Is your engine or DPF sending smoke signals? Does your car ignition greet you with an unusual cloud of smoke? When unusually coloured smoke starts coming from your exhaust, it can be fairly worrying and may require professional attention. To help put your mind at ease, we’ve put together this quick guide to explain the major kinds of engine or DPF smoke and their characteristics, along with what to do when faced with each.
Black or Grey Smoke
Black or grey smoke may look bad, but it may not actually be the worst news. Black smoke means that your car is quite simply burning too much fuel, or may be completely burning fuel as soon as it enters your engine. While this is an issue for your fuel economy, black DPF smoke likely means that there is an issue with your fuel injection, a diesel particulate filter blockage, return line or pressure regulation. All of these things are easily services and should be repaired before you burn a hole in your wallet with all the extra fuel you’ll have to buy.
White Smoke
White smoke coming from your exhaust can mean one of two things. In colder months, it is fairly common to see a little white smoke come from your exhaust when the condensation that has built up in your engine evaporates. This is harmless and is nothing to worry about, however white exhaust smoke may also mean your fuel injection pump is not working correctly, the timings in the engine motion are faulty or that the engine is overheating. All of these are things that should be looked into before it causes further damage to your car. In petrol cars, white smoke can also mean that your gasket head or cylinder is cracked, or even that coolant is leaking into the engine itself, which can be very dangerous.
Blue Smoke
Blue smoke coming from your exhaust or DPF during regeneration comes from the burning of engine oil. This means that valves or piston rings may be worn out and allowing oil into the engine, or that you’re putting too much oil into the engine. This can be very hazardous and can cause major damage to the engine if left unchecked.
Here at DPF Solutions Sheffield, we can rectify any of these issues by using our Bosch diagnostic software to pinpoint the issue and take the measures required to fix it. If you have any concerns, doubts or questions about how to respond to a sudden cloud from the depths of your engine, contact us and speak to a member of our team today.