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[pernix]

owned the dti for 2 1/2 years had no problems sat unused for 6 weeks started first turn of the key drove 10 miles parked up for 20 mins restarted just fine, then after 100yards started running as if on 3 cylinders  engine light on and chucking loads of smoke out the back and very very little power........... Help

[VXL V6]

EGR Valve maybe?

Take it the Rev counter and Speedo are acting normally?

[pernix]

thanks speedo and rev counter ok

[ajsphead]

Lots of black smoke points to lots of unburnt fuel or other particulate matter, so I'd be inclined to break things down into manageable chunks. I'd start by checking any fault codes you have and investigating them first. Remember that diesel engines are pretty straightforward things that need fuel and air in the right ratio and then compression to work.

Off the top of my my I'd expect either too much or too little air getting into the system from the right or from the wrong places, or a faulty injector but lets see what the car has to say first.

[pernix]

no codes showing up  scanner says no codes

[Broomies Mate]

Low on Derv?  The last two nights have been sub-zero.  I'm not saying the temperatures are low enough to wax the Diesel, but it is low enough to allow shite in the tank to rise.

[pernix]

the tank is showing just under 1/4 full ( no refill light on) but has been in there aprox 10 weeks (doesn,t get used much)

[Steve B]

the tank is showing just under 1/4 full ( no refill light on) but has been in there aprox 10 weeks (doesn,t get used much)

get another £20 worth in it 

[ajsphead]

no codes showing up  scanner says no codes

No codes tends to rule out one suggestion which is a dodgy MAF or MAP and tends to point towards a good old fashioned mechanical problem.

Fuel filter
Blocked/faulty injector
Blocked air inlet
Leak off pipes
Splits in any hose/casting related to induction including rebreathers
EGR
Head gasket
Stuck/damaged valve (unlikely)
Stuck/damaged piston ring (unlikely)

I'd whip the inlet manifold off and look at the amount of gunge in it to give a guide to the state of the rest of the system then methodically work through air side, then fuel side then the heavy stuff.

[Nick W]

What colour is the smoke?

Black smoke is unburnt fuel, either too much which is an injection problem, or a lack of compression.
Blue smoke is oil, which coupled with a lack of power is normally a turbo problem. Remove the intake hose and wiggle the impeller; any discernible play means it's knackered. Don't drive it if this is the case!

[pernix]

so far have removed intercooler pipes and all good pretty clean inside and no splits, turbo impeller turns nicely and absolutly no play in it, egr valve removed no great lumps of carbon on it just a slight residue plunger moves easily and can feel breeze through the vacuum point so diaphram should be ok, the inlet manifold feels pretty clean when poking  finger through the egr hole air filter is also clean,so now going to go through fuel side.
the only other thing i can think of is could the timing chain have jumped (the have been no noises from it)

[ajsphead]

My money is on leak off pipes letting air into the mix or dirty/failing injectors.

I take it that, at no point have you let the tank run to the point where you need more than 60L to fill it. There's the obvious risk of pulling up crud off the bottom of the tank, but also the risk of air getting into the fuel mix and damaging the injector control unit. It's not a given failure considering, when I picked up mine a few years ago I put 70.2 litres into it and it's been fine ever since, it's just not worth risking.

When you're checking the fuel side don't forget the rusty plate under the boot floor that sits above the fuel pump and the state of the hoses attached to it. Depending on how much it's disintegrated it could be dropping muck into the fuel.

Don't think a slipped timing chain is likely, the chain and sprocket are far better meshed than with a cambelt, but I think it's an interference engine, so it would be curtains for some of the valves. If experience is anything to go by, you'd here a horrible metal mashing noise.

[pernix]

changed fuel filter (filter housing was clean as a whisle inside) and filled housing with injector cleaning,got it started and it was exactly the same eml on and would not rev over 1500 rpm, let it idle for 20 mins plenty of smoke,then it started to idle smoother but would not rev,then held throttle open and the revs increased to full power and the eml light went out,took it for a drive and all was perfect.
went back to it 4hrs later and  the rough running was back but cleared after 2 mins
 going to check leak off pipes next (but there is no smell of diesel under the bonnet)

[ajsphead]

Sounds like progress. Next time start it with the code reader plugged in and see what it says if the EML comes on. If you can, pop out each injector and look at the spray pattern and whether any of them are dribbling when pressurised. An old jam jar should do the job (but remember to take adequate safety precautions as the fuel is under high pressure).

[pernix]

took a look today no1 leak off pipe came off very easily changed that one it started much better and was perfect after 30 seconds restarted it after 2 hrs and it was back to the bad old way...next tue i will change all the pipes
Not looking forward to it as there is very little room to see it all let alone get to them with main wireing looms and air con pipes in the way