I'm rather hesitant to say the the oil control rings would have an effect on your exhaust smoke, maybe it does. Exhaust valve guides/seals...I just don't know about that one either. Sometimes a more efficient umbrella seal can be put in place of the one the manufacturer uses. My best guess is inefficient combustion at this point. Let us know how you make out. Phil