MoT Diesel smoke tests

[Satch]

General info leaflet:

http://www.dvtani.gov.uk/uploads/cu...t.pdf#search="diesel vehicle emission limits"

New metered smoke test from 1 March 2006. Friends of ours recently had a three year old Mondeo turbo diesel fail miserably and it required quite a bit of tinkering to get through. Understand some VW Tdi models are having trouble passing as well.

The "fastpass" test met is if the engine produces less than a score of 1.5 on the first go. Key is getting them properly "conditioned" beforehand so an Italian tune-up on the way there, used injector cleaner beforehand and then a double dose of Millers Diesel Power plus on top of BP Ultimate diesel for the test did it for me: score of 0.54

 

[blassberg]

what's an Italian Tune Up? Pavarotti getting ready for a gig?

 

[BTB 500]

what's an Italian Tune Up?

AKA giving it a damn good thrash ...

 

[Shude]

AKA giving it a damn good thrash ...

I believe Italian cars perform better (if you get them started) at very high RPMs!

 

[Harley Man]

The very best way of passing the Diesel smoke test (and the cheapest!) is to start the car and while its ticking over push a hose pipe up the exhaustwhen the water starts running back out rev the engine, this washes all the soot out, used it on my fathers citroen and it reduced it from a reading of 8.4 to 0.81 !!

 

[fredfloggle]

Believe me - there is no need to stick a hose up my pipe to get results . I'd also tend to be a bit careful with this - while I couldn't tell you how far you could stick your hose up my pipe before hitting an obstruction , I'd be very worried in case you went too far and got something high up damp (i'm led to believe that Water Skiing can also have the same effect)

I reckon that a good run up the motorway just before hand should do the job .

 

[Parrot of Doom]

Believe me - there is no need to stick a hose up my pipe to get results . I'd also tend to be a bit careful with this - while I couldn't tell you how far you could stick your hose up my pipe before hitting an obstruction , I'd be very worried in case you went too far and got something high up damp (i'm led to believe that Water Skiing can also have the same effect)

I reckon that a good run up the motorway just before hand should do the job .

fnar fnar...

 

[GazCaff]

Believe me - there is no need to stick a hose up my pipe to get results . I'd also tend to be a bit careful with this - while I couldn't tell you how far you could stick your hose up my pipe before hitting an obstruction , I'd be very worried in case you went too far and got something high up damp (i'm led to believe that Water Skiing can also have the same effect)

I reckon that a good run up the motorway just before hand should do the job .

PMSL

Bad choice of words, unless you're into that kind of thing!

 

[Dieselman]

General info leaflet:

http://www.dvtani.gov.uk/uploads/cu...t.pdf#search="diesel vehicle emission limits"

New metered smoke test from 1 March 2006. Friends of ours recently had a three year old Mondeo turbo diesel fail miserably and it required quite a bit of tinkering to get through. Understand some VW Tdi models are having trouble passing as well.

The "fastpass" test met is if the engine produces less than a score of 1.5 on the first go. Key is getting them properly "conditioned" beforehand so an Italian tune-up on the way there, used injector cleaner beforehand and then a double dose of Millers Diesel Power plus on top of BP Ultimate diesel for the test did it for me: score of 0.54

The metered smoke test has been in force for over ten years. The "new2 bit is the fastpass part. If the car emits less than 1.5 on the first rev it doesn't require the other two or more revs to the governor as it is deemed clean enough to pass.
My own car came in at 0.41 so had no problems.

 

[l5foye]

The new to N. Ireland diesel smoke tests have caused people so many problems -engines blowing up etc- that there is a temporary suspension of smoke testing of cars reg'd before 01 or 02. To my mind the test is far too brutal - who ever revs a diesel engine out fully? Yet this is what is done during the test and often up to 4-5 times. At full revs in 6th gear, my car would be travelling at more than 50 mph than the legal limit.

 

[Parrot of Doom]

So long as the engine is warmed up, I can't see what problems revving it would cause?

 

[fredfloggle]

No problem at all - after all , that is what the governor/rev limiter is for . Agreed , I wouldn't tend to hold any vehicle up against the rev limiter unnecessarily , however a second or two won't hurt - anyone who has ever owned a mini cooper S knows what a missed gearchange and valve bounce is about and that was the British Leyand provided engine speed management system .