I doubt the slight knocking is a problem... could be one cylinder not kicking in right away.

As to maximizing life... switch to a synthetic 5w-40 and let it warm up enough to get the oil pressure up. This is more critical in my '84 Volvo Turbo diesel.. but the same principle applies to any diesel. I also let the turbo unwind before I shut it down.

 

Sorry for the Hijack, but aviator it says that you have ported MAF, how did you do that?

 

Not to continue the hyjack but to answer your question if you pull the MAF out you will see that there is a sort of "step" where the round tube meets the square box of the MAF both on the intake and output side. To "port" it all I did was use a dremel tool with a sanding drum to carefully remove the step and molding burrs to smooth out the airflow through the box. You must be careful to ensure all the fillings are reomoved before you re-install the MAF you don't want any crud to get into the engine. I don't know if it actually makes any real measurable difference to the overall performance but it does sound cool when you say it ...

Hope this helped Aviator

 

hi from memory i put Valvoline 15W/40 low ash Diesel oil in it, is this not the correct oil for it.

 

!5w/40 is ok, but the lower you make the first number, the better. The lower number means lower viscosity at engine startup... which is when engine wear is at its peak.