Please keep us informed how the modified pump lift setting works out... interesting concept.

I also set my pumps a little tight on my 318. Learned that when tuning cummins engines. It does as your mechanic described. On my cat12 I could fell the difference. It starts quicker also.

yes advancing the timing slightly takes up the wear and will get it back to where it was when new. mind its ever so slight this is why and injection pump should be spill timed or set with a dial guage so the wear is adjusted out. makes for a much happier engine and easier starting. they can run a tiny bit cooler too as they are not retarded.

Fired it up for the first time since the tune-up......made my first youtube video so you all could hear it run......



Took a lot of cranking to get the air bled out of the fuel this morning and it needed a couple whiffs of ether to get her to finally light off the first time.  Put the battery charger on, went to lunch, came back an hour or so later, and lit it off again (as shown in the video).  Found a couple fuel leaks.....the aluminum top cover to the filter tower and the aluminum plate below it that retains the filters had a steady leak on account of those aluminum parts being just a bit warped.  A flat surface and sheet of 120 grit and those are all good again.  The air bleeder screw had one speck of rust pitting on the taper, just enough to not let it seal up tight when threaded in, and there was a steady dribble of diesel dripping out the drain tube......I think we got that rust spot polished out and sealing again after a bit more elbow grease.  We have a couple other issues to iron out before we can call it done.  I was however able to drive it forward and backward a few feet and verify it turns both directions, so I know we got the steering booster set right too.
It definitely seems quicker to rev than it used to be.  I think he got the high idle real close to the 1525 spec.  We weren't too definitive on what the low idle number was supposed to be because the footnotes page was the only thing to mention it and it was all over the place and we couldn't decipher it too well, so right now it's set to somewhere around 800ish.  We may play with the low idle a bit more tomorrow after I pick up the gasket for the idle adjustment cover tomorrow morning.  I bought the D318 engine book just the other day off ebay and will take a peek at it as soon as I get back to my place shortly this evening....I didn't remember to grab it on the way out the door this morning....   We have a few other interesting problems to iron out before its a done deal.......more to come later.

-Nick

Nick, Sounds pretty good done well, a few more touches and good for a days exercise in the paddock.

yep a sheet of wet n dry a piece of float glass, a old towel to cushion the glass and a spray bottle of water and you can make the surface almost dead flat. a little permanent marker or engineers blue and you will know when it true again. when the marking dye is worn off its true. who need a fancy schmantsy and bloody expensive surface plate.