Juddering & White Smoke - Diagnosis?

Soldato
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My gf's car (1.9Diesel Clio, non Turbo) started to judder recently, nothing too major just the occasional cough which putting your foot down seemed to fix.

I didn't think it was too serious, something like a fuel filter maybe. We were waiting for a friend of ours to have a look at it, but he's on holiday at the moment.


Anyway about a day or two ago, she tells me it's started to smoke a little out of the exhaust. I had a look today, and it's quite thick white smoke - and it happens when the car is juddering now and seems to go away when it stops juddering.

Any ideas?
 
A similar thing happened to a friends 206. (petrol though). Turned out to be moisture in the air filter housing.
 
PeterNem said:
What is the condition of the engine oil when looking in the oil filler cap?


Seems fine, no moisture in there & there's enough of it. Water was low so I topped it up. I've always been given the impression that white smoke from a diesel was steam? :confused:
 
The white smoke is either unburnt fuel or steam. Check the oil and water for contamination or varying levels as this would indicate a head gasket problem. If its overfuelling then its more than likely either the fuel pump or one of more of the injectors on its way out.

If it does turn out to be overfueling don't waste your time and money with normal garages - get it into a proper diesel fuel injection specialist who will sort it out properly.
 
blueboy2001 said:
The white smoke is either unburnt fuel or steam. Check the oil and water for contamination or varying levels as this would indicate a head gasket problem. If its overfuelling then its more than likely either the fuel pump or one of more of the injectors on its way out.

If it does turn out to be overfueling don't waste your time and money with normal garages - get it into a proper diesel fuel injection specialist who will sort it out properly.

With the water being low, I'll keep an eye on it.

Is there any way to eliminate it being a fuelling problem?
 
Loss of water/juddering/white smoke leads me to think Head gasket.
Or she has put petrol in it and hasn't told you. :p
 
malc30 said:
Loss of water/juddering/white smoke leads me to think Head gasket.
Or she has put petrol in it and hasn't told you. :p


I had thought that, but was hoping that wasn't the case :)


That said, I wouldn't put it past her to stick petrol in it :p
 
as said white smoke from a diesel if not steam is completleyt unburnt fuel (if you have one glowplug that doesent work then you will get white smoke for the first couple of minutes untill that cylinder gets warm enough to ignite the fuel - my nova did this. but since it seems to be just when it feels lik eit i would say an injector, have a check around them and see if you can see/smell diesel around one of them, there not cheep to buy new (we just got 5 new ones for my dads van at £35 each) but one from a scrap yard shouldent be a problem tbh. if it is that. only other option would be in the pump, something to do with timing, if it was over fueling it would be black smoke, like my cars :D

hth Dan
 
minidan said:
as said white smoke from a diesel if not steam is completleyt unburnt fuel (if you have one glowplug that doesent work then you will get white smoke for the first couple of minutes untill that cylinder gets warm enough to ignite the fuel - my nova did this. but since it seems to be just when it feels lik eit i would say an injector, have a check around them and see if you can see/smell diesel around one of them, there not cheep to buy new (we just got 5 new ones for my dads van at £35 each) but one from a scrap yard shouldent be a problem tbh. if it is that. only other option would be in the pump, something to do with timing, if it was over fueling it would be black smoke, like my cars :D

hth Dan


Thanks mate. It's funny you should mention the glow plugs, as it was cold the only times its done it when I've been there. But that wouldn't explain the juddering though would it?
 
if it only does it when its cold then theres a verry good chance it will be the glow plugs, but it shouldent be much of a problem for the first 5 minutes of driving, at least it never was for me, tho still worth changing them, i learnt that the hard way, lol
 
minidan said:
if it only does it when its cold then theres a verry good chance it will be the glow plugs, but it shouldent be much of a problem for the first 5 minutes of driving, at least it never was for me, tho still worth changing them, i learnt that the hard way, lol

It judders at all times, I've just only seen the smoke when it's cold.
 
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