WA 450 komatsu over head adjustment issues

[chris allen]

hey guys, why is it that every time I touch a dang Cummings I keep having issues running the over head, not sure what the deal is but every time I build motors with top stop injectors I have issues with the motor locking down dureing rotation of over head adjust ment , im going buy the a b c on the access. drive pully, I do the inject. on one hole an then the valves on another an then turn the motor to next marks an do them an so on, seems to all go well till I get to like the last holes an the motor locks down, ive set the valves at correct settings an the injects at 6 in lbs. after a few hrs monkeying with the cummins motors then every thing finally goes threw an its ok, WHATS THE DEAL HERE, ive had a issue of getting oil in the water with the L10 in our loader an pulled the head off an got a head set an new head due to crack, an even tho I didn't have fuel in the head dureing adjustment procedures I went ahead an bottomed out each injector few times just to be sure. just not sure why that every time I touch a Cummings weather its a 855 or 350 or 290 or L10 whats the deal screwing withem an just all of a sudden it all adjusts out rite. ive tried to adjust out the the valves first an ive tried to adjust out the injectors first. still locks down till ya have to back everything off

 

[kshansen]

Which Cummins is being used in the WA 450? The only Komatsu I dealt with was a WA 600 with a KT19(1150).

Not sure why you are having problems setting valves and injectors on Cummins engines. Over the last 45 years I have done many different Cummins engines everthing from the old C-J engines, NH, NT, 903, KT1150/K19 and more than a few 1710's and probably a few I plain forget. Don't ever recall one "locking down" while doing a valve/injector set. Biggest problem I had was the 1710's they can mess you up as what Cummins call the right bank is in what I would call the left side of the engine! Sucks to be replacing heads over night and get part way through the adjustments and remember that! They had to use the machine till 3:30pm quitting time and it had to be running for 7:00am start up time!

Anyhow if this was the only engine you had this problem with I might have some ideas but if it happens "all the time" that stumps me. Only thing I can think of is if somehow you are letting fuel oil or motor oil get in a cylinder while the injectors are out causing a hydro-static lock which slowly leaks off and allows you to turn the engine over.

 

[chris allen]

the 450 has a L 10 with top stop injectors, im not really sure what the heck goes on with the cummins motors an me, seems like every dang one bites me in the tail for few hrs then all a suddon all goes well, ive even did in frames an didn't add motor oil till over head was ran just to say that that wasn't it an even left fuel filters off to say it wasn't fuel filling up . heck ive built maybe 25 top stop engines an it seems everyone get me . I know its not rocket science but heck whats the deal.

 

[SterlingR]

I did the same thing as you when setting up an 855 one time. I set the valves rolled the engine and bent 6 push rods. I had went to Cummins school and did it exactly like we were instructed. That's when we realized industrial engines are not set up like over the road trucks. After we got the information for industrial engines we were good to go.

 

[kshansen]

Chris,

Any Luck on this L-10?

If not does this chart agree with how you are setting things.

 

[lantraxco]

Didn't TCtractors mention a Komatsu cummins having different settings than standard? I know that was a dozer but maybe it holds true for other beasts as well?

Friend of mine that's wandered on to I hope heavenly wrenching, first job out of two years of diesel college was a cummins head swap, all set and ready to go, bent a bunch of pushrods, etc. Some piece of logging equipment, turns out it was reverse rotation.... he never held a paycheck job again.

 

[repowerguy]

On some of the L10's you adjust the valves and the injectors together, I never could figure out how to tell the difference up front, but you soon know that it's running up wrong. I wonder if it was the torque modified engines with a different cam profile.
Most of the L10's we had were pieced together from what we could scrounge at the time. Some ran like stink and some just stunk! Probably just the luck of the parts draw.

 

[kshansen]

Never had any real experience with L10's maybe one! But I do recall on the old 855 models the ones you set with a torque wrench, not the top stop ones, you set them at a different point than than the ones you set by the dial indicator method. The ones with the A,B,C marks on the pulley as apposed to the ones set at 1-6 VS, 2-5 VS, 3-4 VS marks.

 

[repowerguy]

The L10's were a decently easy motor to work on and pretty forgiving of less than blueprint dimensions.
FYI, in case you need to set top stop injectors at 5 in lbs and no torque wrench, use just your thumb and forefinger to turn the screwdriver. If you are the average guy, 5 in lbs is about all you can turn. An old timer passed that on to me years ago, and I'll pass it on myself. I'll save setting the valve lash without a feeler gauge using the nut as a degree wheel for a later date.