505 diesel smoke advice

SamT

SamT

Member
Fellow Frogger
Joined
Dec 30, 2012
Messages
97
Location
Kyneton, Victoria
I'm having trouble fixing or reducing a smoke problem with my 505. Car blows bellows lots of white smoke for about 5 seconds on start-up from cold. It runs really rough before it's just like someone flicks a switch and all the smoke stops and it runs clean and smooth.

I checked timing and tried a few different places with no difference. I also suspected it may have had an air leak in the fuel lines or filter. However, after checking all this I connected fuel straight to the pump from a jerry can and it was the same.

I have had the pump and injectors rebuilt only a few years ago.

Any ideas of what I should try?

Thanks in advance.

Sam
 
White smoke at startup is unburnt fuel. With old-fashioned diesels it usually comes down to an injector's spray or the cold metal is preventing complete combustion. For many pre-common-rail computerised engines it was normal, particularly in winter.

PS Are the glow plugs working?
 
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White smoke from the exhaust of a diesel usually indicates expensive injector/fuel pump problems. We would never trade a used truck that exhibited this behaviour.
 
seasink said:
White smoke at startup is unburnt fuel. With old-fashioned diesels it usually comes down to an injector's spray or the cold metal is preventing complete combustion. For many pre-common-rail computerised engines it was normal, particularly in winter.

PS Are the glow plugs working?
Click to expand...

Good question about glow plugs, but if it's unburnt fuel at startup, couldn't it also be caused by a leaky injector? I wouldn't think the fact that the injectors were rebuilt a few years ago would be enough to rule this out.

In fact I had a diesel specialist in Queanbeyan fail to fit washers after servicing (replacing?) the injectors on my 504 in about 1988 - wasn't long before there was plenty of smoke at startup...

Another thought - white smoke could be steam. Is it using any coolant?

Cheers

Alec
 
Thanks everyone

I will double-check the injectors. I did test them for leaking but only after it was running ok. The glow plugs are new and seem to be working as they should. I'll try preheating it a few times before starting tomorrow and see if that makes any difference.
 
Kim Luck said:
White smoke from the exhaust of a diesel usually indicates expensive injector/fuel pump problems. We would never trade a used truck that exhibited this behaviour.
Click to expand...

I hope not... already spent a small fortune on getting it rebuilt about 30,000km's ago.
 
I'm curious as to how you checked the timing as it is a complex process involving dial indicator gauges etc.

Has the timing chain and tensioner ever been replaced? A worn chain will affect the pump timing.
 
It clears up quickly as the engine warms, which is common with indirect Comet-type small engines. The old pre-HDI Pug is one of these isn't it? I think a timing error or leak or gross water problem would not be so quick to go away.
 
Yes correct, it runs well after a few seconds of smoke. I put a new timing chain and tensioner on. I had pulled this engine apart before fitting it at the start of the year.


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I checked, it is a Ricardo pre-combustion chamber (indirect) engine. Direct into cylinder injection misbehaviour such as in HDI and heavy lorry engines doesn't necessarily apply. I did see a reference to chamber no. 3 sometimes cracking.

These engines need the glow plugs to heat up the chambers which are next to their cylinder with a communicating gas passage. There is no computer to modify the pump stroke or number of squirts, you just get the quantity of fuel appropriate to the pedal position. I ran small diesels years ago which had this behaviour in winter from new. If it doesn't disappear soon enough you have a fault. I can't tell you how long that should be,

A reason for the use of the chambers is to avoid the mass of cold metal in the cylinder and piston which prevents efficient running with these simple injection systems in small engines.
 
I have the same smoke out of my 505GTD turbo after first starting up and slight roughness for a short time. When warm it ceases the smoke and when stopped and restarted it doesn't produce any smoke.

Sent from my SM-T550 using aussiefrogs mobile app
 
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