my s3 diesel is a smokey sob always has been, you don't want to be passing it when it starts on a cold morning

white smoke which I understand is unburnt diesel, got an ear bashing from the doris for running it on the drive for a long time - she doesn't like the smell of diesel - so i'm pretty sure it isn't steam, no mayo on the oil filler cap.

mot soon and I can't see it passing on a visual unless the guy has no sense of smell

tried the redex injector stuff, no noticeable difference. Can't take it for a thrash as it has been on sorn for a couple of years whilst I glacially changed the bulkhead then farted around with the electrics to get it all working again.

read some things saying you can fiddle with the timing by turning the pump 1mm at a time with the engine off and then starting it again. If the diesel is unburnt should one be advancing or retarding the timing or is it a case of suck it and see if there is a difference either way?

might reducing the fuel going in make a difference?

you advance it to stop the smoke very often the timing chains stretch throwing out the timing but if its been sat a long time fresh fuel and a damned good thrashing will help obviously presuming valve clearances are right and air/fuel filters in good nick i have a ligtweight with the same issue even after a new pump and injectors as soon as i fix the brakes and electrics a good thrashing will be had

although it has been "stood", the engine has been used, just for changing position on the drive as I faffed around over time, moving back to fit the wifes' runaround on etc. so over the two years the tank got almost empty, so I filled it via a couple of jerry cans and added the redex stuff at the same time. Didn't do many miles in its last year on the road having been mot'd and serviced so hopefully clearances should be ok. Not sure if the air filter oil was changed or when it last was so I could do that and try the timing advance.

might book it in somewhere that's a couple of miles drive down the main road so I can give it a thrash on the way

ok found some motivation to look at my smoky old lightweight today moved the pump clockwise as far as it would go smoke has stopped and engine runs much sweeter hope that helps

thanks, will try that tomorrow, nearly summed up the bottle this afternoon but baled in the end and faffed around unblocking the heater valve instead

jockmurray said:

you advance it to stop the smoke very often the timing chains stretch throwing out the timing but if its been sat a long time fresh fuel and a damned good thrashing will help obviously presuming valve clearances are right and air/fuel filters in good nick i have a ligtweight with the same issue even after a new pump and injectors as soon as i fix the brakes and electrics a good thrashing will be had

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Pump drive train wear can be an issue with these.
But smoking isn't always a fuel injection issue at all. Most old landies now only get occasional light use. And modern oils are fantastic, quality is very good. Many people don't help themselves by using much higher spec oils than the designer intended.
End result of this is that many older engines are running around with varying degrees of glazing on the bores. Which causes smoking.
As you say, hard use is actually good for a landy engine if it is in good nick.

jockmurray said:

ok found some motivation to look at my smoky old lightweight today moved the pump clockwise as far as it would go smoke has stopped and engine runs much sweeter hope that helps

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OK, so you seem to have got away with it this time, but it would be better to use a more precise method of pump timing.

well I did it, to be honest there wasn't much movement left but it is running sweeter and is less smokey and certainly a lot less whiffy still on the smokey side though so I shall give it a thrash on the way to the test and hope for the best, might wait for a sunny day anorl