Blue smoke after oil change.

I changed my oil and filter today on my 300 tdi 90. I used Tesco 15w/40 mineral oil (for older diesel engines) and as per the book filled it with 5.8 litres of oil (got 6 litres of very black oil out) and checked dip stick level... all ok. Had the air filter out, but it was spotless so put it back.

Took it out tonight and under hard acceleration I am getting noticable blue smoke. It has never smoked apart from a black puff when starting.

Is this normal after an oil change? I did ten miles and it was still blowing blue if pushed. It is running very well... any ideas please?

your turbo is pulling oil through the breather and then your engine is burning it.

bevhelee said:

your turbo is pulling oil through the breather and then your engine is burning it.

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Thank you... I see what you say but what does that mean? Have I put too much oil in?

MrJC said:

Thank you... I see what you say but what does that mean? Have I put too much oil in?

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Try draining a couple of litres out and seeing if it cures the smoke, you can always put it back in if not

if there is too much oil it can also cause damage to the turbo. just make sure right on the dipstick

Thank you everyone..... just checked the oil level and it is below maximum, between low and max so I am as sure as I can be it is not overfilled. As I said, it has never smoked before the oil change... I wonder if the clean oil is a shock to the engine as the stuff I drained out was really black. The blue smoke is noticable out of the n/s mirror when I put my foot down.
I did take the air filter out but put it back carefully as it was near perfect... just going through what I did. It has not been driven for 3 weeks while I had the body stripped replacing the body cappings.
Off to Nottingham (newark show) at the weekend from the Wigan area....am I going to risk any serious damage if I see if it settles down or should I take to garage to get looked at? I am not good at mechanical stuff so taking bits off I would rather leave it to a private landy mechanic.
I did half fill the oil filter before putting that on like it said in the book..... bit worrying

The oil marketed for "older engines" is thicker and does not have such strong detergents in it so I'd be surprised if it was the oil itself causing any problems by cleaning carbon and the like from the rings etc.
All turbo diesels will smoke a little when you give it loads of right foot until the turbo spins up. Ever followed one of them fancy Merc or BMW diesels and seen the ****e that comes out of them when booted?
So long as the smoke is not excessive and your not constantly topping up the oil I'd drive it for a while and see if it settles down. Keep an eye on the levels and stop looking in the mirror.

Shifty1962 said:

The oil marketed for "older engines" is thicker and does not have such strong detergents in it so I'd be surprised if it was the oil itself causing any problems by cleaning carbon and the like from the rings etc.
All turbo diesels will smoke a little when you give it loads of right foot until the turbo spins up. Ever followed one of them fancy Merc or BMW diesels and seen the ****e that comes out of them when booted?
So long as the smoke is not excessive and your not constantly topping up the oil I'd drive it for a while and see if it settles down. Keep an eye on the levels and stop looking in the mirror.

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Just taken it out for a gentle 15 mile drive and then when warm gave it a little blast.... NO BLUE SMOKE I am not complaining but what a little mystery that was?
I will now just tootle along at my normal speeds and not look in the mirrors. Will keep an eye on the oil level. Thanks again guys!

MrJC said:

Just taken it out for a gentle 15 mile drive and then when warm gave it a little blast.... NO BLUE SMOKE I am not complaining but what a little mystery that was?
I will now just tootle along at my normal speeds and not look in the mirrors. Will keep an eye on the oil level. Thanks again guys!

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could be that it always smoked a little when cold but you never looked before.
You may need a new thermostat if it takes more than a couple of miles to warm up. They are only a few quid and easy to fit.

landowner said:

could be that it always smoked a little when cold but you never looked before.
You may need a new thermostat if it takes more than a couple of miles to warm up. They are only a few quid and easy to fit.

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Will keep an eye on that... thank you