Hi guys,

What am i looking for when aligning my flywheel and TDC? Any pics guys that could help as i am getting confused with other marks.  :?  

Is there any other way to check the TDC?, i herd you can do something with the injector by removing it?

Regards
mansvw

is it possible to align the crank without the pulley mark in line. just wondering because it might be that the flywheel is not in line.

or is it possible to run the engine with this mark off line or off by 180degree

really sorry about that Doug  i was in abit of a rush, must of missed a few lines or two.

okay,

First of all is it possible to have an engine running fine and the flywheel tdc marks not lining up? someone may of just put the flywheel on wrong way round?

Second of all, is there any other way to check for TDC without usig the flywheel mark.


hope thats abit better

I really doubt that it would be possible to get something down the injector hole, through the swirl chamber, and out the hole in the swirl chamber cover.  It would come out of the swirl chamber port at a very flat angle. The "probe" would have to be so thin, that it might bend as the piston approaches TDC and may mash against the swirl chamber cover.

Check out the swirl chamber cross sections in this post:

http://vwdiesel.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=2329&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=future&start=15

Photos of the swirl chamber covers are on the next page.

The right thing to do is take it appart and put it right.

i'm completely with you of what fits through the cover port and the injector seat area.  I've tried to remove stuck heat shields from the combustion chamber side through the prechamber cover port.  If some one wants to try this, more power to them.

To do this in the car, with the trans and fly wheel hooked up, you have to turn it by the crank bolt.  There is alot of mass there.  i don't think it will be easy to have the required gentleness to feel if something is amiss.  If your probe (screw driver) hangs up on a carbon deposit, your prechamber cover, and maybe your heat shield seat will be toaste befor you feel anything.  If the engine was out, and on a stand, this might be successful.  But then we'd be able to fix the flywheel and do the timing by the perscribed method.

I degreed and installed a lot of after market cams on automotive gas motors long ago.  i used a dial indicator with a roller tip to set the degree wheel on the crank prior to indexing the cams.  If there was a small roller tip that fit through the swirl chamber cover port, and a dial indicator was used, may be it could be pulled off.

The stop method would be suicidal.

"Your a braver man than I, Gunga Din!"

the perscribed method is to put the pin in the pump, loosen the cam shaft bolt a turn or so, put the cam locking tool in place, knock the cam sprocket loose, pull the old belt, make sure the flywheel is on 0, thread on the new belt, make sure every thing line up, snug the cam, pull the cam and pump tool, torque the cam bolt, stuff the dial indicator up the pump's kazoo, verify pump timing, adjust as require, launch it.

My SOP for getting the mark in the window is to pull the valve cover and look at the cam lobes on No. 1 cylinder.  When they are 'equal and opposit' (?) the fly wheel is in the ball park.  i thought this was a "my flywheel is mis-installed how do i find TDC".  My oppologies.

There should be other little score marks very close to the TDC mark. I found that if I am almost one mark out (I forget which way) when when I put the belt on the pullies and tension the belt up, everything lines up perfectly. To help visibility I use a silver paint marker on the TDC mark. Make sure you have a good fitting lock for the injector pump (or a deep socket with electrical tape wrapped around it), use feeler guages (or more electrical tape) to take up slack on the camshaft lock. Most important remember to HAND crank the engine (in the correct direction) completly a couple times so you can check for oopes (any weird clanking sounds) and that everything still lines up. Hope this helps.