Defender 90 Smoking

Hi all,

My defender 90 has suddenly got a smoking issue, when driving at night, plumes of smoke can been seen coming out of my exhaust. Its only visible during night when a car is following me due to their head lights illuminating it. The smoke is a light grey colour and I've traced it down to the breathing system (so I think) . I've taken off the pipe (as seen in video) this has stopped a large percentage of it coming out the exhaust. However it now comes out of the side of the bonnet, which then finds away of getting inside of the cab, very worrying for passangers when they see smoke! :bolt: :lol:

Below I have attached a link to Youtube of the video I took today showing the smoke. The smoke doesn't show up as well on film and the audio makes my revving sound like a Spitfire piston engine, not a 2.5TD...

Defender smoking - YouTube

Thanks for looking and any comment is helpful!

Adam Shellard

Well if any comment is useful, knackered rings, pistons or bores or gasket. Is it drinking oil?

Hi, No its not drinking oil, but it does have a mysterious oil leek, but i keep checking the dip sick and it said it hasn't lost any. The oil is all along the bottom of the turbo pipe, but the turbo still works fine?

Okay, good news, looked at the suggestions and turns out I need to replace the Sump gasket, big ends and gasket rings. This should hopefully fix the smoking issues as well as prevent anymore oil from escaping.
Thank you trax, you was very helpful
I'll get them replaced and let you lot know how It gets on

Yeah, I'm not convinced. Need someone who has more of a clue with engines to pipe up. :bump: :bump:

the breather pipe... is it really chucking out smoke out of that... or just a little bit? and how pressurised is the air thats coming out of it... you should be able to put your thumb over it and hold it back relatively easily. That will tell you if the crankcases are pressurising...

its natural for there to be some pressure in there.. but not "fook me" amounts

Hi, Yeah, when the engine is idle, there's nothing, but when you pull away from a junction and change up through the gears, then a resonalble amount of light grey smoke is seen behind me (As if someone was having a bomb fire in a field and the smoke has drifted across the road). This also occurs when going up hill.

So if I was to put my thumb over the end of the breathing pipe and theres no pressure trying to push my thumb of, that will mean theres a hole/crack somewhere where its escaping? Is that what you mean, if so i will give it ago.
I know a lot of people have been telling me its normal for a deisle engine that was made back in 1988 to be smokey, and i agree! but its never been this bad.

Thanks all for your input. I will stay in touch,

Adam.

A bomb fire :flame: :flame2: :flame: :flame2:

not quite, there should be some pressure. This is caused by the pistons moving up and down inside the crankcase, but if there is **** loads it could mean that there is a crack in a piston or worn rings etc etc... something that is letting the compression of the engine into the crankcase basically. If the smoke is definetely coming out of the breather thats not an awesome sign... could also be worn valve guides, or any number of things.

It might be worth getting it compression tested. (you cant do this with a normal tester as the diesels are considerably higher in compression than a petrol)

Whilst your under the bonnet grab the throttle linkage and rev it up whilst you observe what its doing etc.

and what work have you done on it recently? anything?

Try giving it a good service if the air filter is blocked it might be causing it to over fuel, causing it to smoke, does it do it all the way through the rev range or befor it comes on to boost or whilst it's on boost or all all the time?