6.9 revival on test stand!

This is a 6.9 IDI that I'm installing in a customer's rig. I found it at a local wrecking yard, and unfortunately the IP gear cover had been removed.
Picked it up for $300 including 4-speed transmission, with a set of injectors, IP, lines off another (siezed) 6.9.
Spent a few hours getting it all back together, guessed on the timing(get engine to TDC on Cyl #1, install timing cover with Y down) and then tried to get it running.
As you can see, I had a few issues, and things of note:
1. Without any fuel, ether(at least the cheap stuff I was using) /will not/ fire in this engine. No popping at all.
2. This is basically the minimum needed to get an IDI running - fuel supply to the IP inlet(I did use the fuel filter too), from a jerry can; power to the FSS solenoid and an E-pump(which I got for free with the engine).
3. My timing 'guess' was probably 1-2 teeth retarded; once I advanced it one tooth, it wanted to fire(and then my ground lead fell off). After running it for a while, I found that it still is a bit retarded; I'll probably check it with a lumy probe later and go from there. But it fires up nicely now.
4. This is an older Napa "direct drive" style starter(Note: it's /not/ direct drive), and as everyone can see, it cranks over quite nicely... at least with one good battery.
The first battery I was using is a 750cca Optima dual-purpose battery that is 7 years old... and I had already been doing some cranking with it.
This is also a 6.9 "A" block, SN in the 55,000 range... which makes it an 83?. Not great, but it still runs and should work fine in the truck which is probably going to be a plow truck.
The 20.5:1 compression is probably also why it doesn't want to fire off ether alone.
Also, let the ether haters hate!

[@MacRobbSimpson]

I want to throw out a followup for anyone that's interested: The motor got put into the truck, hooked up, and it was still a pain to start(Note: right around freezing outside now). Got it started, drove it out of the shop. Parked it and waited for a set of ZD-1A glow plugs to come in. Installed the new plugs, and... she fires right up. She actually runs really well; I dropped the truck off last Saturday(drove it on and off the trailer through the snow), and it hasn't been touched since. Went out there Wednesday(4 days later) to talk to the owner, gave it 15 seconds of glow plug, and it fired right up. Even with sketchy batteries. At 32F. Sure, it smoked for a little while, and ran on 7 for a bit(not sure if leaky injector or only 7 glow plugs with a good connection), but she smoothed out and idled nicely. Overall... Good engine!

[@electrabishi]

1. Make sure the the FSS (Fuel Shut-Off Solenoid) clicks, every time, listen for it. Check 1 2. Make sure your fuel pump is pumping. Check 2 3. Don't add ether! Add WD40. If it still doesn't start, then add WD40 and ether (at least if it doesn't fire, then the cylinders have lubrication!)(ether is NOT lubrication!) 4. If you have to add ether make sure your glow plugs are working. Compression won't ignite the ether. Only heat (or spark but that's not an option here, right?) If you want to see if the glow plugs are firing look at a volt meter hooked to your battery. If you fire the glow plug relay and the voltage goes down about 1 Volt or more (depending on the state of your battery), then your glow plugs are working. If your battery voltage does not change, then they are not. Fix that problem first before you ether (plus WD40) then it might help. You might wind up buying a perfectly good engine, but excessively trying to "start" it wither ether will wind up harming it.

[@quickclutchproductions9212]

Hi man i like watching your videos. Im glad to see theres still people that like the idi's. I also like those gauges you made a while back out of a computer board. Wish i could figure out how to do that. I gave the video a like. Keep up the awsome videos.

[@MacRobbSimpson]

One of these days I'll have to get back into that, see if I can do something really cool again. My time has been... well used as of late, and I'm doing projects like this to get money together for my '88(S360) build... That's the one with the custom tach setup in it.

[@groundtogreen1140]

I've had to reset several pump gears removed. Your correct setting to tdc but you can get it down a little more accurately. Take a pik tool I use one that has a curved double bend and you can feel on the cam gear and locate the y. Take white out and mark the two top gear teeth directly above that y. I normally quadruple verify lol. Next on the ip gear I draw a line straight down from the pump y to the single tooth below it. You'll have a much easier time nesting the y marks in correct static time. Best of luck glad others are rescuing these old hunks of iron still.

[@MacRobbSimpson]

That's... actually a really good option. I've heard of people using a mirror to see it, but I couldn't see doing that. The pick, however... that should work nicely.

[@quadrajet]

I love ether

[@st-jeanstephane7876]

Jai possèdez 4 》 2 7.3 et 2 6.9 et le système de glow plog étais plus fonctionnel , je démarrait avec une très petite quentite d éther le démarrage était immédiat a - 40 degre c Ou en été pas de problème même l hiver je pouvais le démarrer Appret 3h la comprésion était excellent Possiblement pour la raison que avent chaque changement D HUILE UNE purge du block Moteur pour soutirer le maximum de suie noire le moteur restaient propre le secret d un diesel est la compressions mais ÇA ! sais pas une nouvelle ca RESTE k'emmème VRAI 😊 C un système a combustion ! interne .

[@sterlingwitherspoon5709]

These things kill batteries like a mother

[@MacRobbSimpson]

If you have the timing right, the glow plugs working, and the controller glowing long enough... the engine should fire within about 5 seconds, even down to 32F. If things aren't right, it'll kill batteries really quickly. Another cause of battery killing is a dying starter - they have 4 brushes inside, but if one gets worn out too much, it'll "work" with only one pair of two... cranking slowly and taking lots more power to do so.

[@texanbalaban6777]

If ether isn't werkin use a gas rag

[@user-vx5gv7ig1c]

Классный моторчик

[@sterlingwitherspoon5709]

Wait a minute….how did you advance the timing gear without taking off the injector pump..??

[@MacRobbSimpson]

First, pull the timing plate off the front of the IP gear housing. Mark where the pin is. Pull the 4 bolts holding the IP gear housing to the block. Using a small pry bar, pry up on the housing just a bit, while putting a little force on the IP gear (using the small 12-point bolts) counter-clockwise. You basically just pry up the housing(and IP etc) enough to get the teeth out of mesh, then skip it a tooth and tighten it down. you can look at your mark to see how far you went. The only downside of this is that you'll probably have a little weeping from the timing gear cover->block area, due to breaking the RTV seal... but I usually don't worry about it due to everything else leaking as well lol

[@mirandaconner5928]

You do realize a diesel will never ignite ether there are no spark plugs in it. it runs on high pressure injection and heated combustion

[@MacRobbSimpson]

You just keep believing that if you want. At the high ratios of compression in a diesel(18-21.5:1), the air being compressed gets hot enough to auto-ignite the sprayed in fuel... or it would, if it got hot enough to. The autoignition temperature of starting fluid/ether is lower than that of diesel, so it'll ignite at a lower temp and (hopefully) provide enough extra heat to burn the diesel and/or provide the fuel to push the crank around. In this case, well, it was a bit sketchy. This is an early model IDI, with 20.5:1 compression... and probably worn rings etc.. Later models were upped to 21.5:1, and they fire off a lot easier, and can even run to some extent on ether alone. Either way, no matter the method of action, ether /does/ help a cold IDI motor fire up when it does not have a working glow plug system. It cannot help a hot motor though, as it will auto-ignite before TDC and slow down the motor instead(ether lock).

[@perryreasch1499]

charge up your battery

[@michaelbenoit248]

Well he ruined the motor.🙁