Series 2 White smoke, sounds like machine gun

In an effort to reduce the huge amounts of white smoke and clattering my 2.0 diesel makes (good luck with that one I hear you say) I had all the injectors out today, cleaned them and set the pressures. I think it has reduced the smoke a bit - it starts easily and has the usual enormous reserves of power but the noise is still there and doesn't sound like the usual diesel clatter. Anyone any ideas? Thanks in advance.

SpringDon said:

• Sounds like pump timing is too advanced (or possibly retarded, I forget). I'd probably check that before even taking the injectors out.

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Thanks SpringDon - seems retarded timing causes white smoke and 'chuffing' and the smoke smells like unburnt fuel, so might well be the case.
Will have a go next time the sun comes out and report.

You did remove the old sealing washers for the injectors and replace with new didn't you ? Correct way up of course.
Does sound retarded though, remember to slacken the injector pipes when advancing the pump. What pressure did you set injectors at ? Should be 130 to 135 bar.

Thanks both, only about a mm or so of advancing available, now the bolts are up tight against the three slotted holes in the pump casting.
However, a great improvement, I think I can safely say the remaining smoke is about normal for a 60 year old diesel.

Injectors set to 130 bar or so, had to put old copper washers back as I didn't have new. One nuisance though - when I looked at the manual after putting everything back together again, it shows copper washer under the injector but then a further steel washer under that. Either they weren't any or they stayed behind in the head when I removed the injectors. I'll check next time I take them out.

Be sure to pull the injectors and remove the steel washers, I tend to use a pencil to grab them with. On some old engines you may even find more than one !
Refit new ones with the domed part uppermost, they can be the course of sounds like a big end has gone and plenty smoke if injectors are not seated correctly. Buy a couple of sets as they need changing every time an injector is removed.

If it's not the washers and you've run out of adjustment on the pump, you may want to check that the chain has not stretched or tensioner has gone.

Good call Spring Don. You will get no where if the timing chain is knackered, not to bad a job to do.