What's with the white smoke????

[gsgator]

What\'s with the white smoke????

I have a new Branson 2910 (15 hours) and at start up it smokes a little. This is somewhat normal, and it goes away after a couple of minutes so it doesn't concern me. The last 2 days or so though, at 540 speed (2450-2500 RPM) the smoke comes back and worse than at startup. An uncle of mine tells me I need to get this checked immediately because it means I have an air/fuel mix problem. I checked the air intake and filter and it was fine. In previous posts, I've read about the bad fuel and/or moisture in the tank issues and will see if those help. Is something like this normal during the break-in period for small diesels?

 

[Henro]

Re: What\'s with the white smoke????

Don't put much faith in my answer because I am not sure of it...But...

I want to think that white smoke from a diesel is a sign of water in the fuel...

I have no experience with this as the place I buy my fuel is real high quality. Black smoke on start is normal and just the result of some uncombusted fuel coming out during the first turn of the crank...

Hopefully someone who really knows can give a better answer, but at least this is a start....

 

[Keoke]

Re: What\'s with the white smoke????

Gator,
1. White smoke means water in combustion chamber from fuel or cooling system.
2. Blue smoke means engine oil in combustion chamber.
3. Black smoke means too much fuel or not enough air at combustion.

Small or slow internal coolant leaks usually give white smoke only when engine is cold (startup) due to residual bulidup while engine is sitting. When engine heats up, coolant/water vaporize's quickly and smoke is no longer visible.
However, on some engines a little bit of white smoke from exhaust is normal on startup. This is especially true in cold weather.

cheers,

 

[thcri]

Re: What\'s with the white smoke????

My tractor has had white smoke at start up almost since day 1. I have had water in my fuel from day 1 but have been able to keep it under control from using conditioners. So are you telling me I could have a coolant leak also. I don't see any drop in the fluid in the radiator?

murph

 

[Keoke]

Re: What\'s with the white smoke????

Murph, if coolant is holding your cooling system looks to be solid. Water contamination of diesel fuel is common.
Give my post a slow read.
Nice to hear from you.

cheers.

 

[btolle]

Re: What\'s with the white smoke????

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I have had water in my fuel from day 1 but have been able to keep it under control from using conditioners.)</font>

I ordered one of the Mr. Funnel things a couple of days ago. It is supposed to prevent any water from getting through the funnel. Several people on these forums seem to be satisfied with them. The smallest one was $10.99 + $9 shipping.

Mr. Funnel web page

Bill Tolle

 

[thcri]

Re: What\'s with the white smoke????

Every time I see an ad here on TBN for "Mr. Funnel" I tell myself I should order one. Just about everytime I start my tractor in the colder weather and get the white smoke I say "I should order Mr Funnel. Well guess what, I ordered Mr Funnel just a few minutes ago. I got the Non Conductive one, the medium one.

So I will let you all know if it helps or not.


murph

 

[v8dave]

Re: What\'s with the white smoke????

White smoke at start-up can be unburned diesel fuel. White smoke under load is likely a bad head gasket or, less likely, a bad injector. Either or both of these can be caused by a poor spray pattern from a [bad] fuel injector.

However, in cold weather it is not unusual to see white smoke from a diesel engine at start-up. This cloud does not disperse easily and clearly smells odd, somewhat like flaming diesel fuel, you usually can't avoid getting a whiff of it. Although, I would avoid intentionally standing in the cloud breathing the stuff. This white smoke goes away when the engine is fully warmed up.

White smoke that easily disperses into whispy clouds is steam and may be water in the fuel or a bad head gasket as others have noted. This white cloud also goes away when the engine is warmed up.

I'd look at the radiator water level as others have suggested. If it is staying up, try a short run with the air cleaner off (disconnected and removed). If the problem goes away, replace the filters. Don't try this in a dusty environment.

If the air filters are ok after the above check and you are fairly certain it is fuel smoke (test by smell) not water vapor, pull the fuel injectors out and take them to a fuel injection shop and have them check the pattern and relief pressure (look in the yellow pages under "Engines-Diesel" or "Fuel Injection-Sales & Service", almost any heavy duty truck diesel injector shop can do this). Don't try to check the spray yourself if you haven't done this before. This can be very dangerous as diesel can be easily injected into your skin.

If you are uncomfortable pulling the injectors, have the tractor dealer perform the check. Although, unless your dealer is a really big shop, they will likely take the injectors to a specialist too. You might be able to trailer your tractor to the specialist shop and have them pull the injectors, call first to see if they'll do it, it could save a few bucks.

Just in case, I'll add a comment about Black smoke too. Continuous black smoke under load is a rich mixture and could be injection pump settings or a bad injector spray pattern. Black smoke at heavy load initiation could be normal or an injection pump/governor setting over shoot at load down. [I.e., they send too much fuel to the injectors/engine in over compensating for engine slow down.] Check with your dealer before you worry much about this.

v8dave edit: I reread your post after I put this one up. I see you have a nearly new tractor. If you diagnose an injector problem, get the dealer to take care of it, it should be covered under warranty.

 

[gsgator]

Re: What\'s with the white smoke????

Thanks for the advice. I'll try the air filter first, then some fuel additive for water. If that doesn't work then I'll bug the dealer. On that note, can a dealer refuse to do warranty work if the tractor was not purchased from him. The reason I ask is I got a better (mucho dinero) deal from a dealer out of town and have now heard that the dealer in my area is not honoring warranty service unless the tractor is bought from him.

 

[v8dave]

Re: What\'s with the white smoke????

Add the fuel additive for water as a precaution.

I didn't write the air cleaner test very clearly. I meant to say: check the engine under load. Taking the air cleaner off at start-up won't be enough. Load up the engine with a hard load and see if it smokes. Do this just before you remove the air cleaner too. That way you'll have a fresh image of how much smoke there is.

Also, when I say white smoke at cold start-up, I mean overnight temperatures around or below freezing. None of my diesels white smoked until it got down below 40 degrees or so.

I have no idea how the Branson dealerships are set up. If each dealer is acting as their own importer then you may have trouble with your local dealer.

If you decide you have a fuel injection problem, then before you contact the local dealer, check with Branson USA and get their version of how warranty repair should work. Write down the name and number of who you talk to in case you have difficulty with the dealer.