Blue smoke on start up

Hi

I was wondering if I could get some advice from people here?

First time landy owner - don't really know what to expect so here goes;

Bought a '96 TDi 300 in September, and up until recently has been great aside from a few little niggles. When the weather started getting colder recently she's been kicking out quite alot of blue smoke on startup. Is fine when warm and running, nothing at all, but if I don't use it for a day and then it is cold in the morning (like today) there is a hell of a lot of blue smoke kicked out, like enough to fill the street. As I said by the time that you have got down the road 1/2 a mile it's fine, but just on start-up and it's worse the colder it is and if it hasn't been run for a day or two.

Anyway, any help appreciated.

could be yer valve stem seals..oil leaking past while stopped then burning orf as soon as its started.
if its only a slight leak then it might not show under normal driving

are you losing any oil?
what oil grade are you using?
how often do you change your oil and fuel, air oil filters?

Hi

Thanks for your replies. I've only had it 4 months so haven't had to change the oil/filters yet. It doesn't seem to be losing any oil, despite everything.

Dropped it off at a local gargage to get the breaks down and they seem to think it's the EGR valve??? Does this make any sense? They also seem to think that if it is this then it's "terminal" as they put it!!!!!!!! Are they trying to pull the wool over my eyes?

Cheers!

chickun said:

Hi

Thanks for your replies. I've only had it 4 months so haven't had to change the oil/filters yet. It doesn't seem to be losing any oil, despite everything.

Dropped it off at a local gargage to get the breaks down and they seem to think it's the EGR valve??? Does this make any sense? They also seem to think that if it is this then it's "terminal" as they put it!!!!!!!! Are they trying to pull the wool over my eyes?

Cheers!

Click to expand...

EGR valve will not cause blue smoke, and in any event you should disable the thing immediately! It serves no useful purpose, but reduces performance and fuel consumption by amount you will notice immediately after you disable it.

I think your garage sees you as a source of many easy dolllars.

DO NOT allow them to replace the EGR valve. You are going to bin it.

A little blue smoke on start-up is not a problem, and probably arises from a little engine oil from somewhere entering the combustion chambers when the engine is stopped for a while. It could come down the valve stems, or from the crankacase breather pipe, or from the turbo labyrinth seals, whatever, but if it isn't USING a lot of engine oil, and isn't trailing smoke as you drive along, you don't have a problem, so do not let your garage tell you otherwise.

Some engines just make a little blue smoke on start-up from cold merely because the engine isn't hot.

CharlesY

CharlesY is right, it's not gonna be your EGR, get your car out of that garage pronto! I'd be suprised if you're not losing oil, if you get smoke on start there is definitely oil penetration.

Get the car back from the garage and do a standard service 6000 mile service on it (filters, oil change 15w40 good stuff, tappets) . If you live anywhere near Wiltshire I'll do it all for you. that's a serious offer by the way.

Then see if it reduces the smoke, I suspect Slob is right that your seals are gone, but if you don't know what is in the car you won't know exactly where to start.

sounds like your oil is overdue a change, as stated further up use a good quality 15-40 Turbo Diesel oil not a semi synthetic that is designed for petrols (if you are having oil changed by a garage they normally only have oils intended for petrols not diesels) and only use a good quality oil filter.