Incorrect timing may prevent a Perkins engine from starting, so how to time a Perkins engine?
You need to ensure that the timing mark corresponds with one another. For clarity, click the video below.
When I assembled my engine, I mistakenly missed one tooth; my Perkins engine refused to start until the correction was made.
As soon as the timing is correct, my Perkins engine starts running.
For more details on how to set Perkins engine timing, read below.
How To Time A Perkins Engine
To time an engine, you are trying to align three components together. The main components involved in engine timing are the crankshaft, camshaft, and injection pump.
The injection pump timing is necessary to supply the right cylinder at the right time. If the engine injection pump timing is incorrect, the wrong cylinder will be injected incorrectly.
The camshaft controls the activities of the Valve train. The components involved are a pushrod, camshaft, rocker arm, cam follower, valve bridge, valves, and valve springs.
The valve train is responsible for opening and closing engine valves. If the timing is not correct, valve operations will malfunction.
For example, on the compression stroke of a cylinder, the intake and exhaust valves are to remain closed, but if the timing is incorrect, one of them may be open.
The fuel injection pump timing is also required to supply the right cylinder at the right time. If the timing is incorrect, the fuel injection pump will supply a cylinder, not in the compression stroke.
The crankshaft plays the role of taking the piston to TDC and BDC accordingly. But incorrect timing makes this impossible.
So you can see the importance of engine timing. Now let us set our Perkins engine timing.
90% of Perkins engine gear is marked with a timing mark. So to time it, ensure that the timing mark corresponds with the opposite.
To be sure your timing is correct, check the following prompt.
1. Cylinder no.1, at TDC position
2. Cylinder no.6 or 4 (depending on the number of the cylinder) on TDC
3. The cylinder no.1 intake and exhaust valves are closed.
4. The injection pump no. 1 is in the delivery stage.
5. The flywheel key usually faces upside.
WHAT IS THE TIMING SETTING OF A DIESEL ENGINE
The timing setting of a diesel engine has to do with the precision of when each cylinder will receive fuel through the injectors.
The cylinder must be at the TDC when it gets atomization from the injector pump.
If the injectors inject fuel into the cylinder at the wrong time, for example, when the piston is not at the TDC, the timing is incorrect.
So engine timing means the corresponding movement between the piston and the injection pump.
The timing tells the injection pump when to inject a particular cylinder prepared to receive the fuel.
In multiple cylinders, 2 cylinders may be in the same position. Still, at different strokes, so with the help of timing, the very cylinder that deserves to be injected will receive fuel.
How Do I Know If My Injection Timing Is Correct
With these symptoms listed below, you will know if the injection timing is correct.
1. No smoking: When your injection timing is correct, your engine will not smoke. You will not have a problem with emissions test, but when smoking in your exhaust tailpipe, check your injection timing.
2. No Knocking Sound: You will not hear a knocking sound with the correct injection timing. An incorrect injection will cause the engine to be knocking.
When your engine is running without you hearing the knocking, you should know your timing is correct.
3. Starting without starting fluid: If you can start your engine without starting fluid, and the engine starts without revving too long, your injection timing is correct.
4. No Misfiring: If your injection timing is correct, your engine will not misfire. Misfiring is a sign of incorrect injection timing.
What Does Advancing Timing Do On A Diesel
Advancing timing helps the combustion process to start earlier than the manufacturer’s arrangements. That helps the engine with quick starting.
If the engine has a delay starting, advance timing will help the engine to start quicker than usual.
That means you have to alter when the combustion process occurs despite the piston’s position.
By doing so, the engine horsepower has increased, and you are helping your engine work at its peak but at a price.
However, it would be best to be careful so that advance timing will not affect the exhaust emissions.
It is because the manufacturer’s pre-setting has been altered.
Where Do You Adjust If Injection Timing Is Incorrect
There are different methods of adjusting the injection timing. The method you are to use depends on the type of your engine.
However, you can use any of the following methods listed below:
1. Adjusting the injection pump
2. Re-program the ECU
3. Replacement of camshaft
Let me dissect one of them
To adjust the injection’s incorrect timing through the injection pump, you need to remove the injection pump.
Then ensure that the engine timing is properly set.
In some diesel engines, you will need to remove the valve cover so you can use the valve position to know the engine timing without removing the front cover.
But if you are unfamiliar with this method, you can remove the gear cover to reset the injection timing.
What Are The Results Of Advancing Timing Of Injection
Consider the many positive results of advancing the injection timing below.
1. It helps in quick engine starting: Advancing injection timing helps solve delayed ignition issues. By advancing the injection timing, the combustion process takes place earlier than before.
2. More horsepower added to the engine: Remember that the manufacturer was concerned about the power and emissions regulation, which means some power was sacrificed to overcome the emissions problem. By advancing the injection timing, you are using the engine power to the full.
3. Fuel efficiency: it has also been proven that advanced timing improves fuel efficiency.
How Do You Set Fuel Timing
There are different ways to do that, and below I will mention ways you can do that.
1. Follow the timing mark on the gear: in this type of fuel timing, there is a gear attached to the injection pump with a timing mark that must correspond with another timing mark of the crankshaft or the link gear.
2. Reduction and Addition of Shims: in this type of fuel timing, the shims are like a gasket that adding or removing affects the fuel timing.
3. Coupling Adjustment: Some injection pump is attached to a rotating component in the engine; the coupling joins them together. Adjusting the coupling will help you to set the fuel timing.
4. Woodruff key injection timing: This is another type of injection timing where you must slot the woodruff key into the gear keyway for fuel timing.
What Are The Effects Of Bad Injection Timing
Bad injection timing is what you should avoid; why read below?
1. Knocking sound: A bad injection timing cause a knocking sound from your engine. It makes your engine produce knocking sounds that are very annoying.
2. Overheating: Poor injection timing caused the engine to do overheating. It is one of the consequences of bad injection timing.
3. Hard Starting: Due to bad injection timing, your engine may need to revv for a long time before starting. That may cause you to be using starting fluid which will later cause damage to your engine.
4. Smoking: Bad Injection timing will cause your engine to smoke, and as a result, the engine will fail the emissions test.
5. Misfiring: A bad injection timing will surely cause misfiring.
Why Is Fuel Injection Timing Important
Fuel injection timing is important for the following reasons;
1. Emissions Control: Fuel injection timing help to regulate the emissions of the engine. The effects of emissions on humans are dangerous, so to put them in check, the engine manufacturer uses injection timing to regulate the engine power and emissions.
2. For precision: For complete combustion to occur, the fuel’s accuracy in the combustion chamber is necessary.
Injection timing ensures that only the cylinder that deserves it at a particular time receives it.
You learn how important injection timing is to your engine from the above explanation.
FINAL THOUGHT
You must have learn how to set Perkins engine timing from the article. The article also helps you to understand the importance of injection timing.
And it would be best if you remembered how to set the fuel timing of an engine.