EXCESS SMOKE FROM EXHAUST - J-REG 190 Diesel

[pauliepie]

Have j reg 190 diesel car with 130k miles. Over the last few days there appears to be a lot of white smoke emmissions coming from the exhaust. Performance is o.k and all that.Has anybody experienced this problem with their merc.What do you think the problem could be - please help as i am a female and know nothing about cars and is worrying me to death that my babe might be dying. Thanks Esther

[David Halsey]

Is the smoke all the time, only when cold, only when you accellerate?
is there oil in the water?
is the oil contaminated with water (grey sludge)?
These you need to check to see what the problem is

[andyk]

some times the smoke can be unburnt fuel caused by a lack of air when was your air fillter last changed
andy

[pauliepie]

Thanks for the replies lads.
Firstly, the smoke appears to a white/bluey colour.The time when it appears is confusing as sometimes it appears when its cold other times it appears when its hot. But on Friday it happened cold and when warm but the funny thing is on sunday we took it out for a spin and very little smoke came out only when you changed down gears. Mobile mechanic has done tests and said no water is present in the oil and compression o.k.
Last time oil and air filter was changed was around 14 months ago (8k miles). Oil filter around 2 years she said.
What ya reckon guys?
Regards paul

[Andy]

Hi,

Is the vehicle manual or auto?

[pauliepie]

Hi Andy,
Its a manual gearbox.
Drove it again last night for about 15mins and it seemed o.k when driving along with little gas, but once you stop at lights then pull away through the gears a LARGE AMOUNT OF THICK WHITE/GREY EMMISSIONS COME OUT and linger in the air.Its embarrasing because the cars behind you always hang back or try and overtake you.
ANY THOUGHTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[pauliepie]

Hi Andy,
Its a manual gearbox.
Drove it again last night for about 15mins and it seemed o.k when driving along with little gas, but once you stop at lights then pull away through the gears a LARGE AMOUNT OF THICK WHITE/GREY EMMISSIONS COME OUT and linger in the air.Its embarrasing because the cars behind you always hang back or try and overtake you.
ANY THOUGHTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Neil Eglintine]

Whadya think, Andy? Valve stem oil seals would be my bet.

[Andy]

Hiya all,

Sorry its taken a little time to come back to you. I never had this problem before myself, buttttt, I had heard of it. After having a chat with a collegue in the same game I remembered he had a similar problem. All beit on a 6cyl diesel. So here it goes.

This particular problem happens for some reasons more on the vans. The problem is with the head gasket. The head gasket rots (through lack of anti-freeze changes, I'll explain later). The oil leaks from the oil gallery in the gasket & is sucked into the cylinder. Hence why you get large amounts of smoke from the rear.

As I said, I have not had this problem personaly, but it does makes sense and my source is reliable. If you read some of my earlier comments on this forum. You will see one where a guy asked about oil in the headgasket of is 300e, and didn't like the answer. Well the reason the oil gets there and its the same with 190/200/230e's all 102/103/104 engines, that the headgasket rots and allows the the oil to pass into the water gallery.

So with a vehicle of this age I suggest that if the cylinder leakage test says everything else is ok. Then fit a head gasket.

The reason why MB suggest the anti freeze is replaced every 2-4yrs, depending which vehicle you have and which service book you read. Is that the anti freeze looses its anti corrosive proproties over time. The antifreeze capabilities stay. So its its a little like cancer. You think your ok till you start feeling ill. Then it could be to late. 102 engines (190-230e's) suffer terribly for this. Majority of the time (more so with the earlier engines, but with the later twin chains as well) we carry out head gasket changes, we have to strip the cyl head as well, due to the amount of damage\corrosion thats taken place. It tends to be obviously close to the water jackets but more importantly, close to where the head gasket mates and seals between the cylinders. Which if not sorted while the heads off. Then the h\gasket will blown soon after the repair ie within 12k.

Hope this makes sense, sorry to the bearer of woe. But its better than fitting an engine.

By the way we can fit this for you.

Regards
Andy @www.mercedesservicing.com

[Andy]

Hi Niel,

I am not discounting valve stem seals, although for a diesel there seems to be to much oil coming out the rear, to be just valve stem seals @130k I wouldn't expect so much oil.
My bets on the head gaket. But if your not a betting person then fit valve stem seals while the heads off, It wouldnt hurt.

If it is the gasket is will be apparent straight away while the heads off.

But Paulie first get that all important cyl leakage test done. If this is ok then your not looking at piston rings or any thing nasty like that.

Regards
Andy@www.mercedessevicing.com

[andyk]

hi
just read all the info comeing in on this one it made me think of a of an old land rover i had that had the same fault it turned out to be the injector pump i/e it was not correctly timed just a thought and may save a penney or two
Andyk

[andyk]

Hi its me again
just wanted to know if you had found out the cause of the smoke
Andyk

[pauliepie]

Hi,
On Saturday the car was taken in to local garage where they carried out a few tests, i.e compression test,water in oil etc and everything seemed to be o.k. Upto Wednesday the car was driving o.k apart from small amounts of smoke coming from exhaust now and again BUT we went out for a drink on Tuesday night (25th) and after about 1 mile down the road a bang from under the bonnet was heard and then BLOODY HELL - what can i say, i have never seen so much smoke come out of a car, we had to drive it back home but you couldn`t see behind you of the smoke.When i got home there seemed to be oil coming from the tailpipe.The smell of the smoke was like a burning oil/rubber smell.
Anyway this morning started it up before going to work and hardly any smoke???
So its off the road again - IF anybody knows what it is i will give you a £10 or my missis will give you a kiss she said. Does anybody want to buy it !

[Andy]

How much!!!!

Regards
Andy@www.mercedesservicing.com

[pauliepie]

Sorry havn`t replied as i have moved house this week and had to sort out telephone line!! Just to let you know, took *car to local mercedes garage who carried out tests and said the engine is knackered and gave us a estimate of £2000 to recon it- seems a bit steep to me, so will be looking for cheaper engine. Thanx for all replies. thing is the problem really baffled me because only yesterday i started it up and hardly any smoke came out.