loss of power - blue smoke

[Tomas]

Gentlemen,

From time to time my 300Tdi just loses a power.

I have to go from gear 4 to 3, than to 2 and sometimes I'm happy to make it home on the first gear.

It looks to me like if the engine runs only on 3 or 2 cilinders.

When I stop and just push the gas pedal all the way down, I can feel that the engine does not run smoothly.

Looking at the mirror, I can see standard smoke, than lage chunk of blue smoke folowed by black clowd.

Once I get the black one, the engine seems to be running OK again - but usualy not for long.

The black clowd looks exactly to what I have when I'm starting the engine at any time.

What helps is to leave the car stand still for 30 min or more. Than it is OK for few Km again.

Also, it does not happen all the time. Usually I do not experience this problem when driving short distances.

But, some long distances are OK, and some are just pain - like today.

So what it can be?

- injectiuon?

- fuel filter?

- water condensation in the tank?

- time belt?

Considering that I covered already over 10 Km with the problem on - do I have to start looking for a new Catalysator already?

Any advice is wellcomed.

Thanks,

Tomas

[titan]

by loss of power do you mean it wont go past a certain rpm ??? i have a seemler problem with my disco it wouldnt pass 2000rpm and we have trased it all the way back to a blockage/brake in the pipe or sender unit after we by past it (routed on the return pipe at the lift pump) it ran perfect i know it isnt a perfect soloution but it may help

there is lots of threads on here refrence these problems have you tryed searching on the site ???

[Tomas]

Thanks herpmad,

I would say it is not linked to rpm. I can get it higher down the hill. There is just now power - climbing hill up, I have to go lower and lower in the gear. Actually even maintainingbteh same speed is not easy.

And the loss of power goes in the blocks, like 4 clylineds, all OK, than 3 cylinders, power loss, but OK to maintain the speed, 2 cylinders - speed goes rapidly down and I thing about getting out and start pushing.

I have searched the forum for similar threads - actually, I it can be just anything, but likelly connected with the fuel flow and injection.

Thx anyway,

T.

[Bluemoon]

is the engine the same when parked, you may have a blockage, I replace my pipes only to find it was no better , then found a lump of silcone/rubber in the banjo bolt at the filter, a quick way of test is using a outboard tank , bypassing the main tank and fuel line, then the filter if needed, then you know what sections to look at

Brian

[Tomas]

Difficult to say. I have the problem only after driving for a while. The engine usually runs OK just after the start.

However, when stopped with the problem on - I would say that the engine runs OK until I push the gas pedal. On the free-wheel it seems to be OK.

I guess you may be right - it seems to be associated with quantity of diesel that gets into the engine.

But, then, what would be the blue smoke ? I was in opinion that it is the un-burned diesel - at least it smells that way.

Thx,

[TimR]

Perhaps its a cracked fuel line - they sometimes go near the nipple ends. I had a little spate of them going. As the hairline crack slowly opened under pressure it would loose power to the extent that I was only driving on 3 cylinders. Open up the bonnet give it a rev by and see if you can see any leaks.