D5 (D5244T to 2005) - Help! Occational white smoke and heavy accel smoking

TylerWatts · Jul 6th, 2011, 13:18

Hello Gents

Recently my Mrs' 02 D5 has started puffing a large cloud of white smoke when cold leaving home in the morning and any heavy acceleration from low engine speed is giving out significant black smoke (overfuelling).
It had brand new injectors less than 2 years ago, along with a new intercooler around the same time, has had the EGR blanked for a year now, along with a new MAF a couple months ago, and has been generally quite healthy. Recently though she's said it has had less 'get up' and been a bit sluggish. Surprising as the thing has always had excellent response and pick-up, ignoring the auto box's sluggish response...

I've had a look through the forum and not really had any direction to what might cause white smoke, common answer is unburnt fuel, but I don't understand this. Unburnt fuel should be black, as the car is producing also. White I thought to be water. However, if black is overfuelling (burning in exhaust, not cylinder and too rich) and white is not burnign at all, then this would make sense for it happening when cold and from standstill with accelerating.

Do the glow plugs stay on (hot) for a significant period, or do they switch off once the engine has started? I've assumed their operation to be very short during cold start only, but I might be wrong. Could they cause this problem? Over-fuelling is strange also as the MAF is new and resolved an earlier smokey condition and lack of power.

Please let me know what you think, I'vehad similar experience with interpendent and dealer garages being of little use outside their financial gain so thoguth it best to ask those who actually know and care! I'll fix the problem myself before askign Volvo to take a look, which is disappointing really, but what else can we do?!

Thanks
Tyler

TylerWatts · Jul 6th, 2011, 13:34

Also worth noting, the missus got caught speeding (37mph over a bridge in town...) recently and took the driver awareness course and has been very vigilant about her driving recently, not working the car nearly as hard as before (she could qualify for a rally driver, honestly!) and I read up about the DPF cleaning procedure in the ECU (not sure if applicable to her car) and wondered if the relaxed drivign has been requiring more frequent cleaning? She commutes 25miles each way to work, on dual carriage way, 50% time over 80mph and 50% in traffic averaging 20mph.

If any mroe info could help shout and I'll post what I can. Thanks!

S60D5-185 · Jul 6th, 2011, 15:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by TylerWatts

Also worth noting, the missus got caught speeding (37mph over a bridge in town...) recently and took the driver awareness course and has been very vigilant about her driving recently, not working the car nearly as hard as before (she could qualify for a rally driver, honestly!) and I read up about the DPF cleaning procedure in the ECU (not sure if applicable to her car) and wondered if the relaxed drivign has been requiring more frequent cleaning? She commutes 25miles each way to work, on dual carriage way, 50% time over 80mph and 50% in traffic averaging 20mph.

If any mroe info could help shout and I'll post what I can. Thanks!

1. Your car will not have a DPF at that age.

2. If she is doing 50% of her journey at over 80 mph it will not be long before she racks up more points and also a nasty increase in insurance premiums.

TylerWatts · Jul 6th, 2011, 15:08

Thanks Darryl, but speeding wasn't really the thread topic, more information for how the vehicle is used. In the 4 years she's had the car and driven it like that (and faster) she's never had a speeding ticket, it was unfortunately crossing a bridge where she accelerated up and the car contnued to accelerate down the other side of said bridge that she got the speeding ticket, but no points...

Has anybody any experience or advise regardign the smoking issue with my D5 please? Thanks

S60D5-185 · Jul 6th, 2011, 16:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by TylerWatts

Thanks Darryl, but speeding wasn't really the thread topic, more information for how the vehicle is used. In the 4 years she's had the car and driven it like that (and faster) she's never had a speeding ticket, it was unfortunately crossing a bridge where she accelerated up and the car contnued to accelerate down the other side of said bridge that she got the speeding ticket, but no points...

Has anybody any experience or advise regardign the smoking issue with my D5 please? Thanks

White smoke from start up on a diesel is usually unburnt fuel which is often down to a defective glow plug/s on that particular cylinder/s. If you stand at the back of the car and smell the smoke it will give you a good clue.
If it is acrid and smells of diesel then it is pointing to unburnt fuel at start up.
If the white smoke smells sweet that indicates coolant being burnt and points towards a head gasket.
The glow plugs only operate at start up and are dependent on engine temperature as to how long for. At this time of year it would be minimal.
Your engine will be the 163bhp and will definitely not have a DPF so driving pattern/style/journey is nowhere near as critical as on mine with a 185bhp engine and DPF.
Hope this helps.

TylerWatts · Jul 7th, 2011, 08:06

That helps alot, thanks Darryl. Yes, 163bhp model. I will try catch a whiff of the exhaust this weekend (I'm at work an hour before she even leaves the house) and see what I find.

Does anybody have a method for diagnosing dud glow plugs please? I would have thought the ECU would know and put a horrible message on the dash, but not had any.

Thanks

Red Snapper · Jul 7th, 2011, 16:45

I had this for the first time the other week when visiting my folks. The car had been running for 5-10 mins before I left.

I shot off quicker than normal and noticed a large amount of white smoke in the rear view mirror.

I haven't had it since, but was wondering why it would have done this. No mesages about glow plugs either?

TylerWatts · Jul 8th, 2011, 07:43

Can anybody else support Darryl's suggested problem please, or offer an alternative?

Any ideras how we test out glow plugs? I'd prefer not to ask Mr Volvo to take 80 of my hard earned to plug a machine into the ECU that tells him the ECU doesn't know whether the glow plug is failing or not...

Thanks!

S60-MBS · Jul 9th, 2011, 23:07

Dont forget it could also be a split intercooler or split intercooler pipework ,these also cause smoke on accelaration.look under front bumper for oil/wet patches and bulges in intercooler.

TylerWatts · Jul 11th, 2011, 08:23

I'd be very disappointed if it is intercooler related as the intercooler was replaced a couple years ago at great expense from Volvo! I'll look at the pipes, but I'd associate a split pipe with wooshing or hissing noises and none such exist, and the Mrs is very particular and observant of changes in her car's behaviour!

Thank you for the suggestions gentlemen! I'll try get back some feedback.

Jul 6th, 2011, 13:18	#1
TylerWatts Junior Member Last Online: Apr 29th, 2016 08:26 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Derby	Help! Occational white smoke and heavy accel smoking Hello Gents Recently my Mrs' 02 D5 has started puffing a large cloud of white smoke when cold leaving home in the morning and any heavy acceleration from low engine speed is giving out significant black smoke (overfuelling). It had brand new injectors less than 2 years ago, along with a new intercooler around the same time, has had the EGR blanked for a year now, along with a new MAF a couple months ago, and has been generally quite healthy. Recently though she's said it has had less 'get up' and been a bit sluggish. Surprising as the thing has always had excellent response and pick-up, ignoring the auto box's sluggish response... I've had a look through the forum and not really had any direction to what might cause white smoke, common answer is unburnt fuel, but I don't understand this. Unburnt fuel should be black, as the car is producing also. White I thought to be water. However, if black is overfuelling (burning in exhaust, not cylinder and too rich) and white is not burnign at all, then this would make sense for it happening when cold and from standstill with accelerating. Do the glow plugs stay on (hot) for a significant period, or do they switch off once the engine has started? I've assumed their operation to be very short during cold start only, but I might be wrong. Could they cause this problem? Over-fuelling is strange also as the MAF is new and resolved an earlier smokey condition and lack of power. Please let me know what you think, I'vehad similar experience with interpendent and dealer garages being of little use outside their financial gain so thoguth it best to ask those who actually know and care! I'll fix the problem myself before askign Volvo to take a look, which is disappointing really, but what else can we do?! Thanks Tyler

Jul 7th, 2011, 16:45	#7
Red Snapper New Member Last Online: Jul 27th, 2020 13:53 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Scarborough	I had this for the first time the other week when visiting my folks. The car had been running for 5-10 mins before I left. I shot off quicker than normal and noticed a large amount of white smoke in the rear view mirror. I haven't had it since, but was wondering why it would have done this. No mesages about glow plugs either? __________________ 'You'll Never Walk Alone'

Jul 9th, 2011, 23:07	#9
S60-MBS VOC Member Last Online: Jun 7th, 2020 11:28 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: ???????????????? View Photos By: S60-MBS	Dont forget it could also be a split intercooler or split intercooler pipework ,these also cause smoke on accelaration.look under front bumper for oil/wet patches and bulges in intercooler. __________________

Jul 6th, 2011, 13:34	#2
TylerWatts Junior Member Last Online: Apr 29th, 2016 08:26 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Derby	Also worth noting, the missus got caught speeding (37mph over a bridge in town...) recently and took the driver awareness course and has been very vigilant about her driving recently, not working the car nearly as hard as before (she could qualify for a rally driver, honestly!) and I read up about the DPF cleaning procedure in the ECU (not sure if applicable to her car) and wondered if the relaxed drivign has been requiring more frequent cleaning? She commutes 25miles each way to work, on dual carriage way, 50% time over 80mph and 50% in traffic averaging 20mph. If any mroe info could help shout and I'll post what I can. Thanks!

Jul 6th, 2011, 15:08	#4
TylerWatts Junior Member Last Online: Apr 29th, 2016 08:26 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Derby	Thanks Darryl, but speeding wasn't really the thread topic, more information for how the vehicle is used. In the 4 years she's had the car and driven it like that (and faster) she's never had a speeding ticket, it was unfortunately crossing a bridge where she accelerated up and the car contnued to accelerate down the other side of said bridge that she got the speeding ticket, but no points... Has anybody any experience or advise regardign the smoking issue with my D5 please? Thanks

Jul 7th, 2011, 08:06	#6
TylerWatts Junior Member Last Online: Apr 29th, 2016 08:26 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Derby	That helps alot, thanks Darryl. Yes, 163bhp model. I will try catch a whiff of the exhaust this weekend (I'm at work an hour before she even leaves the house) and see what I find. Does anybody have a method for diagnosing dud glow plugs please? I would have thought the ECU would know and put a horrible message on the dash, but not had any. Thanks

Jul 8th, 2011, 07:43	#8
TylerWatts Junior Member Last Online: Apr 29th, 2016 08:26 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Derby	Can anybody else support Darryl's suggested problem please, or offer an alternative? Any ideras how we test out glow plugs? I'd prefer not to ask Mr Volvo to take 80 of my hard earned to plug a machine into the ECU that tells him the ECU doesn't know whether the glow plug is failing or not... Thanks!

Jul 11th, 2011, 08:23	#10
TylerWatts Junior Member Last Online: Apr 29th, 2016 08:26 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Derby	I'd be very disappointed if it is intercooler related as the intercooler was replaced a couple years ago at great expense from Volvo! I'll look at the pipes, but I'd associate a split pipe with wooshing or hissing noises and none such exist, and the Mrs is very particular and observant of changes in her car's behaviour! Thank you for the suggestions gentlemen! I'll try get back some feedback.

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