smoking

[IanB]

Hello everyone, yet another question. My 2.4 smokes a lot when starting in the morning, gray smoke and lots of it for about a minute after driving off. This started after the head was changed. I have the seemingly normal black smoke under heavy acceleraition. but at night there is a gray smoke under light acceleration which can be seen in the lights of a car behind. The surf is the most dangerous car I have ever driven. If I'm not looking at what's coming out of the exhaust I'm watching the temperature gauge, but I still love it. Ianb

[marky]

watching temp guage is a waste of time as it will not go above normal which is in the middle of clock. just check oil & water regulary & keep smiling

[rich]

I am thinking that you may have some residual moisture left in the exhust from where the head went.

Also with the weather being the way it is at the moment you will get moisture in the exhaust overnight. Mine now does the same as yours and was worse over christmas where I didn't drive it for a week - too drunk

[Koi]

Hello everyone, yet another question. My 2.4 smokes a lot when starting in the morning, gray smoke and lots of it for about a minute after driving off. This started after the head was changed. I have the seemingly normal black smoke under heavy acceleraition. but at night there is a gray smoke under light acceleration which can be seen in the lights of a car behind. The surf is the most dangerous car I have ever driven. If I'm not looking at what's coming out of the exhaust I'm watching the temperature gauge, but I still love it. Ianb

After I changed my head (Andy (Lucky) had the same as well) it did smoke for a week or two afterwards.
After a week or two it had settled down, give it a bottle of redex to a 1/4 tank of fuel and a good run to blast it through.
Also I have my EGR disconnected and still see that haze in the headlights in the car behind me, so I don't think its anything to be worried about. Had it before the head was changed and its there after the head has been changed and I know a few others on here have reported it as well.
All in all its a diesel, never driven a diesel before I got the Surf and kept thinking its smoking a lot. But next time you see a brand new zantia, or 406 or the like in front of you see how much they chuck out and think wow mines ten years old (or how ever old) and it don't throw out that much c**p.
Take your eye off the temp gauge if its gonna go it will go nothing you do will stop it, take your eye off the exhaust and enjoy your motor and see how many looks it attracts from others.

[Guest]

After I changed my head (Andy (Lucky) had the same as well) it did smoke for a week or two afterwards.
After a week or two it had settled down, give it a bottle of redex to a 1/4 tank of fuel and a good run to blast it through.
Also I have my EGR disconnected and still see that haze in the headlights in the car behind me, so I don't think its anything to be worried about. Had it before the head was changed and its there after the head has been changed and I know a few others on here have reported it as well.
All in all its a diesel, never driven a diesel before I got the Surf and kept thinking its smoking a lot. But next time you see a brand new zantia, or 406 or the like in front of you see how much they chuck out and think wow mines ten years old (or how ever old) and it don't throw out that much c**p.
Take your eye off the temp gauge if its gonna go it will go nothing you do will stop it, take your eye off the exhaust and enjoy your motor and see how many looks it attracts from others.

Koi's right. And now, having just done a full service on it, put some decent (GTD Magnatec) oil in it, new airfilter and fuel filter, I don't even get the light haze at night. Mind you I have done over 10K kms in it since the head went and It's settled in nicely.

You wanna look at a taxi or a bus if you want to see smoke. The Surf is a pretty smoke free zone compared to them.

Cheers

[Gamedawn]

I agree that a lot of it is down to condensation in the exhaust. Mine does it still (new head 12 mths ago), but if the run is long enough to get the exhaust warm (more than 20 - 30 miles) then it tends to go away a bit. Mind you I saw an 03 plated Terrano the other day and when the guy put his foot down to go onto a roundabout, the road disappeared.

Don't worry about it

[Woodie]

I noticed some smoke in the lights of the following cars at night, but then again my Surf is the first diesel I have owned, the firms vans I drive just get thrashed non stop without any cares and the old pigs are still IMPOSSIBLE to blow up! Diesels do smoke a lot compared to my petrol engined catalytic converted (going soon) car.

[r0b3rts0n]

mine smokes for a few minutes too.

although strangely i seem to get a few oily spots on the drive from my exhaust when I start up. not sure if this is normal/significant, though

[Guest]

mine smokes for a few minutes too.

although strangely i seem to get a few oily spots on the drive from my exhaust when I start up. not sure if this is normal/significant, though

May need a good thrash to get rid of any condensation. The oily spots may be particulates immersed in water droplets.

Alternatively you may have the seals on your turbo on the way out and blowing oil into the exhaust.

Check your oil level regularly to see if the car is using a lot of oil.

Cheers

[Pete]

mine smokes for a few minutes too.

although strangely i seem to get a few oily spots on the drive from my exhaust when I start up. not sure if this is normal/significant, though

Are you sure it's oily spots and not just wet sooty spots?
Pete