White smoke cloud from C220 CDi

[Bertie's Dad]

I have recently bought a 2004 C220 CDi Avantgarde diesel auto and while accelerating fairly hard a large cloud of white smoke came out of the exhaust like somehitng out of Batman. The car continues to work normally but I am a bit concerned. This was the first time that I had really put my foot down. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[dbanbery]

if you haven't used the car for a while or have just bought it, then it may be the fact that it hasnt had a run for a while.

the best thing to do it take it out and once its up to temperature, give it a good long hard drive which should blow all the proverbial cobwebs out. if it indeed gets worse then i would point towards the turbocharger, however even on higher mileage cars i would think this would be unlikely, and the colour of smoke would be different. my dad's 2001 has 190k on the clock and as far as we know its the original turbo. white smoke tends to be condensation rather than pollution. i would expect a bit of black or grey smoke if it hasnt been run for a while also...

 

[Bertie's Dad]

Thanks dbanberry. It certainly hasn't been pushed in a while or done any long drives so hopefully it was just a clearing of the cobwebs. It has only done 55k so I wouldn't expect any major problems. I will do as you suggest and see what happens.

 

[Xtractorfan]

White smoke would normally be associated with water or diesel in the exhaust, posible overfuelling..

 

[dbanbery]

Let us know how you get on after your blast.

 

[EDX]

Don't worry too much, it's normal if you've been pottering for a while.
I quite like the smoke - I get held up behind a numpty for several miles then when it's clear to overtake, the car shows it's appreciation by hiding the numpty in a cloud of smelly smoke :lol:

 

[hairyg]

Could also be too much ATF in the gearbox. The excess can blow out onto the exhaust and create large quantities of white smoke. It's harmless but slightly alarming.

 

[djb]

if you haven't used the car for a while or have just bought it, then it may be the fact that it hasnt had a run for a while.

the best thing to do it take it out and once its up to temperature, give it a good long hard drive which should blow all the proverbial cobwebs out. if it indeed gets worse then i would point towards the turbocharger, however even on higher mileage cars i would think this would be unlikely, and the colour of smoke would be different. my dad's 2001 has 190k on the clock and as far as we know its the original turbo. white smoke tends to be condensation rather than pollution. i would expect a bit of black or grey smoke if it hasnt been run for a while also...

quite agree, also lots of slow running / idling moving round the car park will give the potential for similar fog clouds. nothing beats an Italian tune up.

 

[missmegan]

White smoke = unburnt fuel. Possible dripping injectors or fuel pump timing problem ?

The white smoke is caused by the unburned diesel vapourising in the exhaust manifold / downpipe/ exhaust pipe.

m having the same prob, although it is a LOT of white smoke coming out, engine oil looks pretty thick too, ....whats my next step?

 

[wemorgan]

m having the same prob, although it is a LOT of white smoke coming out, engine oil looks pretty thick too, ....whats my next step?

I'd get the car serviced and use a strong measure of injector cleaner.

 

[missmegan]

is the service my first plan of attack though, or should i spend my money on another area,i can do the service next week

 

[missmegan]

got a service and engine flush done today,.............still a pile of smoke coming out

merc tech reckoms its the oil splitter sending oil into turbo, can this be tested?

any suggestions anyone?

 

[rs4360]

1995 mercedes benz c220d diesel automatic hard to start with white smoke

I have been told it could be the heat plugs, if so what would it entail or what else could it be/common fault. Any help would be much appreciated.
Many thanks bob

 

[SL63 Mark]

I have been told it could be the heat plugs, if so what would it entail or what else could it be/common fault. Any help would be much appreciated.
Many thanks bob

Bob - are you experiencing the same symptoms ? Maybe best to start a new thread if so ?

 

[BAZZER1]

got a service and engine flush done today,.............still a pile of smoke coming out

merc tech reckoms its the oil splitter sending oil into turbo, can this be tested?

any suggestions anyone?

I had similar symptoms with my e320cdi, first thing starting up in the morning, after which, it cleared, my local Indie told me not to worry about it as it was usual if the car had not had any decent long runs, If you have a good local Indie near you, take it to them, have a word and ask their opinion on it,
Best Wishes
BAZZER1

 

[dbanbery]

got a service and engine flush done today,.............still a pile of smoke coming out

merc tech reckoms its the oil splitter sending oil into turbo, can this be tested?

any suggestions anyone?

what colour smoke? white smoke is normally moisture.