smoke

My td4 has started to smoke.When accelerating away there seems to be a whisp of black smoke.Not clouds but only seems to be when pulling away.It seems to as the turbo kicks in or as the engine gets a bit of strain.I didnt know if the turbo was at fault or fuel pump.The car is high mileage and also thought could it be general wear and tear.There is good history for the car so not neglected.As you get going there doesnt seem to be any smoke.Please help.I know this could be expensive but what the hay.Could there be blocked breathers or something as simple(Probably not but heres hoping).

I'm sure others will add to this thread but I'd start with checking all of your intercooler hoses for splits, especially the one on the left (as you look at the engine) as it tends to rub on one of the brackets as I found out last week!

Cheers for that.Could this also cause a small oil leak?There is a small amount of oil from that region aswell.I shall check the hose first thing in the morning.
Thank you again.
Richard

oddjobrich said:

Cheers for that.Could this also cause a small oil leak?There is a small amount of oil from that region aswell.I shall check the hose first thing in the morning.
Thank you again.
Richard

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Yes there is always oil in the turbo hoses - not a fault - it's normal.

Another favourite fail point is the hidden side of the 90 degree bend one at the other end of the air intake ducting - next to the EGR

The other cause of a puff of black smoke on first starting - or on hard acceleration such as overtaking - is cheapy supermarket diesel - it's just not worth it - more mpg from the top notch stuff.

Morrisons is the worst, by far. No additives and the absolute minimum legal specification.

Another thank you.I will check all the hoses tomorrow and fingers crossed it isnt going to be a huge problem.Hands up morrisons is where we fill up.It is closest and easiest.Not no more.And ill be trying the 2 stroke adding aswell.
Thank you again
Richard

As it's high mileage - do a search on here for pcv - often neglected - even by dealer servicing - there is a BMW upgrade for about £23 which could save a fortune if yours is blocked - possible damage to the turbo seals.

Try taking out the dip-stick with the engine ticking over after a short run - there should be no pressure and no oil coming up the tube.

I am intending doing a complete service on the car and the pcv was on my list.I shall also give the car a short run and see if there is any back pressure.Is that a sign of the pcv being clogged or a more serious issue?
Cheers Richard

Ive found the replacement pcv part for sale just a little unsure.Does this upgrade now fit without there being any need for the old sponge filter?
Cheers Richard

Changed my pcv this morning for the bmw upgrade, you don't need the old sponge filter took me about half hour and my old sponge filter was soaked with oil

oddjobrich said:

I am intending doing a complete service on the car and the pcv was on my list.I shall also give the car a short run and see if there is any back pressure.Is that a sign of the pcv being clogged or a more serious issue?
Cheers Richard

Click to expand...

Yes - pressure in the crankcase is a sign of a blocked or partially blocked pcv.

BMW correctly call it an 'Oil Separator' and the updated part has no sponge or cloth part to clog up. Its a cyclone vortex type of gadget - a bit like a mini Dyson - so there is nothing at all to clog up.

Very clever stuff - pity LandRover don't know about it - BMW didn't tell them after they sold LR.

they already used cyclones on earlier engines

Thank you again.I have found one but when i checked it said no sponge so was unsure.It is on £35 so hopefully if it solves the problem it isnt going to be too expensive.Fingers Crossed.I shall now order one and have it fitted as soon as.Thank you all for your help it is very much appreciated.There are now a number of issues i have that i can look into and hopefully get resolved in the next couple of days.
Cheers all Richard

£35 is a bit steep - the genuine part from any BMW parts dept is £23

Managed to get the cyclone upgrade for £24 from bmw which is now fitted.Will the puffs of smoke be an instant clearance or will it take a little while to clear it up?.

I would have thought the black smoke was due to injector problems (unburned fuel) if it were oil related then the smoke would probably have been blue.