HELP? 2.2 TDCi Smoking ALOT and Misfire when cold

[Rhysd1309]

Hi everyone. Unfortunately, this isn't a transit as such, although I have got a MK6. It is a 2008 Citroen Relay of mine, which uses the 2.2 TDCi engine. It is very poorly at the minute, and I was wondering if anybody could point me in the right direction.

When you first start it, it misfires like hell, and bellows white/light grey smoke (which has a tinge of blue to it), when I say bellows, I mean fills the street. Once warm, the misfire disappears BUT the smoking continues, sometimes it will disappear for a mile, but then return.

So far, I think I can rule out the turbo, as when I disconnected the intercooler pipes, no smoke came through them and the van continued to smoke from the exhaust as normal. Also, the van doesn't appear to be using any water.

I feel this leaves me with 3 or 4 options, and i'm hoping somebody can point me in the right direction.

1- Could it be a duff injector/s overfueling? but then why the blueish tinge?

2- Could the valve seals be shot?

3- Could the rings be drawing oil in?

4- Could the head gasket have failed?

I appreciate its just guesswork for you lot, but hopefully the symptoms may corresspond to something somebody else has had problems with.

Also, if it was an injector, is the Ford IDS programme available to download to a laptop for use with an OBD socket?

Cheers.

Rhys

[Rhysd1309]

Bit of an update,

Been tinkering with the van all day, when the first start the engine (and its misfiring) it seemed that if you unplugged no2 injector, the misfire continued and the engine tone didnt change.

The smoke has stopped at idle today, but as soon as you rev the engine it smokes like hell again.

There is a massive oil leak coming from somewhere above the alternator? Also, two of the injectors are leaking diesel from the return hoses, I did try removing them and refitting, but have broken the o rings even more!!

Has anybody got any pointers for fitting these O rings without ''Pinching'' them in the process? I'm going to find some new ones Monday, but have a feeling i'm just going to break those aswell!

[loot]

Try a bit of lube on the o rings and twist gently while pushing down, hopefully they'll pop in.
If you unplug that injector then in theory it won't put fuel into the clinger which would then mean the smoke should clear, unless of course there is damage to that cylinder which is why it's not firing.
If it was me I'd maybe get codes, get injectors checked or even swap it with another 1 to see if it fires which should give an indication if the injector is the problem or the cylinder.
Fuel does return from the leakoff pipes but you have to do a measured test to see if too much is returning.
I'm assuming you're van is similar to a transit at this point.

[Rhysd1309]

Try a bit of lube on the o rings and twist gently while pushing down, hopefully they'll pop in.
If you unplug that injector then in theory it won't put fuel into the clinger which would then mean the smoke should clear, unless of course there is damage to that cylinder which is why it's not firing.
If it was me I'd maybe get codes, get injectors checked or even swap it with another 1 to see if it fires which should give an indication if the injector is the problem or the cylinder.
Fuel does return from the leakoff pipes but you have to do a measured test to see if too much is returning.
I'm assuming you're van is similar to a transit at this point.

Cheers Loot, I really appreciate the response. I just took it out in the street and had to turn straight back! The smoke is ridiculous. There aren't any running issues, but i'm worried there may be a cracked/holed piston, is there any way of testing for this without pulling head off?

Unplugging the injector makes no difference to the smoke, next plan I think is to get injectors sent to get bench tested (anybody know of a reliable/reasonable place in the West Midlands?)

There arent any codes coming up on my OBD reader, and the engine light remains off. Once the van is up to temp, it runs great, but the smoke remains constant.

I shall post a video in the daylight, to highlight just how much smoke is coming out!

Thanks again.

[Rhysd1309]

Sorry for the million questions, do these injectors need to be coded in to the van? Im reluctant to fork out for new injectors, as they may well show as faulty, but not be the sole cause of the smoke!

Exhaust manifold/turbo assembly looks like a pain to get to, has the engine got to be removed to remove cylinder head?

Thanks again.

[ake]

Yes injectors must be coded in, and a calibration performed using ids

[Rhysd1309]

Cheers, thought so. Would a compression test rule out piston damage, I just can't see the glow plugs on the thing!

I'm not too fussed if it is something like the piston. As long as I can narrow it down to something, so I can get the thing back on the road!

[Guy88]

could be an EGR stuck open

[Rhysd1309]

I think I got abit carried away today. I was going to do a compression test, but didn't have the right adapter. Everybody wanted stupid money for one, so, I decided to try and remove the head. It is 99% off, just need to remove rear camshaft.

I wish I would have done a compression test, as even though i'm going to put new valve seals in and a new head gasket, I don't want to start it and it to turn out being the rings!

EGR seems ok, i'm going to blank it off anyway - does this bring the EML on?

Also, do you reccomend changing the chain tensioner now it is off? and is it meant to have a gasket? I'm not sure if a gasket has fallen off the tensioner somewhere?

[Rhysd1309]

Right, The head is off. No sign of a cracked piston (thank god). Although unfortunately, no sign of anything else really! Headgasket seems ok. I did mention that injector 3 seemed abit dodgey. Well Number 3 piston is coated in a wet carbon sort of stuff? Not too sure what to make of that. Rest of the pistons are clean.

Head has been sent to get new valve stem seals installed, (just as it would be rude not too now the head is off)

I reckon after all of this it will just turn out to be an injector, after that it can only be rings!!

[Rhysd1309]

SHE LIVES! My van no longer bellows smoke!

Managed to get her going today! The people who skimmed the head say it was really out of shape around cylinder 1, so that's probably what caused the smoke. Also noticed Cylinder 3 has had a new piston at some point in its life.

Only problems remaining are:

- Misfires Like Mad when cold! Im suspicious of number 2 Injector, so will send them to get tested.

- Its really loud on idle, a tappy noise. Sounds like it could well be the chain, but its hard to tell! I had to mess with the tensioner alot (keep putting the locking pin back in), so I could have damaged it. The sound completely disappears when it is revved though?

- It splutters to try and start it (hot or cold). As an example. Imagine its -22 outside, and your glowplugs don't work and it takes a few seconds fire up?


Cheers Guys