Smoke from Diesel engine?

Johnny Utah

I recently bought a 320d, and sometimes when I put my foot down (especially in second), there is a burst of black smoke from the exhaust for a couple of seconds. The car is 4 years old btw.


Is this normal for a diesel engine?




And, would it be a good idea to use any of the following STP additives:

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/categorydisplay_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_categoryId_58759_langId_-1_topCategoryId_33958_parentcategoryrn_58755_crumb_33958-31345-58755_topcategory_58755




Thanks

chris85

just bit dirty, give the engine some good high revs for a few mins, it should clean out any crap. Happens to engines sometimes and I found a good heavy foot on pedal should help. Just do it while parked

Keeps the engine in line and shows it whos boss this way

maidhc

EGR valve stuck/slow to work.

Either that or a turbo that is on its last legs.

JohnCleary

What year is it? 2004? You should be safe re. the turbo failure

1) Clean the EGR - very simple job
2) Change the Crankcase breather filter - Not hard, just involves removing the engine cover, pollen filter housing, air filter etc.
3) While you're at it, change the air filter


I'm not gonna explain how to do everything, there's tutorials on www.bmwland.co.uk

I had a 320d and I love it, best of luck with it. Make sure you use BMW LL01 spec oil - I can't tell you the science of it but according to the guys on the forum above it can help increase the life of the Turbo - i'll take their word for it tbh

BMW say that with this oil you only need to do an oil change every 12k miles. I change my oil/filter/crankcase breather filter every 8k miles - It may be OTT but it's just my choice

-Edit- Could also be your MAF on the way out - Is the car a bit sluggish/has a flat spot? You can get Pierburgs on eBay for 70euro. These cars are known for eating MAF's - no big deal, takes 2 mins to change. Don't go to BMW for a Bosch one - they'll want over 300euro

E92

If the engine sounds fine, drives like normal and there is no increase in fuel consumption, then it needs a good thrashing few a good few hundred miles. There is a build up of carbon from it being treated too nicely and not getting enough driving out of town. Thrashing it around the place will force the engine to work hard and get rid of the excess carbon.

If it doesn't then follow what the other lads said.

Johnny Utah

Thanks for the replies.

Firstly, I'm pretty sure it's not the turbo. BMW rectified that problem in November 2003, and my car was built in March 2004- I researched the turbo issue before I bought the car.


Secondly, there idoesn't seem to be any drop in performance or mpg. At present I get around 35mpg. The car is only driven around Dublin at the moment, but I plan on taking it on a long trip down the country in a couple of weeks. The previous owned also lived and drove the car around Dublin.


I got the car serviced by Frank Keane just after I bought it, and they carried out an Inspection 1, so all filters should be changed. (According to the Service Booklet, there's no Inspection 2 for the diesel engine). The service manager said that there were no issues found with the car, except wear on brake pads/discs. I can only assume that they gave it a thorough inspection.


Would adding either of these treatments have any benefit?

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_182621_langId_-1_CarSelectorCatalogId__CarSelectorGroupId__varient__categoryId_58759_crumb_33958-31345-58755_parentcategoryrn_58759




http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_274613_langId_-1_CarSelectorCatalogId__CarSelectorGroupId__varient__categoryId_58759_crumb_33958-31345-58755_parentcategoryrn_58759

JHMEG

That's not smoke, it's soot that has built up in the exhaust.

15 mins of hard accelerating will clear it out.

maidhc

Johnny Utah wrote: »

Thanks for the replies.

Firstly, I'm pretty sure it's not the turbo. BMW rectified that problem in November 2003, and my car was built in March 2004- I researched the turbo issue before I bought the car.

Turbos can be fragile enough anyway, especially if the previous owner was a bit careless about letting the engine idle before shutdown.

Normally black smoke/excessive soot from a diesel means too little air is getting in.

I'd put my money on the EGR being gunked to be honest.

JohnCleary

There very much IS an Inspection 2 for diesels

Also the crankcase breather filter only became part of an Inspection 2 in the last couple of years - I could almost guarantee your crankcase breather filter wasn't changed - get the receipt and prove me wrong

Johnny Utah

JohnCleary wrote: »

There very much IS an Inspection 2 for diesels

Also the crankcase breather filter only became part of an Inspection 2 in the last couple of years - I could almost guarantee your crankcase breather filter wasn't changed - get the receipt and prove me wrong

I just re-checked the back of the Service Booklet, and it appears you are right on the inspection 2 for diesels. If you look at the Service Booklet, the details of the services BMW provide are described in a "summary format". I remember when I was booking it in, I had a quick look at the Inspection 2 details in the Service book and it didn't have any items listed for the 3 series diesel engines, so I assumed there was no Inspection 2 for the diesels. I know I should have checked the service manual more thoroughly, but unfortunately I was quite busy at the time, and I probably only glanced at the service book when I made the appointment over the phone.

However, now I notice that on the top of the page (page 23) it says "more detailed descriptions of necessary work can be examined in Service Advisory department"- so obviously there is an inspection 2 for the 3 series diesels, but they don't actually fully list the work in the Service Book. Had I known this, I would have opted for an inspection 2.:(


It appears that they did not change the crankcase breather filter. They only have the microfilter (air conditioning) listed on receipt.



But just to clarify, the smoke isn't continuous. It only happens every once in a while if I put my foot down in lower gears. So, I take it the EGR is most likely the problem?



Also, in relation to allowing the engine to idle after a journey, is there any set rule about how long you should let it idle depending on the length of the journey?
Usually, I let it idle longer if I drive longer, but most of my driving at the moment consists of short trips around town- is there a minimum amount of time I should let the engine tick over?

E92

A few mins after a long drive. About 30 seconds after a short one.

I would have though that would be enough anyway, but don't take my word for it just because my user name is a BMW chassis code:D!

That goes for all turbodiesels, not just the 320d.

Consult the owners' manual, and then inform the rest of us what it actually is;)!

Oilrig

Chill, if you drive it in traffic most then carbon buildup will occur. A good cross country run will sort you out.

Crankcase breathers etc will not cause soot.

Newer versions have particulate filters.

Johnny Utah

Had a look over on bmwland, and the first thread I came across was this:

http://www.bmwland.co.uk/talker/viewtopic.php?t=53451

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

I was aware of the problem with the turbos up to '03, but I never knew that there was a serious problem with the swirl flaps. According to the above website, a number of 320d owners had to replace their engine, where the inlet manifold flaps had broken off and destroyed the valves in the engine.

Judging from the number of occurences of this problem on bmwland, it would appear to be widespread. However, BMW UK have denied any design fault and didn't bother to recall any 3 series diesels; which is astonishing because obviously they knew thr true scale of the problem.

So, it looks like I'll now have to replace the intake manifold.:mad:
@ John Cleary: have you replaced the intake manifold on your 320d?

JHMEG

It's soot. Just give it a good hard drive with lots of WOT.

Cocoon

Use some diptane, that will clean up emissions for you.