Commissioning new engine

[mbryner]

Probably has nothing to do with the cold.  51 deg is not that cold for these machines.   At least some smoke is good.   Air bubbles?  Did you make sure diesel was pumping out of fuel pump without the SS injector line first?  Then injector line on pump without connected to injector itself and make sure it was purged?

[Crofter]

I beg forgiveness in advance, but is a "squank" even remotely related to a "skank"?
Sorry, it's late and I couldn't resist
Ron
Sound like either the timing is off or the valves are out of adjustment, maybe a piece of crud on a valve seat.

Ron the "squank" should come every second stroke; a skank?;not in your wildest dreams!

After a number of non ignited squirts into the cylinder you could have enough fuel pooled around then to get some half hearted compression induced ignition puffs but no joy; the least little bit of air in the hp system will delay injection past the critical point for ignition.

With those symptoms I would verify injector spray and double check valve and injector timing events. Holding crank steady against compression and seeing if there is any leakby should verify compression but if you can only crank it through two compression strokes it sounds like that is ok. Bleeding 100% ?

Edit; removed brain fart! Injector timing cannot get put on the exhaust stroke on this engine unless someone rivetted the injector cam lobe half a turn off: not totally impossible but too weird to consider.

[quinnf]

At TDC on the compression stroke, the fuel pump cam lobe should be at about 10:00 position.  Your cam timing might be off one tooth.  Guaranteed, when you are sure you've purged all the air bubbles from the pump, another one will break loose from your filter and choke it.  Purge, crank, repeat.  Eventually it will start.

FWIW, this is the reason George B. advocated using an in-line priming bulb from an outboard motor fuel tank to bleed the lines.  You can pressurize the fuel line going into the filter and evict air bubbles quickly.  Kubota used to ship their small marine engines with an inline electric fuel pump for precisely the same reason.  Turn pump on, loosen fittings one at a time and bubbles are quickly banished.

Quinn

[mike90045]

It runs!
Ran it for about 90 sec    Slowly worked the fuel cut-off to keep RPM from getting away, in case the governor stuck (it seemed OK)
but with no water in it yet, and the engine walking away from the exhaust pipe. Temps in the 70's, and a more thorough air bubble purge, and it fired up!

Seems to be more of a slider/walker than a hopper. What's the best bolt method ?  Expansion bolts & lead sleeves ? Epoxy grout? High grade bolts, or low grade bolts?  Engine / gen are on a Crosby ladder frame.

Mike   (motel for tonight, then another week camping out) pic's later