Blowing white smoke diesel engine

What could make a diesel engine produce white smoke? What does it mean when a diesel engine is blowing white smoke? What causes excessive smoke from diesel engine? Why does diesel emit more smoke than gasoline engine? Blowing white smoke is a red flag for your diesel engine , yet we see this happen all the time to our customers.

In many cases, white smoke emanating from the tailpipe (often at idle once the engine reached operating temperature) typically means a worn out injector. Condensation that accumulates inside the exhaust pipes, converter and mufflers can produce a puff of white smoke upon diesel engine start-up. In very cold temperatures, the heated exhaust can freeze into minute fuel droplets when exiting the exhaust and produce a more prolonged emission of white smoke for a very short period of driving time. The most noticeable symptom of internal coolant leakage is when the white smoke is billowing out of the exhaust pipe and leaves a sweet odor in the air. This typically occurs due to the engine being too cool to burn the fuel , often resulting from low compression in one cylinder, problems with the fuel injection timing or a defective fuel injector.

An engine burning coolant can be easily determined. First question, do you have to regularly add coolant? This will cause white smoke , along with the idle issue. This is a case where you’ll probably want to call in the diesel pros, but here’s a diagnostic tip: While the engine is smoking , hold your hand over the exhaust outlet for seconds or so. Usually, white smoke indicates that the diesel fuel is not burning correctly.

Unburned diesel fuel will make its way through the exhaust completely unused. Be careful of white smoke as it will irritate your eyes and skin. If white smoke occurs during a startup in freezing temperatures, then goes away, it usually indicates frozen deposits of soot which expanded around the rings then burned away once the engine warmed up.

One of two conditions is responsible for white smoke blowing out of your exhaust. First is normal condition (so you don’t have to panic) and the second is a not so normal condition which should be fixed as soon as possible. To be more specific, the white smoke you see is your diesel fuel, unburne or only partially burned. The commonest reasons for this lie in the fuel system.

They range from faulty fuel injectors to retarded fuel injectio n timing, or even low compression. This might be caused from the engine being too cool to burn the fuel, low compression in cylinder(s), fuel injection timing, defective fuel injector, burnt out glow plugs, clogged air filter or poor quality fuel. Sometimes diesel engines emit a white smoke while starting.

The white smoke is due to unburnt fuel caused by improper heating. Diesel engines need high compression and heat for fuel combustion. It can be especially difficult to start a diesel engine during cold weather. Diesels with an engine temperature below about F. As a rule, this would be a sign of an internal leak and the engine is burning coolant or transmission fluid.

There are two common reasons for a diesel to produce smoky white coloured clouds from coolant leaks. A cracked cylinder head (block). White Smoke from Diesel Engine.

L Cummins engine , and I am having some problems. On the common rail Cummins, white smoke is more characteristic of an injector problem. If the exhaust smells almost like bug spray, it is. Use of our Flushing Oil Concentrate and FTC Decarbonizer address these respective problems.

Water entering combustion spaces will also create white smoke.