Smokey diesel - any help much appreciated
Discussion
Right guys. So i have a astra J 1.7 cdti that i bought as spares or repairs. The faults were as follows:
Engine cuts out on idle
Smokey exhaust
Brakes knackered.
I have fixed the engine cut out, it was the fuel pressure regulator. I have fixed the brakes too.
But i still have a smoking problem, its kind of blueish smoke and smells like burning oil
Lets go in time a bit... The last owner took it to a garage with a oil leak and engine cutting out issue. The bill racked up to 800 quid and the engine cutting out wasnt fixed. The mechanic had the car for 3 months! The last owner wasnt happy to pay 800 when it wasnt fixed. So the garage eventually agreed for him to pay 400 instead.
When he picked the car back up, it was now smoking, whereas it wasnt before(so the last owner said).
Now, what could that mechanic of done to make it smoke? Of course we can't rule out the last owner was lying about it either, and that it was smoking before.
What are your thoughts?
Where should I start?
It lets out a puff of smoke on start up, but on idle it generally doesn't smoke at all. Then it will start smoking if either revving it hard or accelerating (driving it). Its a blueish smoke which smells of burning on. Furthermore, the oil level in the sump is rising and looks to be thinning, its possibly getting diesel contamination into the oil.
Engine cuts out on idle
Smokey exhaust
Brakes knackered.
I have fixed the engine cut out, it was the fuel pressure regulator. I have fixed the brakes too.
But i still have a smoking problem, its kind of blueish smoke and smells like burning oil
Lets go in time a bit... The last owner took it to a garage with a oil leak and engine cutting out issue. The bill racked up to 800 quid and the engine cutting out wasnt fixed. The mechanic had the car for 3 months! The last owner wasnt happy to pay 800 when it wasnt fixed. So the garage eventually agreed for him to pay 400 instead.
When he picked the car back up, it was now smoking, whereas it wasnt before(so the last owner said).
Now, what could that mechanic of done to make it smoke? Of course we can't rule out the last owner was lying about it either, and that it was smoking before.
What are your thoughts?
Where should I start?
It lets out a puff of smoke on start up, but on idle it generally doesn't smoke at all. Then it will start smoking if either revving it hard or accelerating (driving it). Its a blueish smoke which smells of burning on. Furthermore, the oil level in the sump is rising and looks to be thinning, its possibly getting diesel contamination into the oil.
Edited by ToMeToYou on Wednesday 28th August 01:17
Smoking under power could imply over-fuelling, or excessive blow-by into the crank case. Is the breather system accessible enough for you to route it into a temporary catch can?
Can you confirm the smoke is coming through the exhaust and not for example oil burning off a hot manifold?
Can you confirm the smoke is coming through the exhaust and not for example oil burning off a hot manifold?
GreenV8S said:
Smoking under power could imply over-fuelling, or excessive blow-by into the crank case. Is the breather system accessible enough for you to route it into a temporary catch can?
Can you confirm the smoke is coming through the exhaust and not for example oil burning off a hot manifold?
The smoke is coming from the exhaust under acceleration.Can you confirm the smoke is coming through the exhaust and not for example oil burning off a hot manifold?
On idle theres no smoke unless revving it hard.
After 10 mins driving, there seems to be steam/smoke coming from the rear of the engine (where turbo is)
Just to add, Theres no loss of coolant.
I have a mechanic, and he reckons to check the turbo first. I can't be bothered to get under the car and pull the turbo pipe off to check its impeller, so I will get him to do it. But any other suggestions/thoughts/info much appreciated.
Steam or smoke. You really need to ID. As they are likely to have very different sources depending on which.
Blue smoke from the exhaust says burning oil to me. Have you tried flushing the tank and running fresh diesel? Someone could have contaminated the fuel.
Too much diesel as in overfuelling would normally result in very dark black smoke. Too little air could result in similar too. But I wouldn’t associate blue smoke with either of these.
Blue smoke from the exhaust says burning oil to me. Have you tried flushing the tank and running fresh diesel? Someone could have contaminated the fuel.
Too much diesel as in overfuelling would normally result in very dark black smoke. Too little air could result in similar too. But I wouldn’t associate blue smoke with either of these.
Edited by 300bhp/ton on Thursday 22 August 13:51
Theres no oil loss that I know of. In fact, reading the dipstick often looks like it may have too much oil in there. But im not sure if its just the crap dipstick causing it, I had a merc before that gave a awfully inaccurate reading on the dipstick. I've changed the oil and filter, car takes 5.4L but I stuck just 5L in.
My mechanic guy reckons blue/white smoke could be the turbo. So im not sure what to believe, I am not in a position to throw money at it though. So need a accurate diagnosis. My head is guessing injectors for some reason.
I have a invoice for £963 for a turbo supplied and fitted 1 year ago as well.
The steam/smoke from the rear of the engine is just a thin white smoke that disappears almost instantly. Thats why Im not sure if its steam or smoke. Either way, what could the potential issues be?
My mechanic guy reckons blue/white smoke could be the turbo. So im not sure what to believe, I am not in a position to throw money at it though. So need a accurate diagnosis. My head is guessing injectors for some reason.
I have a invoice for £963 for a turbo supplied and fitted 1 year ago as well.
The steam/smoke from the rear of the engine is just a thin white smoke that disappears almost instantly. Thats why Im not sure if its steam or smoke. Either way, what could the potential issues be?
So heres what i've done. I removed the turbo pipe and checked the turbo shaft, there is no play in it. But there was some oil sitting near it.
I've removed the breather hose and ran the car, it smokes a tad from the breather hose...unsure if thats normal or not, guessing it is. Theres no "blowby".
I've also replaced the injectors.
Im still getting blue smoke on cold start, and the engine is a little rough. in a few minutes theres a lot less smoke and it revs smoother. I was thinking glowplugs, but I checked them with a multimeter and they seemed ok. Car is also hissing when driving so it may have a split turbo pipe somewhere. I'd need to check that out, but unsure if that could cause blue smoke on startup.
I've removed the breather hose and ran the car, it smokes a tad from the breather hose...unsure if thats normal or not, guessing it is. Theres no "blowby".
I've also replaced the injectors.
Im still getting blue smoke on cold start, and the engine is a little rough. in a few minutes theres a lot less smoke and it revs smoother. I was thinking glowplugs, but I checked them with a multimeter and they seemed ok. Car is also hissing when driving so it may have a split turbo pipe somewhere. I'd need to check that out, but unsure if that could cause blue smoke on startup.
Edited by ToMeToYou on Wednesday 4th September 00:30
E-bmw said:
Blue smoke on start up is often indicative of valve guide seal wear.
Does it also do it "on the overrun" as in (for arguments sake) when coming off a motorway during extended periods of being off the throttle using engine braking to slow down?
I've read about valve seals, but I also read that theres a fair few other reasons why it does this. Valve seals for me would be the most difficult to diagnose, so I'd like to start from the easiest method first.Does it also do it "on the overrun" as in (for arguments sake) when coming off a motorway during extended periods of being off the throttle using engine braking to slow down?
I haven't ran the car long enough to check the method you're describing.
Gassing Station | Engines & Drivetrain | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff