This all started after the crash; prior to that the engine was running perfectly with no nasty noises to upset me. What I've done:

Re-checked the clutch adjustment
Changed the spark plugs
Changed the HT leads. When I came to check the No.1 Realm Engineering lead I found the connector a nice colourful shade of green with a matching coil post to go with it. On peeling back the rubber cover to clean the HT connector, the HT connector fell out. Shall we say the crimp wasn't as good as it could have been, especially when compared to the other three. LFB now has BMW leads in from Brick 2. That reduced the diesel injection slightly.
Checked ALL of the FICU and ICU connectors and wiring (I built it, so...)
Changed the ICU
Changed the FICU
Checked the throttle bodies for balance and synchronicity.

Starting is... a bit odd. It almost instantly fires on all four pots but within a second or two the diesel knock kicks in quite loudly. Pulling the clutch in reduces the noise marginally, as you'd expect when the gearbox is decoupled. Give it a handful and hold it at about 1500rpm for ten-fifteen seconds, drop it back to idle and the diesel knock reduces to almost inaudibility. Leave it for a minute or three, the knock disappears and tickover settles to between 960 and 980 rpm.

BUT.

It feels like someone has removed half a cylinder. I struggled to get LFB above 95mph on the M1 back from Dublin on Sunday and in general, kicking it down into third to overtake feels more like just opening the throttle up in fifth gear. Opening it up in fifth gear to overtake is inviting the nearest hearse to pay a visit. Either way, giving it a handful induces a low-level diesel knock again (could possibly be an intermittent misfire, I guess. Difficult to be absolutely certain over the wind noise).

Anybody any guesses as to what I've shaken loose? What I haven't checked because I keep forgetting is our old friend the rubber pipe between the airbox and the plenum chamber.

Damage to an injector? Crap disturbed in the fuel line ending up in an injector? Bad injector on a diesel engine makes a fierce knock. Electrical checks won't show it up.

sounds about right to me
pull the fuel rail and have a look

Sounds about the only remaining possibility. Now I'm forced to think about it, the crap could have originated in the fuel pump?

unlikely ...it goes through a filter before leaving the tank ...more like high pressure line deteriorating internally .....  at least 30 r9 fuel line .. and 30 r 10 for internal to the filter etc

also test the fpr while your doing that stuff ?

you might want new filters on the injectors ...so a kit might be the go

good luck

Maybe a faulty coil.

A nice reminder...of when I changed my fuel lines one of them was mighty perished on the INSIDE. Check out 'the hard to get at' one because the return line if its perished the crud ends up in the bottom of the tank....but the supply side ends up in the Fuel Pressure regulator and in the injectors. Even taking the tank on and off can leave the end of the fuel line less than perfect.

Not a coil. I should have listed coil change under 'what I've done' but I forgot. The external fuel lines are barely a year old (one is perhaps four weeks old) and are designed for fuel injection systems, but that doesn't stop any of them from having crap in them where it shouldn't be. Internally, they are one-year-old OEM.

I have a spare fpr if I need it. I'm not too keen on teeing in a pressure gauge but I will keep it in mind. Meanwhile, new injector kit seems to be the next step. I can always rob the injectors off Brick2 if needed.

best place to tee In might be the line to the fpr ....at the back of the rail ? 

its not too hard to get at
but thinking that through ...new lines ...hmm could this be an  injector electrical connection ?

Injector overhaul bits just ordered from Motorworks. They agree with you guys who diagnosed injector crud.

Charlie - I pulled the injector connectors to check them as no.4 has a habit of corroding one pin. They were all clean.

[Edit] Realm Engineering have just told me that they'll replace my no.1 HT lead FOC. Good on them.

Check the linkages on the Throttle bodies one may have come loose and be lagging.

They were all tight Rick. The balance gauges showed no.1 pulling a couple of inches of Hg more than the others, so I corrected it. I know all four were near-perfect, so I suspect the sudden discrepancy appeared when I removed the faulty Realm Engineering HT lead and that let the cylinder start pulling properly. Well, I guess that rules out the forward pot as the site of the trouble anyway.

any news dai ?

Perhaps later today or tomorrow, Charlie. I took a nasty throat infection last week which in turn fired off a secondary infection in my lungs - apparently it's pretty common around here at the moment. Elizabeth banned me from the garage but in truth, I had no energy to argue even if I'd wanted to. I've been sleeping between ten and and twelve hours a day - does the word 'dormouse' mean anything? Probably not in Ozland!

So all The best Dai!

Hopefully you are back on your bike soon and healthy.
That's you now ;-)



Cheers

Dai wrote:Perhaps later today or tomorrow, Charlie. I took a nasty throat infection last week which in turn fired off a secondary infection in my lungs - apparently it's pretty common around here at the moment. Elizabeth banned me from the garage but in truth, I had no energy to argue even if I'd wanted to. I've been sleeping between ten and and twelve hours a day - does the word 'dormouse' mean anything? Probably not in Ozland!

know what you mean dai ...suffered similar last year

get well soon ol mate

I went for the cheat route and I'm about halfway down it now. I pulled the injectors from Brick2 and ran around 15cc of carb cleaner through each one while under pressure from a syringe. Having a wife on nursing staff at the local hospital has occasional bonuses. Each injector produced a good squirt around two feet long when activated for about half a second, so I'm reasonably confident they're in good condition. I derusted them and treated them to a thin coat of Hammerite while I was at it. Guess I'll find out tomorrow if the problem is a fuel injector, but I'm sorely tempted just to change the fpr while I'm in that general area.

Dai wrote:Perhaps later today or tomorrow, Charlie. I took a nasty throat infection last week which in turn fired off a secondary infection in my lungs - apparently it's pretty common around here at the moment. Elizabeth banned me from the garage but in truth, I had no energy to argue even if I'd wanted to. I've been sleeping between ten and and twelve hours a day - does the word 'dormouse' mean anything? Probably not in Ozland!

Actually a Geraldine Maguire used to run a comedy script, in the 80's, her husband was referred to as Horizontal, So maybe you can use that one from Ozland, Dai.

A couple of inches of HG is going to sound like true chugger?

Any noise caused by that sudden imbalance in Hg was pretty well disguised by the primary source of the problem.

B*st*ard no.3 fuel injector! Once I'd pulled the injectors from LFB, no.3 showed a distinct discoloration on the tip compared to the others. I stuck in the overhauled ones from Brick2 and hit the button. One puddle of fuel later it occurred to me that I'd forgotten to put the top clips back on... Try again... and on a cold engine with no choke it idled at about 700rpm (charging light just flickering) without the hint of a knock!

The only thing that worried me - and something I couldn't do anything about - is that despite very careful cleaning some grit did get into the injector ports. I can only pray that it got blown out without doing any damage.

well sounds like you found it dai

good work

wonder now, if the hammering I was hearing on old gerty a bit more than a year ago, was the same issue

the valve parts certainly werent the issue.

cheers

Had to sneak out and start it again, just to hear it run properly!!!

Guess I'll need to recheck the throttlebody balance now - tomorrow maybe.

Good news Dai!

Nice one Dai. That's what the forum is for. Good to see you have it sorted.

Did a 'fan test' and checked the throttlebodies - no.4 needed just a small tweak at idle - it was 40mm Hg out compared to the other three who all agreed with each other. At 3000rpm the difference across all four was about 5mm Hg and I couldn't be bothered to try and tune out such a tiny amount. It's probably just relief but I swear the engine has never sounded so good!!!

Well done Dai!

Pictures from you job would nice.
Have a good ride!

Cheers