Heavy white smoke.

[Sp0_0k]

Just got a weird accident recently.
After driving like half an hour steady rate left the city and was climbing some long hill. Out of nowhere the engine made weird noises struggling and I saw a huge cloud of white smoke behind. Was like several seconds.
Stopped to check it and it smelled pretty bad and still can see a small amount of white smoke from exgaust.
Restarted the engine and not even a sign that anything happened.
There were no errors/warning lights, cooler levels pretty high, oil looks fine. Engine temperature perfect 90.
Drove over an hour after that, like nothing ever happened.

I am still on a tank of 8month old diesel. Might be the fuel got bad or got some water in it.
I regularly had bad rough starts on Cali after months parked in garage.

Recent errors from previous year were EGR exessive flow.. which mostly happened in cold weather. And some older couple errors with turbo.

Any thoughts? Keep observing? The garage will as always say "no errors now" "we see no smoke right now"

 

[RockinNRollin]

White smoke is usually steam, but if it's inconsistent it's unlikely to be a head gasket. Could be as simple as accumulated crud and water in the exhaust and the long uphill drag got the exhaust hot enough to cook it off?

 

[WelshGas]

White smoke is usually steam, but if it's inconsistent it's unlikely to be a head gasket. Could be as simple as accumulated crud and water in the exhaust and the long uphill drag got the exhaust hot enough to cook it off?

Except one wouldn’t expect any weird noises from the engine if that was the case.

 

[willwander]

Check and keep an eye on your oil levels

 

[Alan Andrews]

Check and keep an eye on your oil levels

and the cooling radiator water for any sign of water/oil mix residue.

 

[Betsycalifornia]

Weird noises? a heavy banging noise maybe? Lack of power In the absence of water issues which is the most likely without the other symptoms then I’d be inclined to think unburnt fuel from one or more cylinders not igniting the fuel and it ending up as mist in the exhaust gas. Bit of a long shot though as that’s quite rare then to recover completely.

 

[Perfectos]

You say it smelled pretty bad, what did it smell of ? (Amonia ?)

did you happen to check your Ad blue range before / after ?

Ad blue is delivered into the Exhaust when climbing a hill !

it should be delivered in small amounts, but if it were delivered in a large amount I suspect it would burn off as white smoke

edit: AdBlue goes off and causes Crystals to form In The tank, presumably the crystals may affect the operation of the delivery system.

 

[JohnCalifornia]

My peugeot van did something similar about a year ago. It was doing a re gen for the DPF. The smell was something I have never smelt before , almost chemically and plumes of white smoke coming out of exhaust. Apparently quite a common thing and you normally wouldn’t notice your vehicle doing it as it does it on the move (or should do)

 

[WelshGas]

Just got a weird accident recently.
After driving like half an hour steady rate left the city and was climbing some long hill. Out of nowhere the engine made weird noises struggling and I saw a huge cloud of white smoke behind. Was like several seconds.
Stopped to check it and it smelled pretty bad and still can see a small amount of white smoke from exgaust.
Restarted the engine and not even a sign that anything happened.
There were no errors/warning lights, cooler levels pretty high, oil looks fine. Engine temperature perfect 90.
Drove over an hour after that, like nothing ever happened.

I am still on a tank of 8month old diesel. Might be the fuel got bad or got some water in it.
I regularly had bad rough starts on Cali after months parked in garage.

Recent errors from previous year were EGR exessive flow.. which mostly happened in cold weather. And some older couple errors with turbo.

Any thoughts? Keep observing? The garage will as always say "no errors now" "we see no smoke right now"

So if the Diesel was 8 months old, how old was the AdBlue?

Does AdBlue have an expiry date?


How do you know if Adblue has expired? The best way to tell if Adblue has expired is to check the expiration date on the bottle, container or drum. If it has passed its use-by date, then it is no longer effective and needs to be disposed of. As a rule of thumb, AdBlue can be stored in IBCs or tanks for around one year.

 

[Perfectos]

Adblue does have an expiry date, I think it’s two years From manufacture.
printed on the container

but also if left in the tank when the level is low it will crystallise quicker, presumably oxidation.

I believe you can get a chemical to add to the tank that will break down the crystals. (I have No experience, just read about it somewhere)

a quick Google throws up some product, Wynns make one

 

[Sp0_0k]

Addblue is the same old as I did 15k trip 8 months ago. Don't think it was initially very old on a big truck fuel station.

As for updates. The engine runs pretty rough on cold now, kind of like misfiring.
Slightly different as usual engine noise, more tractor-like.

After adding 45liters of fresh Diesel with additives got a solid check engine light on. What is weird, it came up 100km later after the smoke incident and according to codes, the time is pretty close to when smoke happened that day.

---------------------------------------
2 Faults Found
13169 - Mass Air Flow Sensor (G70)
P0101 00 [236] - Implausible Signal
MIL ON - Intermittent - Confirmed - Tested Since Memory Clear
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00000001
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 6
Mileage: 176184 km
Date: 2024.05.19
Time: 15:40:21

Engine RPM: 1507.75 /min
Normed load value: 0.0 %
Vehicle speed: 84 km/h
Coolant temperature: 89 °C
Intake air temperature: 25 °C
Ambient air pressure: 970 mbar
Voltage terminal 30: 14.531 V
Unlearning counter according OBD: 40
Mass airflow sensor 1 bank 1 airflow: raw value: 543.3 mg/stroke
Standardized air flow ratio: 1.170 counts
Exhaust recirc.valve 1 bank 1: posit.feedback - Actual value: 6.82 %
Throttl.valve adapt. 1 bank 1: posit feedback - Actual value: 0.00 %
Charge air pressure: specified value: 1.007 bar
Absolute intake pressure: 116 kPa abs
Mean injection quantity: 0 mg/stroke

15560 - EGR Sensor 1
P046C 00 [108] - Implausible Signal
Intermittent - Confirmed - Tested Since Memory Clear
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00000001
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 1
Mileage: 176009 km
Date: 2024.04.09
Time: 11:47:30

Engine RPM: 0.00 /min
Normed load value: 0.0 %
Vehicle speed: 0 km/h
Coolant temperature: 90 °C
Intake air temperature: 35 °C
Ambient air pressure: 960 mbar
Voltage terminal 30: 12.632 V
Unlearning counter according OBD: 40
Mass airflow sensor 1 bank 1 airflow: raw value: 0.0 mg/stroke
Exhaust recirc.valve 1 bank 1: posit.feedback - Specified value: 7.13 %
Exhaust recirc.valve 1 bank 1: posit.feedback - Actual value: -3.86 %
Exhaust recirc.valve 1 bank 1: posit.feedback - Offset closed: 0.00 %
Exhaust recirc.valve 1 bank 1: posit.feedback - Raw voltage: 2.369 V
EGR vacuum regulator solenoid valve 1 bank 1: res. Cooling mode stop: 2.206 V
EGR vacuum regulator solenoid valve 1 bank 1: res. Bypass operation stop: 2.560 V

 

[Sp0_0k]

Weird noises? a heavy banging noise maybe? Lack of power In the absence of water issues which is the most likely without the other symptoms then I’d be inclined to think unburnt fuel from one or more cylinders not igniting the fuel and it ending up as mist in the exhaust gas. Bit of a long shot though as that’s quite rare then to recover completely.

Yes it was kind of struggling and choking with classic diesel knocking sounds for like 3-4 seconds. And I saw a huge white cloud behind me.

 

[Graham S]

Most likely the DPF. I had similar on my last Cali - dealer said if the van hasn’t run very much or hasn’t had a long run for a while, filter clogs up and it blows which is the plume of white smoke. Very frightening when it happens.
Dealer also said you should run the engine hard for 10-15 minutes maybe in 4th gear every so often to avoid the build up of particulates in the filter. Fingers crossed it doesn’t recur.

 

[Sp0_0k]

DPF shouldn't affect engine running though I think. And I had some noticeable engine kind of "misfiring" during that smoke.

 

[Graham S]

Just relaying what the dealer told me and it never recurred once I gave the engine a hard run periodically as instructed. When it happened to me the engine definitely coughed and belched before blowing the blockage out.

 

[CALIFORNIA-VW53DUB]

Your scan shows the air mass sensor as a fault, this measures the flow of air, after the air filter, and it is what the ECU then uses to alter the fuel ratio.
If the air mass sensor has gone, it will throw out white smoke, likewise rough running in the cold, the water temperature sensor will say the engine is cold, but the air sensor may be saying the air is hot, and the ECU is not sure what to do. Take it the noise gets better once the van has warmed up?

 

[wildslammer22]

Apologies as this isn’t particularly helpful but not using any vehicle for months on end is rarely good for its health.

As buyers most of us will stress over high mileage when in reality a high mileage but regularly serviced van is likely to be less troublesome than the ultra low mileage Cali’s that appear to be available in high numbers.

 

[Sp0_0k]

The local garage made diagnostics and came up with a pretty wtf statement for me.
They insist that all the problems are caused by the camshaft module and I need to replace it along with the timing belt with around 3k pounds bill.
I am insanely skeptic.
First of all they just "feel from their experience" it is the issue and they can hear it by the sound of the engine alone..
They didn't plan to disassemble and check it, just to replace it right away. Anyway you visually can't tell if camshaft is defective.
Going to other garage for the opinion of course.
Is there the slightest probability they are right?

 

[Perfectos]

The local garage made diagnostics and came up with a pretty wtf statement for me.
They insist that all the problems are caused by the camshaft module and I need to replace it along with the timing belt with around 3k pounds bill.
I am insanely skeptic.
First of all they just "feel from their experience" it is the issue and they can hear it by the sound of the engine alone..
They didn't plan to disassemble and check it, just to replace it right away. Anyway you visually can't tell if camshaft is defective.
Going to other garage for the opinion of course.
Is there the slightest probability they are right?

If it doesn’t feel right !
modern cars are governed by electronic controls, if the vehicle is outside normal operating parameter, it will tell you !
Replacing parts on a whim, is your prerogative, but your scepticism shows a mistrust that is probably well founded

edit: CAM SHAFT SENSOR is £30 not £3k !

Camshaft sensor fail, then crankshaft sensor fail.....

I could do with a bit of advice if anyone has the time, please? Having had our Kombi for 7months now (2016, 150, Highline 47k miles) we have had an awful week with the glow plug lamp flashing up and showing faults. The engine was mis-firing and wouldn't function well over 2000rpm, resulting in...

www.t6forum.com

Camshaft Position Sensor Fault Code P034100

Well, It looks like I have narrowed down my "guilty party" for my slow cranks... New battery, all earth connections cleaned and checked, starter connections checked, fuel filter changed, fuel filter connections checked, all fine... And tonight this error came on. Now, the sensor is not...

www.t6forum.com

vw t6 camshaft sensor

its all on the net if you can be bothered to search

come on you don’t believe what the dealer tells you , you don’t believe what the indie tells you WTF with a £3k bill ! What do you need from the forum to diagnose it yourself? and you have enough tech to respond to technical questions, so what are the other’s queries Other than re assurance?

you have a choice:

a) part with lots of Money = let a dealer loose on replacing parts
b) replace moderate amounts of money letting an indie replace parts based on Experience!
c) find a solution on tinternet? There are many cheaper than the above and doeable by DIY - the choice is yours

 

[Sp0_0k]

The vehicle didn't show any Camshaft errors in 5 years. Only Maf and Erg sensor errors posted above.
Going for 2nd opinion of course to another garage.
Probably a good time to consider selling. 170к done after all.

 

[Sp0_0k]

Technicial clearly mentioned that Camshaft issue will cause engine running rough all that time since timing is off.
In my case it runs like an old tractor on cold, vibrating and low power, but when warmed up runs very smooth and has perfect power.
He mentioned that smoke is due to DPF filter indeed his repair doesn't resolve this and as for EGR plans to just replace the EGR sensor.

 

[pjm-84]

Injectors? MAF sensor? Glowplugs?

Worth buying a VCDS to run through the issue and check the live data.

 

[Perfectos]

Injectors? MAF sensor? Glowplugs?

Worth buying a VCDS to run through the issue and check the live data.

It’ll be cheaper than a £3k “hope it works diagnoses “

 

[sidepod]

There is no such thing as a camshaft module! Cam position sensor yes. Crank position sensor yes and the two need to “learn” each other to function properly.

MAF failure doesn’t create noise, the engine simply won’t pull. In my experience it doesn’t cause smoke either just low power.

It could be a failed belt tensioner which has allowed the cam belt to slip slightly.

The sensible thing is to deal with the codes present first.
If still problematic check the cam timing. Simple enough. Do these engines have variable cam timing? I’ve heard of Golf’s with failed timing control units which are oil pressure controlled and cam driven I think?

 

[pjm-84]

Agree on the MAF but I had a issue on my TD5 and VWs are somewhat more complicated and wouldn't be surprised if it was linked with more important sensors.

Mine caused a miss at high revs which was noticeable. But no smoke (it was typically black anyway due to the tune). However its easy just to disconnect , allow it go default setting, and see if its different.

Timing is another one, but the rough when cold / good when warm is like the diesels of old!

But I would read the codes first and check the live data for the glow plugs / injectors / turbo / camshaft position sensor etc.