Concerning timing the pump lifters on a D4 7U 315 engine. There is only a mark for 1 & 4 on the flywheel. Do you have to pull the injectors to find top center or make your own marks on the flywheel to time 2 & 3?
Also 1 & 4 were 1.749 instead of 1.736 or 1.735 for wear. Do you think that would that have been off enough for it not to start? Perhaps I should pull the injectors anyway and check the spray pattern at least but thought I may try see if the proper pump adjustment would do first.
In tying to start it last summer there felt like sufficient compression and white smoke was coming but it just would not start, even with a little starting fluid, in fact more that I would ever recommend using and it would not even fire at all. This is a engine that came out of a parted out HT 4 so I had never run it before.
Any thoughts from you experts would be appreciated.

I believe I would do some sanding and cleaning on the flywheel and find the other mark half a turn from the 1-4 mark.

To get it marked accurately enough to use for timing the injection pump, you will need a dial indicator setup on top of a valve with the rocker arm and spring removed and resting on the top of either the #2 or #3 piston.

The procedure is in the serviceman's reference book for the engine.

I like to do my TDC checks with a dial indicator and probe down through the injector hole. The probe needs to be slightly less than 1/4 in. diameter so it will pass through the pre-comb. chamber opening and it's a good idea to have some type of collar on it so you don't drop it.

As cc says, the missing mark is there, probably just covered with crud.

Having the injector pump lifters off by 0.014 in. is significant and might make it difficult to start but I don't think that would prevent it from starting at all.

Are you wanting to adjust the injector pump lifters or the timing? If it hasn't been bothered, I wouldn't mess with the timing. It's been a while since I adjusted my D2 lifters, but you just use the timing marks on the flywheel. You don't need extra marks. I would spin the motor using the pony (turn the pony by hand with the pinion engaged). With the side cover off you can see when the lifters are all the way up. My memory is getting more fuzzy the older I get, but aren't the marks on the flywheel for 1 & 3 and 2 & 4?

White smoke and not firing at all, even with ether? The ether should make it pop. Sounds like the compression release is stuck partially open or something. You sure the rack is pivoting and for sure the fuel is making it to the injectors? Hard to believe it has good compression if ether doesn't make it pop.

They will just start up from bottom position when the flywheel marks are on the correct number cylinder for that cyl. to fire.Timing marks 1 & 4 and the second set is the 2 & 3. He said he couldn,t see the 2 & 3 marks but I think as others here that the numbers are covered with junk or something as I never saw one that didn,t have all the numbers on the flywheel.The second set would be 180 degrees (half turn) from the # 1 & 4 marks on the flywheel on a 4 cyl. engine.

Thanks fellows, your telling me the marks are there made me do a little more cleaning and sure enough the marks were there. I should have know it but I have so many projects going that sometime I can not concentrate on any one. This morning was such the case as I had to be at the Tech school where they are working on a skidder for me. Next I plan to remove the injectors and visibly check there spray pattern and if that does not look good take them in for testing and also do a compression check. First need to replace the seal between the pump and fuel housing as the original owner told me fuel was leaking into the oil pan.
While at the Tech School I discovered they are making there own bio-diesel from there cafeteria and running there own training engines on it and it is working good. Having been a diesel fan all my life I was worried that the diesel was going to become extinct but what they are doing gave new light to its future. Except I expect we will have to cultivate every inch of land to make enough. I used vegetable oil to heat my shop for awhile and then found it was getting harder to get already.
Bio- Diesel seems better than trying to see how much Ethanol can be run through a gas engine.
It is good to have your fellows to talk to.

Hi Soumalinen,
I would suggest you do a quick rough check of one of the TDC markings as it is possible to put the flywheels on incorrectly on the early engines, later units had one flywheel bolt hole out of sequence to ensure that this could not happen. A rough check is to remove the rocker cover and rotate the engine until you see the exhaust valve closing on any cylinder and keep rotating in the direction of rotation until you see that cylinder's inlet valve start to open. When the two valves are rocking open and closed an equal amount you will be very near to TDC for that cylinder, then you can check the TDC flywheel markings for that cyl. are correct. If they are not then we can take it further from here later.
Hope this helps,
Cheers,
Eddie B.

I don't know what all you have checked, do you have fuel at the lines at the injectors? If you don't have a healthy squirt there, checking the timing is getting way ahead of finding the problem. Also, to repeat Arthropod, if it would not run on ether you have already bypassed the entire fuel system so you need to look elsewhere for your problem. A diesel will run without a functioning fuel system if you feed it ether.

You mention the engine is from a parts tractor, so who knows how long it's been stored. Be sure the injection pump plungers and rack are moving free, both were gummed up on my D4 when I had the same no start situation.

The" valve rock" method is the quickest way to check TDC ! edb is half right...... When the Valves "rock" on number 4 cyl then no. 1 cyl valves should NOT move! Meaning no. 1 cyl is on the COMPRESSON STROKE ready for the injection of fuel @ specified degrees BTDC! Rock #1 then #4is on compression stroke! Rock #3 then #2 is on compresson and vise versa!Watch just when the EXHAUST valve CLOSES and the INTAKE OPENS!This is the QUICKEST method to set valve clearances too! Works on 4's , 6's & 8's Just split the firing order in half and place the second half under the first ie: 153 624 Then "rock"# 6 means #1 is on comresson! Then rock #2 does #5! And #4 does #3 ! Then rocking #1 puts #6 on the compression stroke! #5 does#2 and #3 does#4! GLEN

If your setting the injection lifter setting forget about the valve rocking & go by the flywheel marks as they are right on & that,s what they are for.You have to be sure the flywheel is on the correct hole when someone installed it but you can remove a spray nozzle & take a welding rod or whatever & stick down the hole when the flywheel mark is coming up if the rod is coming up to it,s full travel check the mark on the flywheel for the mark and if they agree then your ok.For setting just the valves the rocking method is close enough.Later Cat engines theflywheel had one hole ofset in it so the wheel can only go on correctly but not the older tractor engines or industrial ones.