Black Smoke

[Prepilot_3ck]

I just noticed on my last trip, when I start up the engine on my DP I get visible black/blue smoke coming from the exhaust. It eventually goes away, until I get on the gas hard, then I see it again. It's not smoke'n like a locomotive, but I can see it. I've never noticed it before, but honestly I've never looked.

If I'm off that gas, I don't see anything, on the gas it's visible again.

Is this normal? Is this a sign of a problem?

Thanks,
Brian

[HookMeUp]

Normal. The black you see when accelerating is unburned fuel, this will happen when you accelerate because there is some lag in the turbo as it begins to spool up. When the turbo catches up you will see that the exhaust will clear up. In high altitudes you will probably see more often because of thin air. The black/blue smoke at startup is normal also until the engine warms up, especially on an older engine with miles on it.

[NWJeeper]

I'm not familiar with diesels to much myself but have heard that a clogged or very dirty air cleaner can lead to some smoking problems. Is this a possibility?

[Prepilot_3ck]

Originally Posted by HookMeUp

Normal. The black you see when accelerating is unburned fuel, this will happen when you accelerate because there is some lag in the turbo as it begins to spool up. When the turbo catches up you will see that the exhaust will clear up. In high altitudes you will probably see more often because of thin air. The black/blue smoke at startup is normal also until the engine warms up, especially on an older engine with miles on it.

Very cool. I was around 7000-8000 feet when I noticed it. Whew. I feel better.

THanks,
Brian