Plumms Of Black Smoke Advice Need Plz

[meltonlad]

peeps ive got a 2003 (53) plate 2.0L D4D and in the last few days ive noticed when im sitting at a set of lights or even just parking up i can see black smoke coming from the exhaust... when i put my foot down to rev it it clears but when im out at night and ive got a car behind me i can put me foot down and leave the poor sod behind me in lots of smoke !!!!!!!! have i got a problem ????

thanks in advance peeps

[PaulinhoT]

Is it black, not black/blue ?

If it's black then it's prob over fueling, but could also be worth checking the air filter and make sure the injectors are clean

But all dervs do it to a degree :D

[meltonlad]

thanks... its deffo black... how could i check if its over fueling ??? mind you saying that the MPG has dropped ! whats the best way to try and clean injectors some kind of in tank stuff ?? will check air filter !!

[Cyker]

Hmm... would be worth checking the EGR and Turbocharger as well. Might be worth putting in some better fuel (V-Power Diesel!) or some of the BG-something or other fuel treatment that was mentioned in another thread to clean the engine out a bit.

Do you mostly do town driving or do you give it a good motorway thrash now and then?

[CorollaD4D]

You need the following treatment:

1. forte diesel system cleaner in a tank of Shell or BP fuel (do 50 or so miles so it's well in the system and then leave to stand overnight)

2. the cover of darkness

3. m62 motorway junction 25 onwards west bound (or any stretch of motorway with long steep uphill section)

4. leave car in 4th gear

5. doing outside lane motorway speeds leave car in 4th so it is sitting on or revving between 3 and 4k.

take it for a good thrashing, don't just sit at that speed. allow the car to slow and then use full throttle giving maximal acceleration in 4th gear you will notice lots of smoke and soot coming out the back, this is normal. repeat this step as necessary and then the amount of soot coming out the back will be reduced greatly.

ideally you should take your diesel for a motorway run once in 2/3 weeks to help blow out and burn up the build up of soot you collected while pootling around town.

now doing the above should sort your problem out assuming your air filter and fuel filter are in good condition. and for the sake of God and all that is Holy please please do not use supermarket fuels. I'm not saying go fill up with Shell v-power diesel or anything but use good quality regular fuel from Shell or the local BP will see your car in a much healthier state.

my usual routine is forte diesel system cleaner with every service (at 7k intervals) and then redex diesel system cleaner usually once in 2 months depending on the mileage or if the car is smoking lots i just throw some in. the problem with diesel is that soot builds up quickly when we drive around town a lot because we change gear early and don't let the turbo or injectors build pressure to burn up and clear the soot. when you put your foot down this is why it comes out of the back.

and it goes without saying i have provided the above as a guide to what i put my car through at regular intervals to help keep the internals clear. i accept no responsibility whatsoever for any damage to your car or your person whilst carrying out the above procedure, i am simply describing the steps i take when my car is smoking a lot :)