A lot of Smoke - In the Dark

GTE

Hello,

I have read a few times that diesels will always have a small amount of smoke out the exhaust which is only visible at night when headlights are shining into it and sure enough, my car (90hp VW VE TDI) has consistently shown some smoke under full loud pedal acceleration in 1st and sometimes in 2nd gear.

Today though, doing a hill start I decided to go high up the revs in 1st and then into second, and for the fun of it, do it with 3/4 to full accelerator. When I looked back I left a considerable plume behind me which took a long time to clear to my embarrassment.

The engine is running perfectly aside from a semi-hard starting with smoke when cold starting and the engine was hot when I came across this hill this evening. There is nothing to notice during the day and it seems to be only in dark conditions with headlights that anything can be seen.

Anything I should worry about or does the 194,000 mile engine just need some TLC by someone who knows what they are up to? I have never noticed anything in 3rd gear or up.

Hardly something to do with going up the revs so quickly with such short gearing causing a wee imbalance somewhere?

Thanks!

Mycroft H

Doesn't sound too far from normal. They were notorious for dropping a cloud of smoke under hard acceleration. What colour is the smoke?

Dartz

Might've been the DPF doing a re-gen. Flooring it hard and sustained gives it enough exhaust heat to burn out the particles in the filter in a puff of black smoke.

They all do that, sir.

Mycroft H

Dartz wrote: »

Might've been the DPF doing a re-gen. Flooring it hard and sustained gives it enough exhaust heat to burn out the particles in the filter in a puff of black smoke.

They all do that, sir.

I could be wrong, but I'm sure that the 90hp PD 1.9tdi didn't have a DPF.

GTE

BX 19 wrote: »

I could be wrong, but I'm sure that the 90hp PD 1.9tdi didn't have a DPF.

Aye, too old for that kinda messing! So old that it is a VE TDI, not even a PD. *old school*

I just started a new thread as a reply to this one so will check the other replies shortly. :rolleyes:

GTE

BX 19 wrote: »

Doesn't sound too far from normal. They were notorious for dropping a cloud of smoke under hard acceleration. What colour is the smoke?

No way for me to say really, too dark and too little time to think about it. It was a pretty big cloud but I never see it during the day. Stealth smoke.

dmc17

bbk wrote: »

No way for me to say really, too dark and too little time to think about it. It was a pretty big cloud but I never see it during the day. Stealth smoke.

Could some of it have been condensation? It might be more noticeable under lights than during the day

dar83

bbk wrote: »

Stealth smoke.

Cancer smoke!

visual

Engine worn out the myth diesel engines last for ever just isnt true.

How much engine oil are you using ?

ldxo15wus6fpgm

Black smoke can mean unburnt diesel. Your fuel pump is giving the engine more fuel than it can consume with the amount of air it is receiving from the turbo. Turn up your boost a little if your turbo can be adjusted easily and isn't at a high pressure already! Or else get someone who knows what they're doing to have a tinker. Could just be the turbo taking a fraction of a second to spool up though.

For what it's worth a bit of black smoke isn't unusual on diesels especially if the driver is booting it.

GTE

visual wrote: »

Engine worn out the myth diesel engines last for ever just isnt true.

How much engine oil are you using ?

Less than half a litre per 10,000 miles.

GTE

Maxim Fluffy Funnel wrote: »

Could just be the turbo taking a fraction of a second to spool up though.

That is what I was thinking, the cars first gear shoots up the revs very quickly.

GTE

Not a hint of smoke during the day either. I gave the car a good run up some hills in 1st and second and all was well.

Visual, I think we can keep that myth going for a few more hundred thousand miles. My engine is a baby compared to the mileage other AGR units get.

visual

If you not burning oil your good to go

Has to be unburned fuel

The Real B-man

Start using abit of Dipetane My Millage has improved & virtually no Smoke when booting it in low Gear

visual

There was another thread on fuel additives and someone recommend motorcycle two stroke oil

Its not something ive tried but is something I'm considering.

GTE

I have used Dipetane before and just finished a Redex treatment. Dipetane did give extra MPG and the Redex has had a noticeable effect on the "omph" of the engine, even after it has flushed itself out of the fuel tank.

That said, the things I have noticed in the dark has been around for a few years, way before any treatment. Just to note, there is no smoke during the day so I would say there is no smoke at all, at least in the sense of significance.