White smoke from diesel exhaust

[twosmoke300]

I find this hard to understand - your saying that a BMW ( a german car ) has failed or gone faulty in some way ?

I assumed with all the hype / increased price that they never went wrong in anyway . They also do 100mpg at 100mph!

[garbaldy]

 

I assumed with all the hype / increased price that they never went wrong in anyway . They also do 100mpg at 100mph!

Nope but they will do 48mpg at 100 on cruise.

[twosmoke300]

Is that before they ingest the swirl flaps / shit a turbo / bugger a camchain or injectors ?

Soon eats into the fuel "savings" 

[garbaldy]

Is that before they ingest the swirl flaps / shit a turbo / bugger a camchain or injectors ?

Soon eats into the fuel "savings"

I can't comment on the above as I racked up 90k without a single issue,

[Bren]

A bad one can be worse than any derv vw/audi, ford or vauxhall. But people just don't look after them because they never go wrong apparently.

[Station]

Can anyone tell me where the leak off pipe return pipe leads to. Started it up and diesel pissing everywhere.

I removed the inlet to clear out the clumps of black shite in the inlet and EGR and I've broken it off at the plastic nub thing!

 

Also lost some rubber inlet seals and metal guides down the back of the diesel pump chasm. You cant get them back. Gone forever.

[cort16]

have a look on http://www.realoem.com the diagrams are useful for finding stuff

[Station]

Nice one, so useful!

 

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=AT72-EUR-04-2003-E46-BMW-320td&diagId=13_0960

[Station]

Okey, so I fixed the return pipe.

But deciding the continuation of white smoke may not be burn off but actually more seal leakage I took the down pipe off to see oil pissing out still.

 

I don't think the turbo is at fault and thinking its maybe oil pressure or something else?

I've done the EGR (inlet was FULL of crud) and removed the swirl flaps while I was there, but not done the breather filter.

[twosmoke300]

Is it a chinky turbo ? Some of the Saab boys run them but have to have a restrictor in the oil feed pipe because the seals won't take full flow / pressure

[Station]

The sump breather filter is rock hard!!

[Station]

Is it a chinky turbo ? Some of the Saab boys run them but have to have a restrictor in the oil feed pipe because the seals won't take full flow / pressure

Yes was reading about restrictors, hopefully the filter will sort this, maybe ...

[spike60]

My high miles 530d was smoking like buggery on boost and leaking oil from the top of the dipstick tube, changing the breather filter stopped the oil climbing up the dipstick tube but didn't make a toss of difference to the smoke. Doesn't use oil at all.

[Dave_Q]

Yeah that breather looks pretty bad.

 

If it starts and runs OK I'd be inclined to think/hope it's not the injectors.

 

If it was me and the breather + long run to burn off the oil didn't fix it, I'd try and get the injectors out and fire them into jam jars or something to see if one or more is pissing out.

 

WARNING - if you die of diesel related diseases from trying that it's not my fault.

[michael1703]

Has whatever killed the old turbo now killed the new turbo?

 

I've just done a Octavian for a customer.

 

I took the sump off, cleaned it,new oil supply and return pipe and I'm sure new turbo is now dead

 

Think he paid £78 for a cartridge off eBay too which doesn't help

[Station]

No I don't think so, I think I might be right and there was nothing wrong with the original turbo and the whole thing was just pressurised and pushing oil past the seal.

The seal in a turbo is stainless steel not rubber.

[Dave_Q]

Swap the turbos back over, quick blast with brake cleaner, cheeky refund?

 

Someone else said but if there is minimal play in the old turbo its probably fine, should at least get you a few quid back on eBay.

[Station]

I've been bum raped! :'(

 

 

This isn't the first thing I've bought from BMW btw.

After leaving the dealership clutching my sore anus and hurried home, put the new turbo on and then put this new improved vortex separator on, I think it worked, as the symptoms had gone - but a blast up the road once the engine and exhaust system was red hot produced so much smoke I thought the car was on fire. Switching off I got out of the car shaking. Let it run for a bit more and took it again up the back road and frigging hell, I've NEVER seen so much smoke.

Parked the car as I was a bit worried. Went in other car to go to McDonald's and in the way back a thin mist hung over my garage area.

 

Going to take the down pipe off again to see if there is any oil coming out again, if not I'll take the whole exhaust system and air pipes off and properly drain them out.

 

Hopefully this is a fix as I'm losing enthusiasm.

[Danblez]

11/10 for perseverance. Fingers crossed!

[Station]

Reluctantly went back today, wipped off the daft aluminium under tray and unbolted the down pipe from turbo. It was bone dry and not filled with oil.

 

 

Took the whole exhaust system off (5 minute job!) and jet washed it through, no oil in it just tonnes of soot. Last nights exercise must've just slowly cooked the oil in the exhaust.

 

How long are exhausts? They're taller than a house!

 

 

Flushed the intercooler and put everything back together and apart from a load of black soot all over the floor and air it looks like the crankcase filter was the culprit. Not sure if the original turbo was knackered though.

 

 

[Dave_Q]

Good news. The exhausts can really hide the oil in baffles etc though so don't worry if you get a bit more smoke when you drive it, just keep going till it stops.

[dean36014]

The blocked crankcase breather causing smoking was a common problem on the rover 75 fitted with the bmw engine. Apparently Rover forgot to add the filter on the service list, think they are meant to be changed every 60k.

[Station]

Yes, same with BMW. I found out the Land Rover filter is half the price of the BMW one. Oh well.

I know it's a boring BMW but I got it running and it's a nice little car! For all that is said of 'moderns' this is probably the easiest car I've worked on. Turbo out and back in in half an hour (after three goes)!

Been driving it for a day and it's performed faultlessly.