Nissan SD22 engine issues

[GILow]

For the OP. Compass790 is right on the money with parts being a problem.

My ED33 is in excellent condition however I will no longer spend anything but the bare essentials on it as I know, from a lot of phone calls, that parts are a serious problem. These blocks are just too old now.

I had the injectors rebuilt about four years ago and it was very hard for the rebuild company to find parts. And mine is the truck engine too so you’d think there was a bit of a market created by that demand. But not any more.

As for the oily bilge. Can’t recommend a wet and dry shop vac enough. Mine has been one of the most useful cheap tools I’ve ever bought. Used it to clear out the 450 litre aft keel tank that was full of 450 litres of SLIME. 🤮

[Cowtownflyer]

Originally Posted by Compass790

Oh well if the hours are that low maybe the major problem may just be the P.O.'s ignorance.
Ok you have experience so you know what you are getting into. Good luck with it & let us know what you find & how you get on.
cheers

Zero diesel experience Compass790 but willing to learn ! Thanks for your help. Any suggestions keep them coming please ! Cheers !

[Compass790]

Originally Posted by Cowtownflyer

Zero diesel experience Compass790 but willing to learn ! Thanks for your help. Any suggestions keep them coming please ! Cheers !

My suggestion is: DON'T be frightened by the fact that it is a diesel. If u can rebuild a BBC which I'm guessing means a big block Chev you can do a diesel but hopefully with the low hrs the cooling maybe the only stuff to sort out. I'd be looking at the fuel & filtration & tankage immediately given the P.O's maintenance methods. You don't wanna destroy yr injection pump with water ingress ( Ask me how I know )
Did you look at Wikipedia?, seems the basic motor has a good rep. Nice lookn keeler ( sailboat ) you got for nada & yr jetboat looks good too. Good thing that it was in fresh water if it nearly sunk. Of course the boat won't be anywhere near nada by the time u truck it to San Diego. Was the jetboat a kiwi made one? Just wondering at that vintage

[Cowtownflyer]

Originally Posted by Compass790

My suggestion is: DON'T be frightened by the fact that it is a diesel. If u can rebuild a BBC which I'm guessing means a big block Chev you can do a diesel but hopefully with the low hrs the cooling maybe the only stuff to sort out. I'd be looking at the fuel & filtration & tankage immediately given the P.O's maintenance methods. You don't wanna destroy yr injection pump with water ingress ( Ask me how I know )
Did you look at Wikipedia?, seems the basic motor has a good rep. Nice lookn keeler ( sailboat ) you got for nada & yr jetboat looks good too. Good thing that it was in fresh water if it nearly sunk. Of course the boat won't be anywhere near nada by the time u truck it to San Diego. Was the jetboat a kiwi made one? Just wondering at that vintage

Hello. Following your advise, I am currently trying to disassemble the fueling side of the engine. I have noted that there are 2 different injection pumps in use here. Seems the engine I have is a VE pump. I'm not sure if the inline pump was an upgrade - as per photo of yellow SD22 ? Seeing as I don't really have a clue, I'm going to take a few of these components to a diesel rebuild shop to see if they can't figure what's what. I may pull the head also and have them inspect the valve train. I'm note sure how they engines are tuned. Very much more complicated than the Chevy.

I have not seen to any KIWI boats around our area. The boat I have is a 1976 Sleekcraft Executive build in California back in the day. At 23' it is probably the biggest boat you would want a jet drive on. Most of the boats are much smaller. If you were interested in looking at what they are running in this area have a look at this facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/socaljetboats/
Most of the "action" is here on the Colorado River flowing south of the Hoover Dam at Lake Mead outside Las Vegas. That's where I'm at with the "sailboat".
Thanks for your help. Cheers.

[Compass790]

Ok guess I have to correct myself here. Pretty much the same except for the injection pump. There is no tuning as such, just get the injection timing & valve clearances right. I wouldn't touch the injection pump unless you have a problem with it. You need the workshop manual & follow it's servicing instructions. Some of the servicing instructions are a bit OTT like changing rubber hoses every 2 years .
I should have specified inspect/clean the diesel tank & change the fuel filters as being the work to do on the fuel system initially. Always use a filter funnel when filling tank as you'd be surprised how much crap can come in the fuel. If you cannot get it running check the lift pump first, last thing to deal with is the injection pump. They are EXPENSIVE so leave that till last. Also they are the least likely to fail.
Hope that helps

[GILow]

A full rebuild of the injection pump and injectors will probably set you back more than the engine is actually worth. Don’t ask me how I know this.

[Adelie]

Yes, but would it be les than a replacement with new?

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Adelie

Yes, but would it be les than a replacement with new?

Probably not, but when coupled with the age of the engine it’s worth standing back and taking a pragmatic view.

[Compass790]

Originally Posted by Adelie

Yes, but would it be les than a replacement with new?

I would frame the question a little different. Would it be cheaper than replacing with a good used engine of similar horsepower with much more readily available parts?
Suspect from what GIlow says re fuel injection system price, probably not.

[Cowtownflyer]

Originally Posted by GILow

A full rebuild of the injection pump and injectors will probably set you back more than the engine is actually worth. Don’t ask me how I know this.

Gentlemen, I have located a shop Everett Washington State who can supply all rebuild parts and components for this SD22 and other Nissan diesels. According to the owner, these units are actually fine running engines and well worth spending a few $$$ as opposed to replacing with a different make/model.

I am going to send along the injectors for rebuild as a start. Fellow states that with injector rebuild, change the filters and possible and install new gaskets ( head gasket ) as required "should" be enough to get this motor running.


Not sure about pricing, he says $160USD each to rebuild injectors. Complete engine gasket set $400USD.


So if I can get that motor running for under $1000 then I think that's pretty good. All I want to do for now anyway.


Thank y'all for your input !

[Cowtownflyer]

Originally Posted by Adelie

Yes, but would it be les than a replacement with new?

I certainly believe so !!! Plus no issues with modifying motor mounts and further alignment issues to contend with either.

[GILow]

Yes, under one boat buck is undoubtedly good value.

But the injectors themselves are probably fine, it’s the pump that you should worry about. What did they quote for a pump rebuild?

[Cowtownflyer]

Originally Posted by GILow

Yes, under one boat buck is undoubtedly good value.

But the injectors themselves are probably fine, it’s the pump that you should worry about. What did they quote for a pump rebuild?

Yes, I thought rebuilding the pump would be the first step also. But according to some of the folks posting here, and according to the rebuilder guy, "don't touch the pump yet". GILow, I have the CAV pump which is apparently old school. They quoted approx. $1500 USD to rebuild that pump if necessary. But they have suggested that these old injectors I have should be the starting point. I will go with that and some new glow plugs to see if I can't get engine to fire.

They asked me to pull the brass washers out of the head with a dental pick. There were not any washers. So maybe that was another mis-step by the previous owner if the injectors were not sealing in the head correctly...


More pictures. LOL. I'm all about the pictures !!!


Thanks for your continued interest and advise.

[Compass790]

Lot more optimistic for your prospects after looking at yr pics. Wasn't optimistic after reading P.O's oil change method. Injectors & injection pump look good. Been in fresh water it's whole life then?
Good that you've found a source for parts & info.

[Cowtownflyer]

Originally Posted by GILow

Yes, under one boat buck is undoubtedly good value.

But the injectors themselves are probably fine, it’s the pump that you should worry about. What did they quote for a pump rebuild?

Hello Again,

So as it turned out, the injectors for this SD22 were in very bad condition. I found a local diesel shop here in Las Vegas - they did the testing and the rebuild of the injectors for a total of $307 USD.

I have stripped down the heat exchanger and tested. Now ready for paint.

The exhaust manifold appears to be a tri-function contraption: 1) coolant reservoir, exhaust manifold and intake manifold all wrapped into one unit. The manifold is stamped "made in Canada". It has a casting number also but I can't seem to determine who the original manufacturer might be. It looks like the air intake filter fits into a port on the underside of this manifold.

Question: I'm having some difficulty in just locating the correct oil filter for this motor. The previous owner had installed a remote oil filter which I do not want to use. Best part number I can come up with is: WIX 51512 or ACDelco PF60, or equivalent. Wondering what make/model oil filter you are using on your engine ?

Few photos attached. Thx, Jim