Won't Fire

[smclaughlin81]

No other sign unfortunately. I probably jumped the gun on tearing into it, but didn't want the problem to get any worse.

 

[oldnslo]

No other sign unfortunately. I probably jumped the gun on tearing into it, but didn't want the problem to get any worse.

I was always told that the road to heck was paved with good intentions

You certainly have a strange failure after the head removal

 

[alexpops]

Do you still have the original head gasket? Might want to compare the thickness vs what you get/had installed if you do. They may have sent you a thicker gasket assuming the head was milled.

 

[smclaughlin81]

I will check on that, the OEM listed 2 gaskets for it, but then one was discontinued, so there seems to be only one option. I will look at it, and I do have the original still. Good thought!

 

[alexpops]

You might want to take another look at the head & check it for flatness. In the pic of the head in post 13, the two cylinders on the right (front of block?) seem to have more carbon than the two on the left and it looks like a channel is formed between them from previous gasket. Assuming that's just old gasket that wasn't fully cleaned off that could be your issue. If it's eroded metal ... machine shop needs to evaluate. If you have a big enough piece of granite or thick glass (something flat), you could try laying down some wet/dry sand paper & gently flatten the face of the head using lots of lube & only the weight of the head to get the entire surface on the same plane. It's hard to tell from the picture, but that might even be a crack the (perfectly straight portion). You might want to have a machine shop look at it & magnaflux while it's off & you're waiting on parts.

 

[smclaughlin81]

I hadn't cleaned it up very well when I took the picture. I will likely take it and have it checked, don't want to waste a new gasket and head bolts for nothing

 

[smclaughlin81]

Do u know the backwoods way of checking if the valves are seating.??
Just take a spray can of brake cleaner and spray it on the valves on the rocker arm side, while the head is on it’s side..
If the valves aren’t seating, the b/c will leak on thru the combustion side…(around the valves)

I laid the head valve side up on the bench and made sure it was flat. I sprayed brake cleaner onto each valve so that they were somewhat submerged. Saw no leak down after 20 mins. I'll check tonight when I get home, but figured it would evaporate by now.

 

[murphy1244]

Always check flatness on the head and engine when removing the head...
Use a good straight edge

 

[smclaughlin81]

I have a shop in town that said they would pressure test, clean and surface for $125. I'm going to drop it off tomorrow and have it done. Injectors are at the pump shop being tested.

 

[rScotty]

No other sign unfortunately. I probably jumped the gun on tearing into it, but didn't want the problem to get any worse.

Yeah, you probably jumped the gun. But no harm done and everyone works differntly.
Interestng about the breather oil puddle. If it ran good before and you tore it down for that breather oil then maybe back up to the compression test and put some thought into it .

Here is a compression test sheet from a service school. This is Yanmar, but should apply equally to your engine or any 23:1 compression diesel.
From what you are saying about your compression test you might read the sheet and ask if you have questions about doing one or interpreting the results.
I use a hand-held tach and stopwatch to check cranking speed when I do a compression test.

BTW, oil out the breather is generally due to overfill, really worn bores, or a hydraulic pump seal, or one of several one-way valves - not the advice you got at all.
That story about ring gaps lining up is an old mechanic's tale and debate that is older than I am. It is always good for a beer conversation but nobody really knows the answer. We can explore it if you want and discuss why some rings are pinned, some rotate, and where ring/bore/piston wear happens and why

Also, the info you got about adjacent cylinders is flat wrong. Adjacent cylinders are on different strokes and valve overlap means a head gasket blown between them doesn't usualy pass pressure to the crankcase unless the bores are really worn.
And since a compression test is always done on all cylinders, you would see any blown gasket between adjacent cylinders during the compression test anyway. You cannot miss it. In fact, that is just about the most basic thing a compression test looks for.

Oh, another thing. With the head off it is easy to measure the bores and check for wear. You might want to do that. Requires some precision measuring tools, but most shops have that.

Luck,
rScotty