Transit Connect White Smoke

[gp3000000]

Hi all, fairly new here, and I'm at my wits' end with my own van.

I'm a mechanic, and worked on loads of these vans, but this one has me stumped.

It's a 2003, TDCi, 90ps HCPA/B at 162,000 miles. Unknown history, I've only had it for the last 4000 miles. It's had a full service in that time.

It has persistent white smoke at all points in the rev range including at idle. The volume of smoke is such that the MOT tester laughed it out of the garage. Leaving it idling in the garage started to fill that corner of the garage up with haze that burns your eyes.

Driving in darkness is an exercise in extreme caution to make sure road users behind can still see where they're going.

The smell of the smoke marks it out as raw diesel, rather than the white smoke that can sometimes accompany the blue smoke and distinctive oil smell from a turbo oil seal failure.

Now, I understand white smoke that smells this way is raw (completely uncombusted) diesel, rather than partially burnt diesel that results from a lack of air, which is black smoke.

As far as I know the only things that can cause this white smoke are:

-Lack of compression pressure
-Poorly atomised diesel
-Lack of heat in combustion
-Air in fuel (not sure it's actually possible for this to occur with a common rail)

Please correct me if there's anything I've missed.

Here's a list of everything I've checked/done to try to resolve or diagnose the problem:

Air filter replaced
Fuel filter replaced with genuine Delphi.
Glow plugs replaced and melted ring terminal repaired (pointless because the smoking happens when hot too, but they needed doing anyway)
Valve timing checked using crank pin and cam plate, spot on
Camshaft checked for wear (none)
IMV (sometimes called SCV) on diesel pump replaced first with secondhand, then genuine new Delphi
Fuel temperature sensor readings checked and plausible (as I understand this affects injection timing)
Charge air temp sensor readings checked and plausible
Engine Coolant temp sensor readings checked and plausible
Cylinder Head temp sensor readings checked and plausible
Ambient air (also called BET - Battery Electrolyte Temperature by IDS for some reason) temp sensor readings checked and plausible
Van run on a gravity fed diesel supply directly to high pressure pump to eliminate air in fuel supply line theory
Compression test - I've lost the sheet I wrote them down on but from memory they were all between 275 and 300psi.

Injectors tested at Colchester Fuel Injection. They said all 4 are slightly over on leakback (no surprise there for these engines) but the spray patterns are 'perfect' and therefore they didn't believe the injectors were the cause of my white smoke problem. They did suggest checking the thicknesses of the copper washers I removed as they should be 1.5mm before crushing, the thinking being that wrong injection height was wrong causing poor atomisation of the diesel in the swirl pot built into the piston top. I replaced the washers with the 1.5mm they gave me, no difference.

There's probably things missing from this list that I've forgotton, been chasing this problem for over 6 months.

The van drives well with full power and smoother than a lot I've driven!

There is only one driveability issue - very occasionally when going uphill on the motorway at 60 or 70mph with a full load in the back, it will drop into limp mode (with flashing coil light) and the code thrown is for low common rail pressure.

Live data graphing reveals that when hot, van fully loaded, full throttle, uphill, the actual fuel pressure takes a couple of seconds to reach the desired fuel pressure. This symptom is seemingly what triggers the code.

HOWEVER there is a side effect of this limp mode. The van sounds like an old DI transit, because the ECU disables pilot injection.

With pilot injection disabled, there is NO white smoke and NO smell. This is also the case for a short time after you recode the injectors, as the van disables pilot injection for a fixed time while it 'learns'

All good until you cycle the ignition which cancels the limp mode.

I'm open to any and all suggestions, many heads are better than one!!

Thanks in anticipation,

Graham.

[gp3000000]

I guess everyone, like me, is out of ideas!

[Kenton]

I guess everyone, like me, is out of ideas!

Well, that was worth posting....

[Kenton]

Tricky one this. My van when cold, emits quite a bit of blue/white smoke. Gets worse the longer you leave it ticking over and standing still. I have removed the CAT, but i'm sure the smoke is being caused by something else. The van goes like a rocket, even with a puff of smoke every time i pull away. Good luck getting this sorted mate, my first opinion was the injectors, but as you have had them tested, it fogs the issue more so still! (excuse the pun!)
regards, K

[axxeman]

Hello there, I have an 04 plate and have been fighting this same issue from Feb 2019 until December 2019 when I finally got it sorted. It was two of the injectors that were failing to close properly and leaking fuel into the cylinders between strokes. This caused smoke - white smoke - especially at idle and a dramatic drop in mpg. I/we, (my local bod and I), removed all four injectors DESPITE THEM PASSING THE KNOWN TESTS, and found that the bad two were obvious; the nozzles had a dreadful black hard carbon build up. They were only 10k miles old as well. Had them rebuilt and voila, no more smoke of any colour, smooth running and back to good mpg like it used to be.

Used AGNG Pumps and Injectors, located in Bicester and easily found on eBay, for the rebuilds. £180 all in for the pair and one of the most honest chaps in the diesel fuel system trade that I have ever had the pleasure of speaking to. Bought two more to keep as spares because the Delphi injectors are know as a "soft" injector; i.e. It doesn't take much to cause them to break as they are pretty fragile. Pronanly why Ford abandoned them in favour of Siemens after '06 ...

I sincerely hope that helps you.

Greg

[gp3000000]

Well, that was worth posting....

It served the purpose of bumping the thread up.

[Altransit]

Used AGNG Pumps and Injectors, located in Bicester and easily found on eBay

Amazing, I live in Bicester, and I never knew that they were there
Just a short walk from me as well

https://agngdiesel.com/

[Altransit]

Well, that was worth posting....

It served the purpose of bumping the thread up.

Indeed, and so much better than starting a new thread

[axxeman]

Used AGNG Pumps and Injectors, located in Bicester and easily found on eBay

Amazing, I live in Bicester, and I never knew that they were there
Just a short walk from me as well

https://agngdiesel.com/

Yep, after my experience with them, I would not use anyone else in the future. Unfortunately, not a short walk from mine ...