White Smoke can't figure it out?

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kendal2

New Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2015
Messages
21
Car
cls 320 cdi (2005)
Hi there guys the last time I posted was of a DPF problem that is now sorted.

My current problem with my car is that it Smokes white while idling for more than 2-3 minutes (it smokes all the time when in traffic jams).

As I wait the smoke builds up but only slowly comes out of the exhaust. However when I rev the engine or move off aggressively a thick cloud of smoke comes out and as I rev for longer it clears out and only comes back after idling again. It doesn't matter when the car is hot warm or cold same thing all the time.

I have taken the car to a mechanic and they couldn't figure it out.(they said white smoke is water vapour but I'm not losing water)

Here is what I have done so far:

Check water levels (same no change in that or mixed with oil so its clean)
Check oil (oil is good changed 2k miles ago and no mixed water)

Here is a little history of the car:

2k miles ago I had the turbo replaced by new turbo from essex turbo. After I had this fitted after 200 miles the top hose on the turbo pipe came loose and it was tightened and it came loose again and we had the seal replaced.

This problem started after about 1k miles after the turbo replacement.
The turbo seems fine as it pulls back with excellent power.

So what are your suggestions?

The car is a Mercedes CLS 320 CDI V6 2005 (55 plate) on 140k miles.

I am located in North London Edmonton
 
Sounds to me like engine oil is entering the exhaust via the turbo seals. Was the oil return to sump checked for blockage when the turbo was replaced? Why was the turbo replaced? Difficult to say from here, but that's what it sounds like.
 
Not sure about the seals or anything. The turbo was replaced because of a failed actuator.
 
I have taken the car to a mechanic and they couldn't figure it out.(they said white smoke is water vapour but I'm not losing water)

Until you know if it is water vapour or smoke you are chasing your own tail.
If it is smoke - it should smell. Water vapour will condense on meeting a cold surface - take a spade or shovel, etc, to the tail pipe and see what occurs.
 
If it is fuel smoke from unburned diesel it'll make your eyes run.
 
White smoke occurs when raw diesel comes through the exhaust completely intact and unburned. Some causes of this include

Faulty or damaged injectors
Incorrect injection timing (could be a worn timing gear or damaged crankshaft keyway).
Low cylinder compression (eg caused by leaking or broken valves, piston ring sticking, cylinder and/or ring wear, or cylinder glaze).

Water entering combustion spaces will also create white smoke. Faulty head gaskets and cracked cylinder heads or blocks are a common cause of water entry, and are often to blame. Unfortunately, expensive mechanical repair is the only proper solution here.
 
I'd overlooked raw diesel as a cause of the smoke.
Could earlier DPF issue be a clue to over/misfueling?
 
The fact is has happened since the turbo was replaced (not sure why unless the actuator was not available separately) makes me think this is still the cause, seals may still not be correct.

Does the car limp at any point? Any codes? Is there oil around the turbo?
 
No oil on the turbo and not going into limp, think I should just let it smome out rather than cleaning it by reving the engine, should I just let it sit in front of my house for some time?
 
No oil on the turbo and not going into limp, think I should just let it smome out rather than cleaning it by reving the engine, should I just let it sit in front of my house for some time?

Was it not going into limp mode just before you had the DPF removed and the ECU remapped as detailed in your first thread?

With your DPF delete, remap and now the white smoke your car must be pumping out more pollutants than Drax power station. Has the car actually been checked by a garage with Mercedes STAR diagnostics yet, as previously advised?
 
It was in limp when dpf was causing problems. It was smoking before that too. At the moment I have not had a star check. Anyone know someone in north London Edmonton and what the typical prices are?
 
Could it really be water vapour, not from a fuel leak but from condensation built up in the exhaust system whilst standing. You've been getting lots of diesel related suggestions, but my petrol car also shoots out a bit of "white smoke" from start up on a cool day. It's not enough to worry about, but it's definitely condensation ( I tested it with the space method mentioned earlier). Don't worry too much and spend a fortune trying to "fix it" until you know exactly what it is.
 
Guys I have been unwell for the past few days and I am better now.

So After a few hundred miles of driving I noticed that the oil had increased and I could smell diesel the oil..

Any suggestions to that? I think I have fuel entering the oil and this is causing smoke? Could fuel in oil cause smoke?
 
Guys I have been unwell for the past few days and I am better now.

So After a few hundred miles of driving I noticed that the oil had increased and I could smell diesel the oil..

Any suggestions to that? I think I have fuel entering the oil and this is causing smoke? Could fuel in oil cause smoke?



I still think (I answered you in DPF thread?) that DPF removal is not been succersfull, there is something left in car maps which triggers regeneration and thus puts exta fuel in cyl. I remember reading couple of cases where faulty DPF has caused this....
 
Just had it at Benz loughton, they said it could be the injectors, so I said test that they did and said the injectors ate fine. Now they are saying the fuel tank and the whole fueling system might need to be cleaned because the fuel seems slightly darker than normal. So they are pointing towards the fuel system. Not sure if I should let them clean out thr fuel system for £1,200?
 
. Not sure if I should let them clean out thr fuel system for £1,200?

Not before having concrete reasons to dismiss the suggestion in post #16.

Surely a nose around what remains on your ECU will cost a lot less than £1200.
 
Rising engine oil level will be related to DPF regen. 'failing', I think.

£1200 to clean the fuel system? Just what are they proposing to do?
Ask for details as that smells somewhat.
 
Condensate? Hot exhaust+cold air=steam
 

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