best way to 'spruce' up and old engine (1.6td)

[horns]

Ah sorry - should have been more specific that I meant an aftermarket cooler.

[charlie brown syndrome]

hi guys,
thanks for all the advice on this, i really do appreciate it.

i took it for a good run today after the oil change, after about 50 miles the oil buzzer came on again, stayed on for about 5-10 seconds maybe a little more, but again just went off, i didnt slow down or anything this time and it still went off like it has the times its happened before, no nasty noises, no set pattern as to why its come on again, engine temperature about half way

[T'Onion]

could be that the oil pump is on its way out , dirty job but not a hard one , search LHD posts ,he did his a few months ago ,
could be a sensor playing up or wiring breaking down ... daft question are your brakes good ?

[charlie brown syndrome]

could be that the oil pump is on its way out , dirty job but not a hard one , search LHD posts ,he did his a few months ago ,
could be a sensor playing up or wiring breaking down ... daft question are your brakes good ?

hi, yeah the brakes are 'ok', not good......just ok.
the van had been standing for 3 months according to the guy i bought it off so i just put the ok brakes being average down to that

[T'Onion]

Does the brake pedal sometimes 'sink' to the floor ?

[charlie brown syndrome]

no, it never sinks to the floor, just feels a bit poor in actual stopping the bus,
not really bad though, what i mean is the brakes arent really sharp, i think it is more than likely that its been standing a bit, another thing ive got on my list of stuff to do when engine problem sorted,
strip down brakes, clean calipers, new pads, copper slip etc
they arent dangerous though as someone pulled out on me about 2 weeks ago and she pulled up well when brakes applied hard.
i dont know what to do about this engine, ive got some money set aside for either getting this sorted or replacing engine but i dont want to keep throwing money at this,
just after i flushed engine/replaced oil, i started the van up and my brother said he saw blue smoke
i took it out for a good drive after that but didnt notice anything though,

[T'Onion]

I would get through the 'summer' and then think about either a rebuild or a 1y or aaz change.
If its pulling ok and not burning much oil , then just keep on top of stuff and drive it.
Go out now ,check the oil level , use the cold start and start it up , and let us know what its doing

[charlie brown syndrome]

right ive had a think and i 'think' i have decided to do pretty much what t'onion said,
i'm going to get an exhaust sorted, try and find someone in the west mids who can adjust the tappets for me because theyve probably never been done, and drive it whilst looking for an AAZ engine as i have most/all of the conversion bits on the engine anyway, and a 3h box.
if i do replace the exhaust with one of mr baxters stainless jobbies will i still be able to use that on the AAZ conversion considering you can use the jx exhaust on the conversion (because i think its been modified a bit) or should i ask mr baxter.
the exhaust is a tad rusty and i can forsee problems getting any of it off without wrecking the rest of it so i wanted to change it all.
i will go and start her up now and report back, oh and when i do eventually get to a show/meet i am remembering who's helping out on my problem threads and there will be a drink for you all

[charlie brown syndrome]

right then,
just been out to the van,
used cold start and waited for glow plug lights to go out, (which they hadnt after about 15 seconds so i started it anyway)
it started on the button first go and only a little puff of smoke out the back (looked grey/black) no horrible misfiring like it normally does and plumes of smoke filling the road, so a good result on that one. still a bit noisy, this engine is really quite quiet when its warm, but when it starts it sounds a bit 'knocky'
like injector knock not engine itself.
incidentally the glow plug light usually goes out so i dont know whats happened there, but as long as i can judge how long before i turn her over, it goes out when vehicle started so....

kind of confirms what i was advised and intend to do in my previous post up there ^^^^

[T'Onion]

Doesn't sound that bad TBH , most if not all diesel smoke a wee bit on start up .
Sort the exhaust out , either get it welded up or whatever needs to be done to it. That will help will performance ( )
All diesels are a bit clattery when cold so dunnie worry that much about it.

Like I've said drive it , keep an eye on the oil and that buzzer, maybe do another oil change again after 500miles.

and remember this is what 80-90 is about mate .. helping each other ,tomorrow you will be able to help someone with something

[charlie brown syndrome]

[/quote] and remember this is what 80-90 is about mate .. helping each other ,tomorrow you will be able to help someone with something [/quote]

i know mate, and i appreciate it,
i'd be lost without this place and the brickyard,
i tend to do more lurking on the brickyard than posting but both invaluable for info,
i try to help as much as possible and if i can post something constructive on a thread or anything that'll help in any way then i'll do it,

[T'Onion]

If you really need it looking at then drop Marcus a line ( mercdoctor) he's only in Cov and is more that capable .. not a bad lad either (his missus is as mad as a box of frogs mind)

[noss vanagon]

While you are doing the exhaust check out the manifold for any signs of blowing (especially No 4) . I have just sorted the exhaust manifold on my 1.6TD as per Simon Baxters "definitve smokey JX thread" and its like having a new engine. The job is a bit of a devil but manageable, seized on nuts is the big problem but if you are going to change the whole exhaust you will have to do the worst bit anyway, the worst bit being removing the exhaust from the turbo, the nuts get very corroded because of the heat I suppose. Cost me £40 to get my manifold skimmed and £13 for the gaskets, best money I've ever spent on the van. The engine now pulls from 2000rpm on hills and the green section on the rev counter finally makes sense.

regards