Disco 1 Uphill spluttering and white smoke

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Fingle

Fingle

Active Member
Posts
222
Location
Dorset
Hi,

The old girl has started spluttering and complaining whenever I go up a hill above say 10 degrees. I can smell unburnt fuel and see white smoke, but on the flat she seems relativley happy (although after spluttering on the hill, she is a bit underpowered like on 3 cyclinders or something) If I dont find a hill, she seems to behave fine. Totally confused. Could it be fuel draining back (plus weak pump), or a bubble moving forward, water in tank (going uphill drags the **** into the pipes?) or something completely different.
Anyone had a similar experience? What simple things can a novice check?

I have wondered if its just going above 3000rpm
 
Last edited:
Fingle said:
Hi,

The old girl has started spluttering and complaining whenever I go up a hill above say 10 degrees. I can smell unburnt fuel and see white smoke, but on the flat she seems relativley happy (although after spluttering on the hill, she is a bit underpowered like on 3 cyclinders or something) If I dont find a hill, she seems to behave fine. Totally confused. Could it be fuel draining back (plus weak pump), or a bubble moving forward, water in tank (going uphill drags the **** into the pipes?) or something completely different.
Anyone had a similar experience? What simple things can a novice check?

I have wondered if its just going above 3000rpm
Click to expand...
Apart from being "an old girl", ( they're all old by now), what engine, V8 or Tdi ?
 
My choice would be injectors followed by injection pump, that’s about all that’s going to give you over fuelling,
The normal lift pump failure will reduce your power but shouldn’t create white smoke,
 
I would say you have an issue between the injector pump and the fuel tank, drawing in air will screw fuel system up (not forever) hence the smoke.

Think logically if it was inj pump/injectors the fault would be there regardless of terrain.

Lift pumps are cheap
Filters even cheaper
Fuel sender pipes rot out under boot floor access panel, the metal bits easy to see.
Could be split/worn fuel pipe, unlikely but worth a look/feel.
 
Agreed, its odd that it only uphill. I know the sender is OK as I checked it when diagnosing cold starting issues. I guess the best bet is to see if there is bubbles in some clear pipe i put in the fuel line before doing anything else?
 
Have you drained the water trap on the bottom of the fuel filter? asking as just read old post on same subject.
 
Ok yesterday I drained the fuel filter and no water came out, just diesel. When I revved the engine it took ages for fuel to come out of the bleeder nut on top, far longer than i thought was required as I only let a bit of fuel out the bottom. When fully filled it seemed to run far better and had it up to 70 even on an incline. Parked it, did some bits, and whilst it was better than ususal on the way back, it did start to misbehave again. Air somehow getting in the mix?
 
Have you tried running the engine and open the bleed screw slightly on the filter to see if you get fuel,bubbles or nothing I had something similar was one of the check/one way valves inside the lift pump failing got too much smoke when accelerating and a little loss of power finally gave out and couldn't get it above 2500rpm without running like a bag of poo and a massive white smoke screen but would idle all day.
 
Yes, thats exactly what I did, and it took ages for the fuel to bubble out the top, does this indocate the filter is empty? I have a one way valve fitted further forward after the filter. I had a new Britpart fuel pump futted a year or so ago to try and fix cold starting issues, I wasnt convinced it worked any better and have a Delphi in the shed wating to me fitted, od do it myslef but im worried about people going on about cam position. Your symptoms sound exactly the same tho (altho I dont see white smoke on acceletration generally, only after its stugggled uphil)
 
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If the bleed screw was removed with engine running should spray fuel out with strong pressure.when you say fuel bubbles out do you mean fuel air mixed or just weak?.I would replace the lift pump not a hard job the lever on pump goes under the cam if no improvement remove sender from tank and Check for pin holes in the pick up pipe sedimenters can sometimes draw air in can be bypassed with 5m of 8mm id hose.good luck.
 
OK got the new delphi pump, old one taken off and indeed upon testing it manually via the lever in my hand there seems to be no pressure, and the new one does. However the new one is a bitch to fit, turned the cam a few times but it doesnt seem to want to fit, I know in the thread above, that it says it wont sit flush, as screwing it in put pressure on the spring, but im not sure it will go far enough in for the screws to meet the holes. (also had a bit of fun losing one of the pressure olives so had to wait for some new ones to be delivered) Any tips?
 
(It's not how many times you turn the cam, it is the position the cam is left in when you stop turning it). If you use the starter to turn it it'll end up in one of 5 positions, (cylinder pressure). Jack a wheel up, chock the others, handbrake off, put it in 5th gear, take the ignition key out, turn the wheel and feel or look inside the hole until you can tell the cam is pointing away from the cam lever position, i.e. top left when looked at from the front of the engine, so ideally bottom right. Once it is there, the only resistance will be the cam lever riding on the shaft of the cam i.e. not the lobe, so less pressure and easier to tighten down onto the block.
 
Yeah I just meant turning the engine over to get a good spot, but your idea probably would have been better. All on now and its going like the bloody clappers, that old pump must have been utterly asthmatic
 
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