Dodge Turbo Diesel Billowing Smoke While Towing

[scurvy]

Originally Posted By: rslifkin
cramming too much fuel in, resulting in incomplete combustion, can raise EGTs.
That's the other side of the coin from my understanding - excess fuel up to a point can lower cylinder temps, above that point it raises EGT.

 

[rslifkin]

In a gas engine, extra fuel lowers temps. In a diesel, it could possibly lower them in some cases, but in many (being that many are extreme cases, producing significant black smoke), it raises them.

 

[gathermewool]

Originally Posted By: 97f150
Yep flipping the bird in disapproval when you are sticking your nose in others business is the responsible thing to do.

I grew out of that in high school.


I'm sorry if I offended you, bud. I felt bad for doing it, but after driving behind his noxious cloud of fumes for that long I was pretty heated. It wasn't like this was some old timer with an older truck and an older camper. This truck was brand spanking new with a mirror-finish polish and so was his camper. Everything about this guy screamed, "to heck with the rest of you! Can't you see how bad my truck and camper are?" I didn't even think to look under the truck for a set of swinging truck nuts :/

I didn't pace him, cut him off or show any other signs of aggression, either. I flipped the bird as a way to calm myself down and then moved on with the rest of my mostly enjoyable and uneventful trip home.

I started the thread for educational purposes more than to rant or vent, though it served both purposes Thanks again for every one who posted with good info.

 

[scurvy]

Originally Posted By: rslifkin
In a gas engine, extra fuel lowers temps. In a diesel, it could possibly lower them in some cases, but in many (being that many are extreme cases, producing significant black smoke), it raises them.

Good to know. I've read both sides, that raising fueling can raise EGT or lower EGT in diesels. As long as you're not getting white smoke (unburned fuel) it probably has the net effect of raising EGT in most cases... but I've seen some YEEEEEHAWWW TRUUUUCKS that have shot plumes of white then black smoke as the driver decided to roll coal.

 

[mechtech2]

Diesel smoke?
Black smoke =fuel.
White smoke= oil - usually from a blown turbo seal .

 

[scurvy]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Diesel smoke?
Black smoke =fuel.
White smoke= oil - usually from a blown turbo seal .

Oil smoke is usually blue, but a blown turbo seal typically makes the engine redline ASAP so you don't get much chance to admire it.
White smoke is coolant or unburned fuel. Watch a semi start up in the winter, it starts out smoking white and then black as the cylinders start up and begin combustion.

 

[rslifkin]

With diesels, smoke is a little harder to ID by color. Blue is oil. Black is partly burned fuel. White can be oil, but is usually either coolant or completely unburned fuel.

Scurvy - A blown turbo seal on the intake side will cause that runaway condition. On the exhaust side, it'll just spew oil and smoke out the exhaust.

 

[slammds15]

Thank you to the last two posters, correct on all counts.

 

[scurvy]

Originally Posted By: rslifkin
A blown turbo seal on the intake side will cause that runaway condition. On the exhaust side, it'll just spew oil and smoke out the exhaust.
The vast majority of all the turbo seal blowouts I've seen the aftermath of have always at least blown out the intake labyrinth seals (if not both). But you are correct, it is possible to only fail the hot side seals which would send the oil out the exhaust pipe.

 

[slammds15]

The fellow who taught the duramax course had a comical story for us, it involved a super awesome K&N filter and an idiot. The teacher of the course was doing some engine work at the shop, he left to go to the washroom and when he came back he checked it over and fired it up. It then went to 10 Billion RPM or so it seemed and promptly detonated scattering Isuzu parts everywhere. Well, he pooped his pants a little. He was left wondering what he had missed or done wrong. After further investigation he found a now dry K&N air filter with oil everywhere. The fellow who owned the truck had come in when the tech was in the can and plopped in his new super awesome filter with the entire filter charger bottle of oil on/in it. Too the customers dismay there was no longer any warranty.

This story relates to the turbo spewing oil, if its oil smoke from a turbo, well that's just a bad scene. I do realize that in larger trucks it would take quite a while to fill the ACC, but the turbo being linked directly to the filter header for oil supply in most cases, it wouldn't take long. The engine would run on ungoverned by throttle if the intake side failed. If the exhaust side had failed, oil would be everywhere and the smoke would be constant. Oil smoke is generally not as excessive by any means as fuel smoke. It is also typically piston ring/sleeve related.

 

[slammds15]

Another point I failed to mention is that generally if the seals fail to the point of visible smoke the turbo turbine and impeller are missing pieces.