help me save a motorhome trek pathmaker stopped for 10 years in europe

[MecaMike]

Hello everyone. my name is Mike, this is my first post here.
My English is not perfect, because I live in Belgium on the European continent. (sorry for the elimination of the soccer world cup )
I use google translate a few times to help me with words I don't know. excuse any translation errors.

Due to technical and legal problems there is this motorhome which has been broken down for ten years and is now for sale near my home.
that's good enough because I was considering such a purchase and I am a mechanic by profession.
unfortunately, technical documents for specific breakdowns on vehicles imported from America are not always easy to find here.
that's why I come to ask you for help.
at first glance the motorhome is a chevrolet P30 base with a 6.5 turbo diesel. year unknown but around 1995.
the injection pump is already with modul pmd / fsd.
The motorhome was bought broken 10 years ago by the merchant.
he tried to have it repaired by a mechanic or lumberjack ??? at the start of its purchase.
he then stopped trying to fix it due to problems with the papers.
At that time, the owner would have had the injection pump dismantled and then reassembled, which he would have had reconditioned because it would not start. after reassembling this pump, the truck still did not start.
I think therefore the PMD is new (to be checked) I have a doubt about the lumberjack who syncronized the injection pump.

-I can check the marks on the timing gears. (to be done soon).

-I have no info for the final adjustment of the injection pump.
(injection advance angle, tools to use and procedure).
on European cars this work is different and is done with a comparator measuring instrument.

-Assuming the marks on the gears are placed correctly. Does the wrong angle adjustment of the pump prevent the motor from starting?

-Do you have a procedure using a multimeter tools to test the PMD?

-I read that the oil pressure sensor could shut off the first fuel pump. does it concern this model?

-do you have electrical diagram of this motor?

-immobilizer connection on this engine?
if so where could it be connected?


-do you see other causes for the starting problem?

many thanks for reading me. in your answers please avoid abbreviations that are difficult to translate.
One more thank you for beating your head with me to save this scrap truck !

Mike.

 

[BIGR]

A big welcome to you, Mike.

You have come to the right place.
There are some very knowledgeable guys on this forum, probably some could be considered top of the line, world wide. Feel free to pick their brains, in due time they will chime in with some great advise for you.

 

[Will L.]

Welcome.

A few things to cover first.
Anytime an injection pump has been reassembled, an error is possible that causes a “run away” scenario. If this happens, when the engine starts it will race to maximum throttle out of control, and turning off the key or even stopping fuel supply may not turn the engine off. The only way to stop it is blocking air flow coming in. This is a minor possibility, but can ruin the engine. If you are not familiar with this, I will post links to YouTube to show you.

Do not use starting fluid (ether) to start this engine. A little too much easily destroys the entire engine.

Before opening the engine to check timing marks, verify you are getting fuel out the injection lines. Remove a couple of the lines from the injectors and slightly separate the line away from the injector. Try starting the engine to monitor if fuel sprays out. It will not be very much fuel. I will estimate 0.05cc at most.

You need to know that you have fuel getting to the injectors before you worry about timing.
Something else to do right now is replace the injection pump fuel return line with clear tubing. It is a 6” long 1/4” diameter line. The clear tubing is not readily available at auto parts stores, usually it is found in hardware stores.
If anyone can post a picture of yours on a ds4, that may help him.

If you check back in here frequently, there are many knowledgeable people to walk you through the steps as you do them.
Giving multiple things to check at once could be like trying to go down 4 different roads at once.

 

[Jaryd]

@MecaMike I have GM factory service manuals for that motorhome that I would sell. I don’t know what shipping would cost from here to Belgium though. See if you can find out what year it is. I have GM factory service manuals from 1993 to 1998 for that chassis and 1988-1998 for GM trucks (and HDs) and vans.

 

[Husker6.5]

@MecaMike Salutations! Comment allez vous? Je m'appelle Allen. Où habitez-vous en Belgique? Ce groupe a un membre qui vit Hanovre, Allemange. Il s'appelle @Chevylover , Sven. Il travaille à l'usine d'assemblage de Volkswagen.

 

[ak diesel driver]

Where's Simon when you need him? He was from Belgium. If you're trek is obd1 than the OPS can affect the lift pump. It won't activate the lift pump until the oil pressure comes up. You can jumper the lift pump to get it to run for priming purposes. Then you can bleed the air out of the system all the way to the injection pump.

 

[ak diesel driver]

If it's obd2 the lift pump should turn on as soon as you turn the key on.

 

[MrMarty51]

Welcome to thetruckstop Mike.
Day and night is different from there to here so it will take some patience while waiting for answers.
I will take a pic of the clear hose return line on My truck so You can see where to install that. It is a great tool for diagnostic purposes. With the engine running, look for bubbles in the hose, bubbles represent a leak between the fuel tank and the lift pump.
I’ll wait until the sun gets a little higher, it is still a little bit dark out to try to Get a picture under the hood of the truck.

 

[WarWagon]

You have NO IDEA what you are getting into. I strongly suggest you do not buy it. It's a "project" and the powertrain is not a very rewarding project.

The under powered engine is a throw away engine with many problems even in Light Duty pickup use. GM dropped it in a chassis it wasn't able to power. It will eat fuel with mid single digit MPG. Your diesel fuel over there isn't cheap to waste on a overloaded and overworked engine.

The 6.5TD not a reliable engine to begin with.

The turbo is too small and will choke the engine when it needs power for the heavy motorhome. A bigger turbo will help fuel economy. Yes, light another $1,000.00 ON FIRE to fix GM's screw up. At least a bigger turbo it pays for itself in improved MPG. (MPG = Fuel Economy.)

Sat 10 years means the fuel system is completely full of varnish. Fuel tank needs cleaned, lines cleaned, lift pumps replaced, IP and injectors rebuilt. All the other oil seals have dried up and will soon leak. Transmission, differential, etc. will be needing new seals. Cooling system may be scary requiring radiator repair and aluminum parts to be replaced. Some aluminum cooling system parts are getting rare and expensive: T Stat housing and timing cover extension housing. Any vehicle that sat this long will have these problems.

Again: DO NOT BUY IT. You have been warned. Otherwise we welcome new residents to the asylum and will help you burn lots of cold hard cash to get it going.

 

[Will L.]

It is fair to say, the friendly warning from WarWagon rings a lot of truth.

This engine is lacking compared to more modern diesel engines like Cummins and Duramax. This is a different animal.
You will seriously want a bigger turbo. I have had good luck with seals that sat many years not leaking, but it is common to leak after that long.

But this is a good engine if you can run home made biofuel as fuel then becomes very low cost. Large fuel tank to fuel at home before the trip helps. also depending how far you travel from home in it. Using a db2 is a far better choice for it though.

You should read a lot of the issues fought through here before making the decision. Surely don't pay a lot for it. Buy it as if there is no engine or transmission in place.