LD28 Glow plug information

[RAVC1]

I found this post useful and some of the additional energy I have been spending regarding this topic identified this organization. While they do not appear to offer a complete kit for these Nissan automotive diesel engines I suspect at least some of their hardware will work given that they do offer systems for the older 1.5L & 1.6L VW diesel engines. I am going to begin a dialog with them and will keep you informed.

http://accuratediesel.com/

I did see some demonstrations for these kits on YouTube and found them to be presented in a matter-of-fact manner. This caused me to like what I saw. One point in particular I liked is they are using military GP's with dual coils.

My experience with IDI engines began with my wife's Chevette diesel. This was built with an Isuzu 4fb1 pre-chamber engine, Zexel/Diesel-Kiki (Bosch VE) pump and an Isuzu 5-speed manual transmission. I used this as my primary vehicle to commute to graduate school at Wayne State in the 1990's. This required oil changes every other week but the vehicle rewarded me with 53 mpg.

The 4fb1 features the same Comet Mk-IV combustion system originally discovered by Sir Harry Ricardo in England that the LD28 features. Presumably, most IDI engines if this vintage also did. Our Chevette did not start well in the Midwest winters most of its life. I later befriended a co-worker that also had this same vehicle and had modified the glow plug controller resulting in improved cold-weather starting. Unfortunately, he did not make notes of his changes so I was unable to learn of his improvements. These Accurate Diesel systems may be a few steps beyond what my friend did to improve his cold-weather starting.

Rick

[HowlerMonkey]

Might not be too hard to put a gasser front balancer on the crank snout and use it for tdc reference for #1.

The firing order should be 1 5 3 6 2 4.....remember that firing order comprises two full crankshaft revolutions and you should be able to figure when each piston is at or near tdc.

Once near, you might be able to turn the crank by hand and feel when the piston gets past tdc by the lessening of torque requried to turn it.....then you turn it back.......can't turn it too slow or you won't feel it.

[Dairy]

I was going to buy the bosch glow plugs but rockauto only had one. Does anyone know where i can buy them?

[rlaggren]

When I bought plugs a couple years ago, I searched the net and found numerous vendors and numerous prices; not all had good terms but plugs were not hard to find. I think I searched the manufacterer name and the number. Finding good info on specs to verify any cross references was harder but IIRC doable.

Rufus

[plenzen]

I have Delphi glow plugs in my SD and have had them for 4 years now and no problems with them.
Try here: http://am.delphi.com/products/parts/die ... ntrollers/

I went to a local fuel injection repair shop and although they did not stock the ones I needed they ordered them and were there in 2 days.

I did not search the Delphi web site for your specific part # but I am pretty sure that they have it covered. As stated they had them for my SD

Another easy way to find TDC of any cylinder is with the camshaft.
In your case the the firing order is 1 5 3 6 2 4 ( or so stated on an earlier post )
Do this:
Write down 1 5 3 and directly under write 6 2 4. Put the 6 under the 1 the 2 under the 5 etc. Then, bar over the engine in correct rotation. Watch the valves open and close. When the exhaust valve in #1 cylinder is just closing and the intake valve is just opening, at that exact point where they change, or "rock" then both cylinders are at TDC. TDC in this case means that BOTH pistons are at the top of the cylinder bore, and I think that is what you were looking for. Use the same procedure with all cylinders and you will find TDC. "Rock" # 6 and #1 AND #6 are at TDC, "Rock" #2 and # 5 AND # 2 are at TDC and so on. This procedure will work for all engines if you know the firing order.
You can also use this procedure for setting the valve lash as well, and, in this case, you would set the vavle lash for #6 cyl after "rocking" the valves on #1. and so on.
It's the only procdedure that I use for setting valves as it was taught to me 1,000 years ago and, although there are faster ways of doing it, this one is less confusing, to me at least.

HTH

Paul

[HowlerMonkey]

Above should work to get damned closed but I'm not sure lobe centers are such that you can get it completely exact.

My earlier advice on using the l28 balancer as reference tool probably won't work since it might not fit but......you can measure (maybe on your kitchen table) the non-diesel balancer's indexing relationship of keyway vs tdc mark and transfer those measurements over to the diesel balancer.

Once you do know true tdc, make some marks to help you find it next time.

[plenzen]

If you rotate the engine so that the valves on #6 are just changing,
(Exhaust closing and intake opening) and have a look at the existing damper, you will most likely find that there a mark of some sort lined up with some fixed point on the block, but then, who really cares? That mark really only matters if we are doing “ignition timing” and, can be used for an easy reference for that purpose. #1 will be on TDC as will #6, or within a few thousandths of an inch. (Depending on camshaft duration, overlap etc.) I think the exercise here was to make sure that the pistons were as close to the top of the bores so that "if" the tip of a glow plug broke off it would fall into the smallest possible hole and be easier to retrieve, "if" possible. (Not a pleasant task, but has been done)
At the point when the exhaust valve is closing and the intake is opening then that cylinder is at the top of the bore and starting to drop, as is the one "opposite" of it in the firing order. If you were to remove the glow plugs on those two “TDC” cylinders at the same time, and continue through the firing order until you have retrieved all of them, then you would only have to turn the engine over once to get at all of them.
Hopefully all 6 with no “Drama.”
This will be waaay easier than messing with a damper from an engine that will not fit and trying to transpose degrees etc. etc.


Paul

[HowlerMonkey]

I just unscrewed the bolt holding the balancer on the Ld28 and held the l28et balancer in front of it lining up the keyway to make my marks....but then I have this engine on a stand with the pan off which makes things easy.

[dieseldorf]

Here is a short-form cross reference list:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q= ... ew&cad=rja

Best price for a glow plug, the BECK/ARNLEY Part # 1761036 $6.05
here:
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/raframe ... 76-1036%20