Csail
N/A
Engine (1.5 Thornycroft 95 with 500hrs) was pumping white smoke / steam out of the exhaust. This happened when the alternator won't charge....is there some connection?
Temp,pressures all seem ok.
Temp,pressures all seem ok.
White smoke
- Thread starter Csail
- Start date
oldsaltoz
Well-Known Member
Possibly a drive belt?
VicS
Well-Known Member
Beat me to it.
The alternator was not charging because the drive belt has failed. The drive belt also drives the fresh water pump so that has stopped. That has caused the engine to overheat (the temperature gauge is faulty as well so that continued to read normally) the overheated engine has warped its cylinder head so water is now entering the combustion chambers and appears as "white smoke" from the exhaust. Big trouble and huge repair bills ahead!
Seriously I doubt if there is any connection at all apart from the above which is posted tongue in cheek.
The alternator was not charging because the drive belt has failed. The drive belt also drives the fresh water pump so that has stopped. That has caused the engine to overheat (the temperature gauge is faulty as well so that continued to read normally) the overheated engine has warped its cylinder head so water is now entering the combustion chambers and appears as "white smoke" from the exhaust. Big trouble and huge repair bills ahead!
Seriously I doubt if there is any connection at all apart from the above which is posted tongue in cheek.
Csail
N/A
Belt is fine, all the covers were off when i ran it for half hour.
I
Iota
Guest
What's your oil consumption like.
Could be burning oil - glazed ports or ring problems.
or head gasket problems.
I would get an engineer to cast an eye over at least for the diagnostic.
Iota
Could be burning oil - glazed ports or ring problems.
or head gasket problems.
I would get an engineer to cast an eye over at least for the diagnostic.
Iota
Csail
N/A
Oil is fine, anyway that would be blue smoke?
I
Iota
Guest
No white smoke for oil, I once had a volvo engine replaced under warranty after I practically gassed the waiting for the lock at what was then Chichester Yacht Basin. The diagnosis that John Cutler - who worked for AR Savage in those days, BA Peter's, looked at were. Glazed ports, head gasket, ring problems, water guides in head damaged. In the end it turned out that Volvo had fitted the wrong rings from new!!!!
If you have a friendly engineer might be worth buying them a pint and having a chat
Iota
If you have a friendly engineer might be worth buying them a pint and having a chat
Iota
mbay
Well-Known Member
when was the last time you ran the engine?
Stemar
Well-Known Member
It could also be iffy injectors. My VP 2003 is far too big for Jissel, so rarely goes over half throttle. As a result it clogs up and gets smokey. A 10 minute run at full throttle lays a smokescreen worthy of a WW2 destroyer at first, but produces almost no smoke at the end, but a few more revs. I'm then set up for another couple of months.
If a flat out run doesn't improve matters, I'd pull the injectors and take 'em to your friendly local diesel man - the one the truckers go to, not the one with Marine in the name - and ask him to check them.
I wouldn't worry about any of the more expensive possibilities until I'd done this.
BTW "If you have a friendly engineer might be worth buying them a pint and having a chat" is good advice.
If a flat out run doesn't improve matters, I'd pull the injectors and take 'em to your friendly local diesel man - the one the truckers go to, not the one with Marine in the name - and ask him to check them.
I wouldn't worry about any of the more expensive possibilities until I'd done this.
BTW "If you have a friendly engineer might be worth buying them a pint and having a chat" is good advice.
Glyka
Well-Known Member
Choked water inlet (or slack belt, hence no charge) would cause insufficient water flow to cool exhaust elbow and steam would appear.
kandoma
Well-Known Member
you may have two unrelated problems.
Did you check the impeller in the raw water pump ? White smoke is usually insufficent cooling water.
Alternator: has the cable going from the alternator to the lamp in the dashboard fallen off somewhere? That cable starts the alternator.
Peter
Did you check the impeller in the raw water pump ? White smoke is usually insufficent cooling water.
Alternator: has the cable going from the alternator to the lamp in the dashboard fallen off somewhere? That cable starts the alternator.
Peter
No Regrets
Well-Known Member
Old motor trade rules:
White Smoke = Water vapour
Black smoke = Unburnt petrol
Blue smoke = Burnt oil
Works for me...
White Smoke = Water vapour
Black smoke = Unburnt petrol
Blue smoke = Burnt oil
Works for me...
oldharry
Well-Known Member
"Old motor trade rules:
White Smoke = Water vapour
Black smoke = Unburnt petrol
Blue smoke = Burnt oil"
Then I wont be using your garage! First - its a diesel! White smoke is either steam from insufficient water being fed to the exhaust - the usual cause in a marine installation, or Unburnt atomised diesel fog from the injectors because the engine is not firing properly - usually low compression or a faulty injector.
Black smoke means excess fuel same as petrol, but different cause - usually overloaded engine due to fouled or oversized prop, or again injector problems. Turbo engines will often overfuel if the throttle is opened sharply on load, and give a cloud of black smoke, which is normal.
Blue smoke in any quantity is rare on a marine diesel, as the cooler engine means the oil may come out as a white fog, thoroughly confusing any diagnosis!
White Smoke = Water vapour
Black smoke = Unburnt petrol
Blue smoke = Burnt oil"
Then I wont be using your garage! First - its a diesel! White smoke is either steam from insufficient water being fed to the exhaust - the usual cause in a marine installation, or Unburnt atomised diesel fog from the injectors because the engine is not firing properly - usually low compression or a faulty injector.
Black smoke means excess fuel same as petrol, but different cause - usually overloaded engine due to fouled or oversized prop, or again injector problems. Turbo engines will often overfuel if the throttle is opened sharply on load, and give a cloud of black smoke, which is normal.
Blue smoke in any quantity is rare on a marine diesel, as the cooler engine means the oil may come out as a white fog, thoroughly confusing any diagnosis!
Andrew_Fanner
Well-Known Member
I have had a smokey engine described as "running rich". Now I'm a bit of a tyro on spannering engines but I did think that the phrase related to petrol engines with carburretor issues. I assume therefore that diesels running rich are overfuelling in some way and need the injector timing fiddled? Or am I talking rubbish?
No Regrets
Well-Known Member
It's quite possible to adjust the mixture on some diesels, and in fact leaning them off reduces performance by a marked degree, while overfuelling to some degree boosts power (Hence the 'chips' you see on Ebay)
I concede a Marine diesl engine differs in some way to a car engine, but until Oldharry can drive his boat down the A1057, I won't miss his custom... /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
A diesel car with an internal water leak will still show white smoke though. I would have thought a leaky water cooled boat exhaust would do this too!?
I concede a Marine diesl engine differs in some way to a car engine, but until Oldharry can drive his boat down the A1057, I won't miss his custom... /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
A diesel car with an internal water leak will still show white smoke though. I would have thought a leaky water cooled boat exhaust would do this too!?
oldharry
Well-Known Member
Ok Andrew _ overfuelling with a diesel is the same as with a petrol engine, resulting in incorrect air/fuel ratio, but different causes: injectors can leak, springs weaken, or get damaged, so that they deliver too much fuel into the cylinder (or too little, which eventually stops it burning and produces white smoke).
The other usual cause of black smoke is when the engine is overloaded for various reasons - damaged or fouled propellor, or even over large propellor can cause it: the cause being that the pump governor is trying to make the engine run faster than the load allows, by delivering extra fuel.
As to driving my car up the A1057 - global warming is not the way they say..... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Because marine diesels normally have watercooled exhausts, steam from an internal leak is rarely noticeable - either because it has been condensed back in the exhaust coolant, or it is mixed with steam generated in the exhaust system anyway.
The other usual cause of black smoke is when the engine is overloaded for various reasons - damaged or fouled propellor, or even over large propellor can cause it: the cause being that the pump governor is trying to make the engine run faster than the load allows, by delivering extra fuel.
As to driving my car up the A1057 - global warming is not the way they say..... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Because marine diesels normally have watercooled exhausts, steam from an internal leak is rarely noticeable - either because it has been condensed back in the exhaust coolant, or it is mixed with steam generated in the exhaust system anyway.
