Is this smoke excessive for cold start?

[Lumpskie]

Hey guys,

My wife drove the Landcruiser today, which gave me a chance to look at it from the outside while it was running. I noticed that, when she started it, there was a little white smoke coming out of the exhaust. Then, when she accelerated onto the road, I saw this:


Is this smoke something to worry about? Sorry for the NOOB question but this is my first diesel

 

[IanB]

What was the ambient temp when this happened? Was this at idle or as she accelerated away?

Old, mechanical diesels can be smokey, lots of factors that could be at play. This could range from "injectors and pump need a rebuild", to "normal out of these things" responses from other owners. Even the kind of fuel you're running can have an impact on smokiness it seems.

One thing I've found cleans it up on my truck is when installing a new fuel filter, I fill it up with seafoam, seems to make a difference the few times I've tried it.

 

[Lumpskie]

What was the ambient temp when this happened? Was this at idle or as she accelerated away?

Old, mechanical diesels can be smokey, lots of factors that could be at play. This could range from "injectors and pump need a rebuild", to "normal out of these things" responses from other owners. Even the kind of fuel you're running can have an impact on smokiness it seems.

One thing I've found cleans it up on my truck is when installing a new fuel filter, I fill it up with seafoam, seems to make a difference the few times I've tried it.

Thanks for the reply. The temperature was about 50 degrees F when this happened. I took 3 pictures right when she pressed the gas and this was the smokiest one. Before and after, the camera couldn't pick up the smoke at all. The pump was rebuilt, as were injectors, by the previous owner. But, I can't remember how many years ago that was. I'll have to check the receipt stack.

 

[mudgudgeon]

A puff of dark smoke from these is normal as you hit the throttle from standing start.
You can tune it out to a certain extent, but will affect performance. you need plenty of fuel available as you come off idle to get decent throttle response and to give the turbo a decent shot of exhaust gas to help it spool up.

If what you were setting was just a puff that dissipates almost immediately as your wife moves off, I'd say it's as it should be.
You usually can't see this while driving, sometimes you'll see it if a cars headlights light it up on the right angle.
It can be helpful to follow behind while someone else is driving your truck to see if and when it smokes.
A bit of a puff taking off, or a bit of sooty smoke on initial hard acceleration is normal, or on a hard uphill run, unless you've tuned it for grandma Lumpskie to drive it.

Note, a puff is not a big cloud, nor a sustained cloud

 

[MonsterCruiser]

Even the kind of fuel you're running can have an impact on smokiness it seems.

I've noticed this for sure. I've been filling up from Shell down in Blaine WA and my truck smokes way more than any station I buy from up in Canada. I find my truck is least smokey when I fill up at Husky. My truck is also more smokey if I've only done short trips for a while and winter diesel is worse too.

 

[Lumpskie]

Thanks for the info, you guys. It's definitely just a puff of smoke, not a trail. And it seems to be more pronounced at startup. So, for now, I'll worry about something else. ...and maybe shop around for a different station for fuel, just to see if it makes a difference.

 

[cruisedeisel]

What smoke? Time to turn up the fuel I gave my brother another 10 HP in 5 mins. Those trucks are so easy to tune.

 

[IanB]

I've noticed this for sure. I've been filling up from Shell down in Blaine WA and my truck smokes way more than any station I buy from up in Canada. I find my truck is least smokey when I fill up at Husky. My truck is also more smokey if I've only done short trips for a while and winter diesel is worse too.

Husky blends with biodiesel, which is suppposed to be one of the very best lubricity additives you can use, FYI. I fill mine up at Co-Op and add my own additives, and collect that cheque, lol.

 

[Douglas S]

Husky blends with biodiesel, which is suppposed to be one of the very best lubricity additives you can use, FYI. I fill mine up at Co-Op and add my own additives, and collect that cheque, lol.

From what I've been told by people that work at the refinery here, Co-op also blends biodiesel into their fuel.

 

[IanB]

From what I've been told by people that work at the refinery here, Co-op also blends biodiesel into their fuel.

Hmmm, I wonder if all Co-ops fuel is the same spec?

 

[tweeek]

My smoke is similar on cold start, and dissipates after the truck has run a couple km and warmed up

 

[45Kevin]

I thought all diesel in Canada had to contain a small percentage of biodiesel by law.
When the idea was proposed about 8 years ago it was 5 percent, but I think it had been reduced to 2% by the time it got enacted.

OP, what smoke?

 

[Laughingjackal]

Mudgudeon nailed it. My HJ60 gives off a cloud of smoke on a cold start. After that is smokes on acceleration similar to your photo.

 

[John Galt]

I thought all diesel in Canada had to contain a small percentage of biodiesel by law.
When the idea was proposed about 8 years ago it was 5 percent, but I think it had been reduced to 2% by the time it got enacted.

OP, what smoke?

It's still a 5% requirement, but that's based on volume of biodiesel added per year and the distributor's annual fuel volume, so it will vary but is not supposed to be less than 2% . Biodiesel not only adds lubricity, but it also significantly reduces particulate emissions, aka. 'smoke'.

 

[IanB]

It's still a 5% requirement, but that's based on volume of biodiesel added per year and the distributor's annual fuel volume, so it will vary but is not supposed to be less than 2% . Biodiesel not only adds lubricity, but it also significantly reduces particulate emissions, aka. 'smoke'.

Good info there. So that 5% requirement is for the distributor (brand), and not the refinery?

Where are you located again @John Galt?