Smoking Audi A4 Avant 1.9 TDi 115

[parmaham]

Hi all,

Sorry if this has been covered before but this is my first post....!

I have noticed that my A4 smokes when accelerating. It seems to do this only when there is moderate to full acceleration applied. I've had the filters and oil changed recently and i would also point out that when the vehicle is stationary and i rev the car hard it doesn't seem to smoke.

Its smokes a little bit when first used in the morning, but this stops after a minute or two. It seems to be a grey / white smoke (don't think it's blue, but i keep looking in the mirrors instead of the road ahead - hmm....) I'm becoming a little paranoid due to the fact my previous TD car (not an Audi) smoked like a chimney (blue smoke) and cost too much to repair in the end.

If i'm driving along the motorway at a constant speed then apply acceleration, it is noticable as a puff of smoke and then it seems to stop. It's more noticable at night due to the headlights behind and not glaringly obvious in the day.

I would also add that the car seems to be economical in terms of fuel and performs extremely well.

I just wondered if this is reasonably normal or if it is / could be a reason for concern?

I appreciate your time for looking.

[Eshrules]

what age/mileage is the car m8? it could just be fair wear and tear TBH, sa you probably know, diesels do smoke a little when booted, even the newest most refined diseasels do it. if its a fair age and mileage, i really wouldnt be too concerned. white smoke is the worst as ive been told this is a sign of a failed head gasket etc. blue smoke is the burning of oil im told. if you're simply seeing a bit of grey when you put your foot down a bit, i really wouldnt be too bothered. if you're worried though, you could always speak to a friend in a garage and ask them to check the emissions to put ur mind at ease?

[parmaham]

The car is a 2001 model with 87000 miles. Would an emissions test be able to pick it up due to the car not smoking when stationary or revved when stationary?

Thanks for the reply.

[Eshrules]

im a bit stumped now lol if the car is only smoking when in motion and not when you rev the engine when stationary, that would suggest to me something other than simply the 'engine' as a unit. it could well be that when the engine is under load that it is starting to smoke, which would suggest it is burning oil? how long into a journey does it begin to display symptoms? or is it not appearing to be time-specific? it sounds as if it is doing it when warm and placed under constant load, in which case an emissions test would probably help as long as the car has been warmed and the situation simulated.

[parmaham]

It does not seem to be time specific. It will smoke as soon as accelerated in motion (from cold or warm), but this will only be in terms of a puff and a bit of smoke - noticable however - and stops after a second or two, even when accelerating is continued at the same rate.

Appreciate your reply.

[adamss24]

Dont worry about it mate ! Diesel engines smoke as soon as you boot them because most of the time they run lean and when at WOT the pump will inject more fuel to keep up with the ammount of air that goes into the cylinders. Soon after the ECU detects the overfuelling and it will tell the pump to cut back the injected quantity ! Black/grey smoke= overfuelling, blue= burning oil, white/grey= burning coolant-blown head gasket ! Merry X-mas !

[parmaham]

Thanks for the reply. I'll stop worrying about it as it seems to make sense with regards to the overfueling thing.

Cheers all.

[dgh938peg]

Have been driving two diesels recently. My boss's 1.9tdi A4 with 33k and my 1.9tdi A6 with 107k - both multitronic and 130bhp both smoke when you bury the pedal. Checked with my dad who works for Audi (well used to, no retired) and is a "characteristic" of diesel engines. So if like you say it ain't blue and you ain't losing performace then I wouldn't worry.

Cheers, Audimandan