hell yeah. looks like a great time.
you may be overfueling a cylinder....usually raw diesel smell and prodigious smoke though. seems a head gasket would be obviously causing other issues. timing is critical and elevation as well.
regardless.....under load they simply make allot of heat. even the tdi.
i run heavy in my lightest configuration for 150 hp at 6000 plus pounds.
weigh it in trail configuration.
this is why i suggested to gut the core and maximize radiator capacity.
i only have issues towing unless over 5k feet. it runs warmer over 6k ft. its the main reason i want an inline pump....easy to adjust compared to the rotary.
Yeah, I’ve been playing with timing. I think between that and being at high elevation didn’t help. I put it back to where it was when I got it. Because it wasn’t overheating then, and that was at the same time I did the gears, and lockers. And moving back made it smoke a blue smoke more, mileage actually went down. Yesterday I advanced it more than I had it before to see what it’s like. People say if you advance them to much they won’t start easy. Well hot or cold no problems starting. I’m shopping for a radiator right now. I’ll pretty much do as you suggested, building my own core support will make it easier to put in an inter cooler. Idk I’m gonna gather parts for a TDI. But the only way to get more power out of this OM617 is to do a turbo and have the injection pump upgraded. About 3k, I’m just not sure if I want to take that kinda of chance on this 40 year old engine….. but funds are pretty tight right now, so we’ll see. I’m done for this year for big trips. Next year we are planning on a couple trips. Big one being a trip to the rubicon, idk we’ll see what happens. Idk getting the coolant system under control will help a lot. I’m going to be playing with front coils, I really like the early bronco ones I currently have but they are sagging, and wont stop. It’s definitely a lot more stable, it won’t unload so bad now. I’ve even wondered what coil overs would be like. Idk I can buy a lot of coils haha