After giving the fuel system a once over - ie: replacing primary and secondary fuel filters - replacing primer - running 2 cans of diesel purge - repacing secondary (main) fuel filter again, I'm at a loss, and clearing my brain - looking to other areas for the problem...

1982 300TD Turbo - 280K. The engine starts and idles fine. If I push the accelerator down until it starts to gain resistance (3/4 to 7/8 of the way down), the engine will idle for aprox 5 seconds, then take another 10 seconds to reach 3K.

If, from idle, I 'floor' the pedal, the engine instantly responds as it should.

If I 'floor' it, from idle, and the engine winds up, then let the pedal back to the spot 3/4 of the way down, the engine speed will drop back to around 1K before starting its slow climb once again.

Any ideas? Could this be a vacuum problem?

If I try to drive the car, I have to 'floor' it to get any engine speed, which in turn locks the transmission in low or 2nd...

Looks like I may have to trailer it the 30 miles to the mechanic...

HOPEFULLY you will all have a mountain of answers for me

 

WHere is the car?

You know that the #1 reason for ANY acceleration, starting, shutoff, or other power engine issue is... you geussed it... the wonderfully super confusing Vaccum!!! yay. This is a fact. What happens is when you are working on these jack in the box engines, it is so tight that you bumb into the vac hoses and cause leaks or knock them off their nipples. did you change the oil? Above all, knocking one of those vaccume lines right beside the oil filter is the most commong way to upset the vacuum system.. then again you may have old or brittel hoses and connections. just test your vacuum system as described at www.dieselgiant.com and push the vacuum hoses onto the nipples extra tight whereever you were workign tjsut to be sure.

good luck

if you still cant figure it out and need a UNBELIEVABLE mechanic, www.kraftwerke1.com is the place to go. that guy is literaly a genious.

 

I had a similar problem once, and it was indeed a vaccum issue. I can't remember the exact problem, or solution, but it had something to do with a previous owner and the door locks. As I recall I isolated the door lock vaccum lines at the firewall (you'll need a diagram) and got the thing running right, then went back and troubleshooted the door locks. The whole thing comes down to the vaccum shut off on the back of the injector pump, it needs to work right....good luck.

 

Well, over the last 10 days:

Changed primary & Secondary fuel filters
Replaced fuel line each side of primary filter
Ran 2 cars of diesel purge
Changed primary fuel filter again
Replaced primer pump with upgrade
Cleaned Banjo bolts and tubes - intake to ALDA
Re-connected boost overload solenoid (had been bypassed!)
Cleaned, greased, and adjusted throtle linkage

The car willl now run down the highway, but I have to hold pedal to the floor, then let up for EACH shift. Simply trying to maintain 45 mph drops the tranny back into 3rd.

Operating the throtle linkage running from under the hood in N, the first little bit of travel brings the RPM's up just a bit, then there is a large flat spot until throtle is aprox 3/4 open, at which time the engine takes right off.

I've come along way since 10 days ago, when I couldn't get her off idle![&:]

Looks like I need to pick up a vacuum pump for testing, and see if I can find my guage.

Is the ALDA a 'do it yourself' project?

The car is 20 miles west of Salem, Oregon. Brandon, the SuperTurbo moderator lives about an hour east of me, and has also offered to help.

Joe

 

have you checked the vacuum valves on the top of the valve cover?? they can leak and cause funny shift patterns, usually late shifts but early ones can occour which would lug the engine down. leaking vacuum lines can cause engine power loss so get a guage and follow from the vacuum booster on the brake master cyl on out. diesel giant has tutorials on what kind of readings are acceptable where.