White smoke in Diesel

[Caolan]

Hey there,

I have a Vetus 3.09 with 700hrs on it. I just recently started seeing the issue when I try and turn over my diesel, it makes a smell like plastic burning, and white smoke comes out. After a bit of running, it clears up. Since I have never had any issues with this engine before this, the research seems to indicate there is water or particulates in the fuel. I checked the two external fuel filters and drained some out of it and it looks sludgy.

I got some BioGuard https://www.westmarine.com/buy/valvt...9?recordNum=13
however there are no instructions on how to apply it. I have a 30gallon tank which is almost full. I would hate tho have to get new fuel.

Do I put the full 16oz into it?

What else should I check to clear this up?

Thanks!
-Caolan.

[a64pilot]

The label on that bottle should peel off showing several pages underneath.
Likely that bottle will treat something like 900 gls or so, 400 gls as a shock treatment.
I'd open up the label, read the instructions and use the strength that is for a shock treatment for a couple of tanks, then back off to the maintenance level.
It's going to be something like 1/4 oz per full tank of fuel or something similar.

[Caolan]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

The label on that bottle should peel off showing several pages underneath.
Likely that bottle will treat something like 900 gls or so, 400 gls as a shock treatment.
I'd open up the label, read the instructions and use the strength that is for a shock treatment for a couple of tanks, then back off to the maintenance level.
It's going to be something like 1/4 oz per full tank of fuel or something similar.

I did check that and it didn't have anything... Unless they are really thin pages sticking together. I'll look again. Do you know what the white smoke is?

[a64pilot]

Here, looks like the bottle will treat 420 gls at the "kill rate"
http://www.valvtect.com/marineFuelAdditives.asp

[Caolan]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Here, looks like the bottle will treat 420 gls at the "kill rate"
ValvTect - Marine Fuel Additives

Yes that is the one but there was nothing on their site that indicates how much to add to the fuel.

[gamayun]

It doesn't seem to me that water or sludge in the fuel would cause the smoke because wouldn't the engine NOT start at all? I don't mean to hijack your thread, but I'm curious about this issue, too, as I've been increasingly seeing more white smoke on start up. I recently read that running a diesel lightly can "crust up" (technical term, ya know) the injectors and cause this. Anyone know of this? Mine runs great after the initial plume (so I've also thought it might be unburnt carbon) and it doesn't do it when starting up on a warm engine.

[Gary Matthesen]

In NY, I see your in Washington, the water is pretty cold this time of the year. Cold water being taken in for engine cooling, then shot into a hot wet exhaust hose can cause white steamy sort of smoke. My boat had this last spring, cleared up in warmer weather. Nigel Caulder also remarks about this in his Diesel Book.

[Scot McPherson]

the white smoke is water, it's steam

[Scot McPherson]

Originally Posted by gamayun

It doesn't seem to me that water or sludge in the fuel would cause the smoke because wouldn't the engine NOT start at all? I don't mean to hijack your thread, but I'm curious about this issue, too, as I've been increasingly seeing more white smoke on start up. I recently read that running a diesel lightly can "crust up" (technical term, ya know) the injectors and cause this. Anyone know of this? Mine runs great after the initial plume (so I've also thought it might be unburnt carbon) and it doesn't do it when starting up on a warm engine.

Carbon doesn't burn, but unburnt fuel would make smoke black...water makes smoke white. A properly running engine that is loaded properly shouldn't produce any readily visible smoke.

[Teknishn]

White smoke indicates unburned fuel. Black smoke indicates a rich fuel to air mixture. Your white smoke problem could be caused by a few things:

1. Engine timing is off until the engine warms up (it's retarded, not advanced)
2. Engine head intake valves require minor adjustment
3. Worn components in the fuel injector pump assembly (but usually doesn't stop after engine warm up)
4. Worn injectors with excessive wear (White smoke might stop after warm up, but usually not)
5. Air getting into the fuel system due to worn/tired fuel lines (usually the flexible ones go first).

Cold weather can also affect a normally good running diesel engine, with white smoke being an indicator that some component of the fuel delivery system is beginning to fail.

[Scot McPherson]

Originally Posted by Gary Matthesen

In NY, I see your in Washington, the water is pretty cold this time of the year. Cold water being taken in for engine cooling, then shot into a hot wet exhaust hose can cause white steamy sort of smoke. My boat had this last spring, cleared up in warmer weather. Nigel Caulder also remarks about this in his Diesel Book.

Maybe, but I would NOT suspect it right at startup...the engine is cold at startup, and the water should be flowing through the system while it's warming up. If water isn't reaching the engine until it's hot enough to boil water, then there is a whole different problem going on.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Scot McPherson

the white smoke is water, it's steam

If steam, then it will very quickly dissipate.
However a cold Diesel it's very common to have white smoke at start up, that is unburned fuel.
A little extreme example, but does illustrate the point.
Do you have glow plugs?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VgesIyFhVU

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Caolan

Yes that is the one but there was nothing on their site that indicates how much to add to the fuel.

Check my math, warning I am bad at math so check it.
16 oz bottle treats 460 gl of fuel
there are 128 oz in 1 gl, so therefore 460 gl is 58880 oz
divide 58880 by 16 gives a ratio of 3680 to 1
divide 3680 by 128 to turn oz to gl gives you 28.75

so if my math is right, one oz per 28.75 gl is perfect for the "kill ratio" so put 1 oz per tankful

[Caolan]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Check my math, warning I am bad at math so check it.
16 oz bottle treats 460 gl of fuel
there are 128 oz in 1 gl, so therefore 460 gl is 58880 oz
divide 58880 by 16 gives a ratio of 3680 to 1
divide 3680 by 128 to turn oz to gl gives you 28.75

so if my math is right, one oz per 28.75 gl is perfect for the "kill ratio" so put 1 oz per tankful

Thanks. The company actually responded back (I had written to them once before and got crickets). They said 1oz to every 12gal of fuel.

[Scot McPherson]

Originally Posted by Teknishn

5. Air getting into the fuel system due to worn/tired fuel lines (usually the flexible ones go first).

Air getting into the fuel system should shut the engine down. Not a whole lot of diesel engines continue running if there is a stream of air flowing into the fuel lines.