White Smoke At Start Up

[mdvt72]

Hi guys.

I know this question has been asked a lot but I'm on a tight budget and need some advice. I'm getting a lot of white smoke when starting the engine first thing in the morning. There is a also a strong smell of unburnt diesel. After 5 minutes everything's fine and I'm not noticing any change in performance. A few people have told me to use a decarbonizer but I've found these to be rarely of any use and are quite expensive for a good one. My limited knowledge tells me it is probably injectors but with a tight budget I can't really afford the trial and error approach. Any ideas on the most likely cause and the cheapest way of fixing it, would be most appreciated.

Thanks

[jeebowhite]

white smoke is more often than not condensation being burned off, the diesel smell can be the fact the water dissolves the carbon and as it burns off the carbon smell happens.

[alexp999]

Has it only started since the mornings got colder recently?

[AdeMk1]

Is it difficult to start when cold?

Could be glow plugs on the way out.

Are you sure its smoke and not steam? Steam dissipates, smoke doesn't.

[mdvt72]

Thanks for the response. To answer your thoughts. It is definitely smoke not steam and there is no difficulty starting the car.There is a slight miss when revving it after starting but all is ok after 2/3 minutes. It isn't due to the colder weather either as it started before the weather changed.

[jeebowhite]

glow plugs are a possibility I think

[barbast]

Blue smoke indicates oil leaking into the cylinders and burning. Black smoke indicates a lot of oil being burnt. White steam indicates coolant leak this steam dissipates very quickly and exhaust gas should smell a little sweet. White smoke is air in the fuel, this most often is seen in cold temperatures, living in Sweden for around 7 years made this a common and normal sighting.

If the smoke stops or reduces significantly during your engines ideal operating temperature means you don't have to worry.

Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC

[mdvt72]

Re jeebowhite's answer.

My glow plug light used to come on and I'd lose all revs. Engine didn't cut out though. Dangerous as it did it anywhere i.e. fast lane of motorway and you got no power to move. somehow had to stop in fast lane and restart. Was told to hold the car in third gear at 4500rpm for couple of miles to clean out the dtp valve or summat. Seems to have worked as it hasn't happened since. .Could that be having any effect now on the white smoke from the exhaust. Yes it does go back to normal once warmed up but surely it's the sign that summats not right. I want to get it sorted now before it leads to anything worse. What's your thoughts on using a decarbonizer? Could it be the injectors at fault? Is there a way of testing them without me taking it to a garage?

Thanks

[jeebowhite]

Dpf filter would be cleared by high revs, it's potentially related and the injectors can do a homemade leak off test videos are readily available on YouTube :-)

[mdvt72]

thanks jeebowhite. i'll checkout the videos on youtube and go from there. keep you updated and ask for more advice. thanks again

[stef123]

I must admit it does sound like it's over fuelling on cold startup.

[jeebowhite]

Good luck and where here to help.

[mdvt72]

Hi guys. Thanks for your comments. I've had someone look at the car and they say although they can't be sure without taking things apart it is more than likely the injectors. What are my options, without breaking the bank? Is there a way I can check them without doing too much work? Will putting a decarbonizer through do any good? What does it mean when they say the decoding is damaged? Also I've been told to just leave it and not to worry but I'm not really keen on leaving it as I don't want it leading to something worse. As my budget is tight any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[jeebowhite]

Cleaning treatment will just alleviate the symptoms not the problem. Your injectors need either professionally cleaning, rebuilding or replacing.

The coding is something you could do yourself with a modified elm cable and elm config but it's not advisable if your not comfortable with these things.

[SandyCat]

I agree with James but................. lol......................it's certainly worth using a cleaner like BG244 first just in case it's something that can be cured without expensive treatment. For example the old MK3 Mondeo TDCI was well known for its cold weather blues and there are countless people who reported smoke and shuddering etc and it was usually down to needing a clean out of the fuel system.

When I had it with my old TDCI I used BG244 and the symptoms stopped and never came back. The car would cough out smoke in the morning and shudder bordering on stalling. I used it once a year after that. You can get microscopic particles or glazing in the injectors which causes rough running and can be cleaned out with this stuff. Don't bother with cleaner you see in the shops as it's not strong enough.

However, it won't cure damaged or worn injectors as James says. Injectors no longer last the life of the car and should be seen as consumables. All I am suggesting is you give cleaning a try before resorting to more expensive remedies.

[jeebowhite]

Couldn't agree more with Rick there :-)