Smokey Turbo Diesel

[Rich]

Hi all,

I have aquired a 1994 TD Clubman with 86k on the clock which I believe to be genuine. Unfortunatly although its quite a solid car, its destined for parts. The engine and gearbox are to go to my van, and a majority of the panels/interior are destined for the other TD Van (who is still suffering a diesel leak from the injector pump:banghead: ). I am having to drive this car for this week due to my vans MOT situation. While this car has MOT and free insurance until Saturday I have been making the most of it to sum up what the engine is like.

I have noticed (and its not hard to miss) the disgusting amount of smoke it produces. When I picked the car up, the oil was way past its prime. It was more like a grease, with it smearing down the dip stick rather than wiping off.

I changed the oil and filter today and bunged in a load of injector cleaner. The oil quickly turned black as it picked up the dregs of what was left in there. I have searched and re-read posts about smoking diesels and EGR valves. So, my first port of call following this was to disconnect the EGR valve. This has resulted in it going a lot faster a lot quicker, but has not helped the smoke.

So, the symptoms!

When going along at a constant speed, lets say on the motorway, or just once you have got going, there is no smoke. Even if you boot it, its not noticable, its a good as gold. When you stop however its another matter. Smoke billows uncontrolably, it goes all around the car, you can see it coming past the windows! Its a grey type smoke with a tinge of blue but only blue sometimes. When you pull away it chuffs a great load of it out, which just hangs there. It gives a small trail and another small puff into second, then clears. I turned into my road this evening, got to the bottom for the next turn and could still see the smoke hanging at the top of the road.

It does this in all circumstances, if you are stopped for a few seconds it smokes like hell the chuffs a load out on pull away, or of you come off a motorway then stop and pull away again.

There is also now oil in the tailpipe, its getting quite wet, the crank case pressure is high, if you remove the filler cap with the engine running, it blows it off with a pop into your hand and splatters oil up your arm. The PCV valve has been removed by the previous owner, and the pipe which went to the air filter has be re-routed to the battery tray, where a nice oily patch sits. This pipe was quite blocked, so I cleaned it out today, and you can here the engine wheeze through it after its been turned off. Its also been gradually blowing oil out of several places, i.e. around the lift pump and EGR valve.

Its strange it should do all this, it drives lovely and pulls like a train (it smokes like one too), its quiet and responsive, but why oh why is there so much smoke!!

Any help much appreciated, pics to follow shortly! Sorry about the length of the post!

Rich

[threelitre]

Hi!

I do think that the head gasket of the engine might be gone. Did the coolant level drop? When we bought the first TD with a gone head gasket, it was just like that (and the coolant level dropped noticeable...).

Alexander

[Jack]

I'm no turbo diesel expert (or particular car expert) but here's my thoughts on what could be happening (sorry it's not good news).

1. Few oil changes = Blue smoke caused by worn rings and oil getting into the combustion chambers.
2. Worn rings mean turbo boost is making the crankcase pressurised more than normal which previously led to the vehicle running on oil fumes - hence previous owner removed PCV valve and re routed pipe away from air filter.

I could be totally wrong of course, as worn rings on diesels are rarer than petrol and only normally after mega mileages.

Doesn't "quenched combustion" lead to blue smoke. Perhaps do a google search on "quenched combustion diesel" and see you you get.

[Jack]

Found this thread:

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/printthread.php?t=3406&pp=40

To save you reading it all, the chap eventually identified a blown head gasket. Check that first perhaps.

[Rich]

Thanks for the replys,

I think I now have to say that after 350 miles of driving it, it is in fact blue smoke. The exhaust pipe is literally dripping with oil, the tail pipe is all oily inside with it covering the first inch or so of the tail pipe. Theres oil splatters all up the back of the car now, and every exhaust joint is leaking oil.

Its now smoking on acceleration, and the oil cap still blows off when you remove it covering my hand and arm in oil. When you rev it up with the cap off, you can see little drops of oil covering the camshaft cover. Unsurprisingly the oil level has dropped below max today but still over min.

There has been no drop in water level and she warms up nicely. I am now wondering if the lack of oil changes that it has had is taking an adverse affect. Maybe the rings are going a bit (she starts on the button however, and has plenty of power and no odd noises) pressurising the oil, and blowing it through the turbo oil seal?

Rich

[G Force]

Hi, It sounds like you have badly worn pistons / bores. My guess would be that the lack of servicing has taken its tole, the engine has probably nipped up at some time which is not unusual given the fact you say it pulls very strong.

I have found a lot of variance in power outputs of diesel maestro's, Im sure it is down to the very sensitive pump settings. Usualy the more poweful engines are the ones that suffer engine problems.

Regards Gary :)

[Rich]

[QUOTE=G Force] the engine has probably nipped up at some time which is not unusual given the fact you say it pulls very strong.QUOTE]

Sorry Gary, how do you mean nipped up? Do you mean seized at some point?

Rich

[G Force]

Sorry Gary, how do you mean nipped up? Do you mean seized at some point? Rich

Hi Rich, Yes but more in the way of just tightening in the bores rather than locked up solid. You can get this situation if lubrication is poor and combustion temperatures rise critically high. It just feels like a loss of power, a slowing down due to the pistons grabbing on the bores.

Gary :)

[Rich]

Ok, time for an update on this!

The engine has long been removed from the car, and I have slowly started stripping it.

On removing the turbo and manifolds, I have made some discoverys.

The inlet to the turbo is oily, the outlet of the turbo, and the inlet manifold and ports into the engine are thick with black oily gunk that is very hard to remove. The manifold to the turbo is clean but sooty. The outlet to the frontpipe from the turbo is caked in oily deposits like the inlet manifold.

The EGR valve had been blocked off all along, the valve was nicely closed, but someone had put in a homemade gasket to block it off.

Would I be correct in assuming that the turbo is knackered? My thoughts are that the seal has gone, and is spraying oil into the inlet, the oil is burning in the engine creating excessive smoke, and then picking up more oil spraying from the turbo and chucking it out the exhaust? Hence the tailpipe dripping oil.

The next part to remove is the head, but I need a big breaker bar to this, so it will have to wait briefly. But does this therory seem plausable that the engine itself could be fine, after all?

Rich

[MaestroTurbo]

Ok, time for an update on this!

The engine has long been removed from the car, and I have slowly started stripping it.

On removing the turbo and manifolds, I have made some discoverys.

The inlet to the turbo is oily, the outlet of the turbo, and the inlet manifold and ports into the engine are thick with black oily gunk that is very hard to remove. The manifold to the turbo is clean but sooty. The outlet to the frontpipe from the turbo is caked in oily deposits like the inlet manifold.


Rich

This is normal and prob from it's day of having the EGR connected.

The only way you'll find out if the bottom end is shot is to remove the pistons and check the rings and ring lands.