78 VW Rabbit Diesel 1.5 Fuel Injector Timing Question

I recently replaced the cylinder head, head gasket, timing belt, injector heat shields, timing belt, and tensioner on my 78 VW Rabbit Diesel. The car will start and idle, but has no torque, and lots of blue smoke, and dies when I pull the injector advance knob. I concluded that now that a new timing belt and tensioner has been installed, the injector timing is off.

I followed the steps in the Bentley manual to measure the injector timing. Using the dial, I have found that the injection timing is set to 1.32mm (Spec is .83mm).

I can't figure out how to adjust the injector timing....I have loosened the three allen head bolts on the injector pump plate per the manual. I can not remove the bolt w/ the yellow paint w/ the standard type screw head, it's stuck. I don't know how to "turn the pump". The instructions are vague in both the Bentley and Haynes manuals.

Do I need to loosen the screw with the yellow paint in addition to the three allen head bolts? Have I loosened the correct screws? Now, how do I adjust the pump down to .83mm?

Thank you!

Jeff

Thank you to all who responded. My 78 Rabbit Diesel now runs after replacing the cylinder head, head gasket, timing belt, tensioner, and injector heat shields. I adjusted the injector timing to .83mm (Bentley manual spec). The car runs, but it doesn't have as much power as it did prior to the rebuild.

Is .83mm the proper spec (in your experience) for the injector pump timing? I have seen other posts where they suggest 1.05mm for the same car???

If this isn't the problem, I'm thinking the injectors maybe dirty. Do you recommend replacing the injectors w/ rebuilt injectors, cleaning, or just replace the nozzle? I have seen nozzles advertised that have a larger diameter. What is recommended?

Thanks in advance!

Jeff

n> I want to be clear. The bolts you loosen, are the ones you would remove if

Hello Jeff,

IIRC there is a standard spec from .75 to .90 and an advanced spec of .90 to 1.05 if you need more power (and smoke & less fuel milage). The advanced spec is for "worn" engines that have lost power over the years.

My best compromise has been .90 on my '81 Rabbit. (The in between setting)

Mike L

JH wrote:

As I recall, the manual recommends replacing the injectors every 50,000 miles.

I think I put 80,000 miles on my injectors (don't have a clue how many miles they already had on them), before I replaced them. The new injectors definitely made a difference.

Did you check the valve clearance, after the head was reinstalled?