Help! My engine’s very poorly!!
Discussion
Hi everyone
I’ve got a 2013 316d F30 with the N47 engine. Really engine miles at 197,000 but to be fair to it it’s never really missed a beat although it is fairly heavy on oil consumption and has been for a couple of years.
I left it idling on the drive this morning and after about 5-10 mins it just cut out. I went to start it and It was vibrating heavily on turnover and making a hell of a noise. There seemed to be a knock from the top possibly near the injectors and after a few seconds it cut out. I’ve tried to start it a few times since and the same thing happens it’s like it’s not fully igniting, sounds like a tractor, vibrates like mad, then when you lift the foot off the clutch it stalls (which is what makes me think it’s perhaps not even starting up properly). There’s also smoke coming from somewhere towards the bottom of the engine, under the turbo it looks like and it smells really rich.
I’ve removed the air intake to see where the smoke is coming from down there but it’s really hard to see. There’s smoke coming from the top by the oil filler cap so there’s obviously blow by in the engine but thats not a surprise because it has been using oil so there’s obviously wear in the piston rings.
I’m at a loss as to what it could be or where to start. I maybe thought fuel pump, but it seems really bad like somethings completely gone. I’m hoping it’s not terminal but I haven’t really got a clue where to start looking and I can’t move it to get a diagnosis.
There are no fault codes and the EML isn’t on bizarrely.
Don’t want to think either of these are to blame but I did put cataclean in the fuel tank yesterday, although ran about 20 miles with no issues. I also put some wynns supercharge in the oil this morning.
Any ideas or thoughts would really be appreciated on this one.
I’ve attached a video to give an idea of the noise and smoke.
I’ve got a 2013 316d F30 with the N47 engine. Really engine miles at 197,000 but to be fair to it it’s never really missed a beat although it is fairly heavy on oil consumption and has been for a couple of years.
I left it idling on the drive this morning and after about 5-10 mins it just cut out. I went to start it and It was vibrating heavily on turnover and making a hell of a noise. There seemed to be a knock from the top possibly near the injectors and after a few seconds it cut out. I’ve tried to start it a few times since and the same thing happens it’s like it’s not fully igniting, sounds like a tractor, vibrates like mad, then when you lift the foot off the clutch it stalls (which is what makes me think it’s perhaps not even starting up properly). There’s also smoke coming from somewhere towards the bottom of the engine, under the turbo it looks like and it smells really rich.
I’ve removed the air intake to see where the smoke is coming from down there but it’s really hard to see. There’s smoke coming from the top by the oil filler cap so there’s obviously blow by in the engine but thats not a surprise because it has been using oil so there’s obviously wear in the piston rings.
I’m at a loss as to what it could be or where to start. I maybe thought fuel pump, but it seems really bad like somethings completely gone. I’m hoping it’s not terminal but I haven’t really got a clue where to start looking and I can’t move it to get a diagnosis.
There are no fault codes and the EML isn’t on bizarrely.
Don’t want to think either of these are to blame but I did put cataclean in the fuel tank yesterday, although ran about 20 miles with no issues. I also put some wynns supercharge in the oil this morning.
Any ideas or thoughts would really be appreciated on this one.
I’ve attached a video to give an idea of the noise and smoke.
I'd certainly entertain the idea of it being an injector/multiple injectors, especially given the mileage and the recent use of 3-rd party additives.
Looks and sounds like it might be a cylinder down, my 330d made similar (worse actually) levels of smoke when I started it after a week in sub-zero conditions in the Alps, it was clearly sludgy fuel and was barely running on 4 cylinders let alone 6.
Looks and sounds like it might be a cylinder down, my 330d made similar (worse actually) levels of smoke when I started it after a week in sub-zero conditions in the Alps, it was clearly sludgy fuel and was barely running on 4 cylinders let alone 6.
Thanks for the replies everyone.
The good news is I don’t think it’s the fuel pump - it initialises when the ignition is on and is pushing diesel through when it turns over (I’ve disconnected each line to check).
I’m not convinced the cars actually starting, as soon as I release the clutch it cuts out so it’s like it’s trying to turn over but not sparking.
Does anyone know how easy it is to remove and test each injector on these? I’m just thinking if I can see diesel coming out I’ll know they’re ok and on to the next after that. If not it’s a good bet that’s where my problem will be.
The good news is I don’t think it’s the fuel pump - it initialises when the ignition is on and is pushing diesel through when it turns over (I’ve disconnected each line to check).
I’m not convinced the cars actually starting, as soon as I release the clutch it cuts out so it’s like it’s trying to turn over but not sparking.
Does anyone know how easy it is to remove and test each injector on these? I’m just thinking if I can see diesel coming out I’ll know they’re ok and on to the next after that. If not it’s a good bet that’s where my problem will be.
Compression test. I reckon it's ingested one of it's swirl flaps. It looks to me (I can't get sound on the vid), that it's misfiring on 1 cylinder. White smoke = uncombusted diesel.
A compression test will be relatively quick, easy and cheap, and if it's OK you can look at injectors if you wish. (But no amount of injector work will fix poor compression)
A compression test will be relatively quick, easy and cheap, and if it's OK you can look at injectors if you wish. (But no amount of injector work will fix poor compression)
Update everyone…
The cars showing up fault code 481b2b EKPS: suction jet pump malfunction.
I’m convinced now it’s a fuel issue caused by the cataclean.
The pump is priming and fuel is coming out of the pipes so could it be that the injectors could be blocked and not pushing fuel through causing back pressure and effectively stalling the pump?
I think the next step will be to remove and check the injectors… does anyone have any tips?
Cheers
The cars showing up fault code 481b2b EKPS: suction jet pump malfunction.
I’m convinced now it’s a fuel issue caused by the cataclean.
The pump is priming and fuel is coming out of the pipes so could it be that the injectors could be blocked and not pushing fuel through causing back pressure and effectively stalling the pump?
I think the next step will be to remove and check the injectors… does anyone have any tips?
Cheers
najainitro said:
Update everyone…
The cars showing up fault code 481b2b EKPS: suction jet pump malfunction.
I’m convinced now it’s a fuel issue caused by the cataclean.
The pump is priming and fuel is coming out of the pipes so could it be that the injectors could be blocked and not pushing fuel through causing back pressure and effectively stalling the pump?
I think the next step will be to remove and check the injectors… does anyone have any tips?
Cheers
You need help from someone who knows what they are doing. Without wishing to cause offence I don't think you do. The cars showing up fault code 481b2b EKPS: suction jet pump malfunction.
I’m convinced now it’s a fuel issue caused by the cataclean.
The pump is priming and fuel is coming out of the pipes so could it be that the injectors could be blocked and not pushing fuel through causing back pressure and effectively stalling the pump?
I think the next step will be to remove and check the injectors… does anyone have any tips?
Cheers
Judging by the smoke coming from the breather, that's done itself a serious mischief. The swirl flaps are on a combined shaft on these and not as prone to breaking off. It's possibly dropped a valve, broken a piston etc. It's possible that an injector has failed and flooded a bore.
The joy of old diesels. At nearly 200k, it's done its money really.
The joy of old diesels. At nearly 200k, it's done its money really.
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