Fuel additive to prevent blue smoke

[derk]

My volvo diesel (2003 ) is smoking particularly on start up and low revs. I had heard that some fuel additives help to reduce smoking by assisiting the seal of the piston rings.
Has anybody had success using fuel additives in this way?

 

[Deleted member 478]

derk

Welcome to the forum.

Do a search on the Motor Boat forum for a user called DepSol and have a look at his website

 

[derk]

thanks Stingo I'll do that

 

[Deleted member 478]

Derk, this is his website

 

[BobOwen]

Blue smoke is normally oil derived and possibly caused by worn rings and / or valve stems.
I can't see how any fuel additive will help with this. They improve the combustion process, (allegedly), and don't help seal worn parts.

Perhaps you're recalling the miracle gunge that used to be sold some years ago, as a 'cure all' for smokey old Austins, Hillmans etc. In desperation, I tried it on my belching mini. Of course it did absolutely nothing, other than make me a shade closer to being totally skint.

IMHO there is no easy cure. It needs mechanical attention I fear. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[pvb]

Many 2003s seem to smoke...

Mine smokes - sometimes quite badly. I've had the injectors serviced and the compression checked. It doesn't burn oil. It seems that the 2003 is a bit of a smoky engine. Never misses a beat though. Probably best not to worry about it. Adding Soltron will not make it smoke less.

 

[derk]

Re: Many 2003s seem to smoke...

Thanks Bob and pvb.

The engine does not seem to consume oil at a worrying rate and starts OK, must be as you said pvb possibly as a quirk of the model. I hope!

 

[Evadne]

Re: Many 2003s seem to smoke...

I'm only passing this on as hearsay, as I've never tried it, but an old "cure" for smokey (car) diesels is to add some petrol to the fuel tank. This dates from pre-emission test days when the only thing a diesel could do to fail the test was to emit visible smoke. A fairly long thread a month or two back, on either here or PBO, suggested "some" was between 10% and 25%, a level which did no harm to the engine.

Personally I'd rather live with the smoke or find a cure, as you are only hiding the symptoms, but if you're in a marina and don't want to smoke out your neighbours then this may be of some short-term use.