This morning my 300D Turbo was extremely sluggish off the line, then after the turbo boosted it would take off pretty fast.

I thought hmm, i had adjusted the ALDA IN 1 turn a week ago to reduce the smoke a bit. So i stopped at the gas station and backed the screw out completely(where it was a week ago) and it was just as slow, or maybe slower than before.

I couldn't find a problem with the hoses being broken or clogged so i put on a ALDA that i got at the junkyard and everything was normal again. Hell it fells faster now then it ever has. 0-60 in 12 seconds

So yes, ALDA's can go bad, it seems rare though. Just thought i would post this in case someone else ran into a similar issue.

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1985 300TD Turbo Euro-wagon
1979 280CE 225,200 miles
1985 300D Turbo 264,000 miles
1976 240D 190,000 miles
1979 300TD 220,000

GONE but not forgotten
1976 300D 195,300 miles
1983 300D Turbo 175,000 miles

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...e485-1-2-1.jpg

The aneroid capsule(s) inside the ALDA can eventually crack, losing their atmospheric seal, and expand. This causes the ALDA to fail and depress the plunger on the IP. Result is an instant slug car off the line and it can even limit the fuel in the boost range, so I was having a hard time breaking 60 mph and turbo would only produce about 0.6 bar. This kind of failure is sudden. Happened overnight for me. My cure was to remove the ALDA completely. Car was hot off the line again and easily hit 1 bar boost and I guess I could reach 120 MPH again, but I chicken out before getting that high plus I don't want to force a head gasket failure on an already tender design.

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Cheers!
Scott McPhee

1987 300D

um... what is an ALDA?

Yeah mine failed over night as well, I got home from work last night at 10pm and then this morning it was absolutely dead off the line. And it wouldnt smoke at all, i knew it wasnt getting enough fuel.

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1985 300TD Turbo Euro-wagon
1979 280CE 225,200 miles
1985 300D Turbo 264,000 miles
1976 240D 190,000 miles
1979 300TD 220,000

GONE but not forgotten
1976 300D 195,300 miles
1983 300D Turbo 175,000 miles

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...e485-1-2-1.jpg

not hawkeye peirce from M*A*S*H, but that part that sits on top of the injection pump. i have some if anyone needs one. pm me

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well, that definition really cleared it up for me. NOT!

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2007 Dodge Ram 3500 Cummins Turbo Diesel 4x4
1994 GMC S-15 pickup 4.3 5MT
1985 300 SD
1978 300 CD
1962 220-S Fintail - awaiting restoration

It's a device that restricts fuel to the injectors until sufficient manifold pressure gets to the device.

Sixto
87 300D

My car was slow and the ALDA adjustment was not turning. I just loosened the whole unit up to let the valve underneath move and it drives much better. The alda just kinda jiggles around in there. I do plan on replacing it once I can find time to get to a junkyard.

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"Gerwalt" 1984 - 300TD

search a million threads in here with "ALDA" and your car type... you'll find pix

__________________
Cheers!
Scott McPhee

1987 300D

On a 1983 300SD how does one loosen the 10mm bolt to make the adjustment? There isn't room to get a wrench or a socket in ther. That adjustment screw appears to be copper. Whatever it is it's a soft material. I was trying to adjust mine and I severed off the top part of the bolt from the force of the screwdriver. Due to the fact that I couldn't (didn't) loosen the 10mm bolt.
So I plugged off the vacuum line to and from the ALDA. It doesn't seem to have made any difference performance wise.
Is plugging off the vacuum lines not the same as removing the ALDA? I was hoping for some power on the hills but no dice.

The unit has a 10mm locknut to prevent wanton adjustments. There is a sheet metal can that surrounds this locknut, also for the same purpose. Most folks just tear off the sheet metal can so that adjustments can easily be performed.

As you, unfortunately, found out, the adjustment screw is a very tender piece of equipment and can easily be broken if forced. The ALDA can also be damaged if the screw is forced too far. You hurt your case even more by leaving the locknut engaged.

My suspicion is that the ALDA is not performing properly whatsoever as you have plugged the boost pressure line that is attached to it and no performance difference was observed.

My suggestion to you, to return this vehicle to excellent performance, is to remove the ALDA entirely from the IP. The device is a limiting feature, designed to prevent excessive smoke when the engine doesn't have sufficient air from the turbo. Without the ALDA, you can prevent such smoke by limiting your right foot when the engine is below 2500 rpm.

To remove the device, you'll need two wrenches. One wrench must be very thin and it fits the wrench flats on the bottom of the ALDA itself. The second wrench can be of normal width and fits the nut that is below these wrench flats. Position the two wrenches so that you can squeeze them together with one hand. The top wrench (the one on the ALDA) must turn counterclockwise (viewed from the top) and the lower wrench (the one on the nut) must turn clockwise. If you position the wrenches properly, you can break the nut free with one squeeze of your hand. At that point, simply unthread the ALDA from the nut by rotating it counterclockwise.

That's it.

The vehicle's performance will be nothing short of astounding and you'll be back on here thanking us for the advice.

Thanks Brian! With the ALDA removed is a dust cap type thing required? Another question; are the two vacuum lines going to the 3/2 junction on the valve cover just for the EGR or are they for the tranny shifting? I have disabled the EGR and I have tried removing the 2 vac lines mentioned above and neither is helping my power on hills. My two plastic levers were completely worn out, the ones beneath the plastic cover behind the 3/2 vacuum thing on the valve cover. I can live with the shifting not being perfect but I NEED some power in the hills.
I have replaced my fuel filters, put in straight diesel, replaced air filter all to no benefit power wise. Perhaps it is my tank screen but I am somewhat doubtful. I checked it a couple years ago and it was fine, and I filter my veg to 5 microns.
It was running pretty good till I tried cleaning my engine compartment last week. Same day I put an adjustable hose camp - tight on the crankcase vent tube, and made up a new gasket going under the oil filler gasket to help keep the engine bay clean.

The requirement for a dust cap is somewhat open to question. Some have manufactured same and some have not. I'm not sure if the IP is adversely affected without it.

The 3/2 valves on the valve cover only serve to run the EGR on that specific vehicle. Be a bit careful, however, because the vacuum for the transmission goes to a T that splits............one leg goes to the IP............the other goes to the black box on the valve cover. You can eliminate the section that goes to the valve cover.

The use of WVO presents another serious variable to proper engine function. It is fairly well documented that the improper use of WVO will result in less than desirable durability of the engine and the IP. So, unless you are one of the few who knows exactly how to process and use this alternate fuel without damage (two tank system with heaters and extensive filtering), the resulting performance of the engine might be compromised and there will be no return to proper performance without significant repair.

Well here I am back and thanking you all for the ALDA delete. I have not enjoyed performance since I bought this car 3 1/2 years back, almost like the wife's Mazda gasser.
I realize this is not the place to get into WVO discussions, and I will never claim to have it all figured out but I have been doing this as for the past 3 years and I have done fairly extensive research. I use only Canola and have redundant filtration down to 5 microns as well as cold uplflow settling. As well as blending with diesel as a solvent I use some Powerservice injector cleaner in all my fill ups. And while this practice is not without perils, at .30c/liter as opposed to 1.40c/liter it's hard to ignore the cost benefits.
Thanks again for sharing.

As predicted.............

Can you report back with your smoke situation, please? We don't have that many 617's running without an ALDA and the smoke situation on some is intolerable while on others it's perfectly fine. We're looking for smoke when you mash the pedal right from a standing start on up to about 2500 rpm.

If you do get smoke, how much do you get............ and is it objectionable?