Blue smoke from turbo when cold

Hi, I have a T3 and it seems like I'm already having a problem. My engine (70 hp TD, JR from Golf GTD) is smoking heavily. It's blue-white smoke, which is quite concerning. However, this only happens when the engine is cold, meaning that once the operating temperature (as indicated by the coolant gauge) is reached, it stops. Well, mostly. The other day, I was stuck in traffic on the highway, and the engine was idling for a while during stop-and-go driving. Then, after what seemed like an eternity, when we finally started moving again, I could create a cloud of smoke along the entire highway even with the engine at operating temperature.
My oil consumption is still below the limit, and there are no leaks. My question is: why is it smoking?
Piston rings?
Cylinder bores?
Fuel injectors?
Turbocharger?
..??

If anyone has experience with this, please share your thoughts.
Thanks from Hamburg.
Olaf.

Hi,

keine Startprobleme, d.h. Funding start date confirmed?

If it mainly occurs during relaxed driving, I suspect the turbocharger. How much oil does your car consume?

Best regards, Rainer.

Thanks from Hamburg.
Olaf.
Hi,

Were you by any chance on the Elbe bridges this morning around 7 am? If so, I can probably describe the fog coming from your T3 quite well. At first glance, it looked like it was coming from a faulty expansion tank (ZKD).

@ Rainer:
So, it doesn't happen after a leisurely drive (because in the T3, it always has only 70 horsepower ), but rather before:

i.e., from the moment it starts until it reaches its full operating temperature.

The engine is also a bit older (around 200,000 kilometers in the Golf and now 15,000 in the van), but it doesn't seem to be doing too badly (when it's warmed up).

There is no oil leaking from the exhaust pipe.



@Marco
No, I wasn't the one causing problems on the bridges over the Elbe River. Although, my car's exhaust fumes, especially when the engine is cold, can sometimes make certain intersections impassable here in Hamburg.

Hi,
Before you can investigate the issue further, you should first try to determine what the fog is made of by its smell – whether it's diesel or motor oil.
The emission limits are meaningless. They are set far too high. Besides, your car doesn't constantly emit smoke.

Okay, it's not diesel; I think it's more likely motor oil (but I'm not completely sure about that). What does burnt motor oil smell like compared to diesel?

How do you describe a smell? Well, I dislike the smell of motor oil just as much as manure. Partially burned diesel doesn't smell like regular diesel, but it has some kind of aromatic quality.

The T3 JX also had this smoking issue! When the engine is cold, around 20 degrees Celsius or lower, it smokes slightly. If it's below 15 degrees Celsius, the smoking is much worse, and it only runs on three cylinders for about 2-3 minutes, after which the smoking gradually decreases. The piston rings in cylinder 3 are worn out. It's not surprising, considering the mileage: 404,000 km! If your van runs on all four cylinders when cold but still smokes heavily, it could be that the seals of the turbocharger shaft are worn. To check this, let the vehicle stand for a day and then remove the hose on the intake side of the turbo to see if there's a lot of oil inside. If there is, the turbocharger shaft is leaking! Before checking, the oil level must be at "MAX"! In the JX engine, the turbo is installed very deep, so that engine oil from the return line of the turbo pushes the oil into the turbo and causes it to leak out. Otherwise, check the compression when the engine is cold.

Hi Olaf,

That sounds suspiciously like valve stem seals. I had that problem with my old Passat TD. Especially after being stuck in traffic for a long time, there were quite a few clouds of smoke coming out the back. The oil consumption wasn't as high then (2-3 liters/7500 km). However, the cold start emissions weren't as extreme as you described.

Herr Eule wrote:

Piston rings? Cylinder bores? Fuel injectors? Turbocharger?

Hi Olaf,

JX-Krankheit, tendenziell auch in den kleineren Karossen anzutreffen. Die Dinger kriegen einfach zu heiß ohne LLK, die Kolben dehnen sich aus, schrumpfen beim Abkühlen wieder zusammen, das ganze jahrelang. Irgendwann sind sie so viel kleiner, daß es nicht mehr für ne vernünftige Verdichtungsendtemperatur reicht ohne Last. Der Sprit verbrennt unvollständig, sobald die Brennräume etwas ausgekühlt sind (nach ner Bergabfahrt, im Stau usw.). Unter Vollast werden sie immer noch heiß genug für ne halbwegs ordentliche Verbrennung. Irgendwann passiert's Dir aber möglicherweise, daß der Motor nach ner längeren Fahrzeit und hoher Geschwindigkeit plötzlich beschleunigt, obwohl Du vom Gas gehst, weil der vermehrte Blowby jede Menge Ölnebel produziert und über die Kurbelgehäuseentlüftung der Saugseite zuführt. Wärst niHe wasn't the first.
Okay, so that's one possibility. The other is that the nozzles are completely clogged and no longer atomize properly. Maybe it's both.

Best regards, Uli.

My car (Volkswagen Golf II, 69 horsepower, 1.6 liter diesel engine, manufactured in 1986).
It needs water... approximately 1-2 liters for every 400 km, plus about 1 liter of oil for every 1000 km.

'Since yesterday, it has suddenly been producing excessive smoke. The operating material losses have been around 3-4 tons for quite some time.'

The crankshaft bolt was repaired once before. Maybe it's loose again?

Or is the head gasket suddenly completely gone?
'There's no oil in the coolant, and the dipstick is very dark.'

The strange thing is:

'When I start it, everything seems fine. But after about 2 minutes, it starts to emit smoke like a party fog machine – a light-colored smoke. It continues to smoke evenly even when it's at operating temperature.'

'When I start the engine cold and open the coolant reservoir cap, smoke comes out. Is this exhaust gas, or is it steam forming that quickly?'


It kind of sounds very much like ZK poetry, doesn't it?

@mueller900:

What kind of answer is that? That's almost bizarre...

'Why don't you start your own thread for your problem? *shakes head*'

Greetings from Capernaum.