Loss of low range power, black smoke, clunking sound

[JapanDelica]

Hi All,,
I am a new member and have trolled the forum for an answer to my current issues but cannot seem to find an answer. I have a 1995 Delica Chaminox Space Gear Turbo Diesel. It is in great condition with only 83,000K on it. Recently and suddenly, it would not start. I had to turn it over for minutes while pumping the gas pedal and eventually it would come back to life but roughly. I have the glow plugs changed and now it starts fine.
However since then, the engine really struggles from take-off up to about 2000rpm. It fails on power and the engine makes a loud knocking sound, blows black smoke and struggles to stay alive. This all happens until about 2500rpm when it kicks back in and takes off. Over 2500 rpm she runs great - turbo kicks in and she flys.
I use it to run around the ski fields here in Japan carrrying guests and usually at low speeds uphill so the problems seems even worse to them! Local mechanic cannot seem to help much but his hunch is that the fuel pump needs reconditioning. This will cost about 800 USD here in Japan.
Has anyone had a similar issue or can offer advice? It is really a critical issue as we will either have to sell the car and upgrade or spend the money soon to fix it before next winter (I'd rather keep it as everything else is in as new condition)...
Thanks for your help in advance.
DB

[jelbon]

Check your vacuum lines, if the 2 of them are reversed it will open the egr constantly and cause all those problems.

[jessef]

A loud knocking sound and lack of power is not good.

First and foremost, have a compression test done immediately.

If the compression is good on all cylinders, then check the timing. If the timing is off, your Spacegear will run like crap.

Other things that can cause your problems :

Lack of air at low rpm, check air filter and EGR/vacuum hoses, remove and clean intercooler
Lack of diesel at low rpm, replace fuel filter and have injectors rebuilt and pressure adjusted

If all else fails, point your finger at the injection pump.

To do everything above in Japan, it's not much compared to Canada. Probably 1,200 USD or so which what I was quoted in Japan.

Compare that to buying a new car and spending more money on a other vehicle.

Doesn't make sense unless the Spacegear isn't fulfilling your needs.

All vehicles need maintenance and money.

[JapanDelica]

Thanks for all your help. I will check the things that you guys mentioned.
One thing I forgot to mention, is that when the engine is cold, none of the above problems occur. As soon as it warms up the issues kick in. Does this sound weird?

[JapanDelica]

A quick update; After reading more posts on here I quickly blocked the vacuum hose from connected from the EGR valve to see if that made any difference. Everything seems to be working fine now
I ran it for an hour or so and all the symptoms disappeared. I will take the EGR off this coming weekend and give it a good clean, re-attach the hose and see if that works as a permanent fix. Are there any long term issues with just leaving the hose disconnected and plugged?
This forum rocks!

[jessef]

It is common to remove the EGR completely and replace it with blanking plates.

If your EGR is stuck open or the diaphram won't operate, then blocking the line doesn't do much good.