"My kids look at me in a strange way when they see me jump out of the car after I start it and stick my head in the smoke to get a lung full"

They think you've just escaped from a lunatic asylum :p

Eric

A Diesel loonie! yes we are crazy to some people!
I had just parked and a car drove up and the driver got out, the lady asked me if I knew my car was smoking and why did it smoke like that? (she had her kid or grandkid in tow) I replied, "Lady, this car is a fine example of a diesel automobile, with over a quarter million miles on it (I used to have a license plate frame that had those words engraved on it) and when your car has that many miles on it it will likely be in a wrecking yard somewhere". She shut up and walked on!
Dieseldiehard
1971 220 (gas) 4-spd manual 106441
1979 300TD w/ ’85 turbo engine 295530
1983 300D 243280
1985 300TD 217300
1987 300D 258230

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'95 E320 Wagon my favorite road car. '99 E300D wolf in sheeps body, '87 300D Sportline suspension, '79 300TD w/ 617.952 engine at 367,750 and counting!

All old diesels smoke a bit when first started up, more so when it is colder. However if the smoke is blue it could be oil, but you said your oil consumption went down so I don't think you are burning any oil. Does it run a little rough at first? How much smoke? When the valve guides wear they can spew a nice cloud of dark blue smoke, my Toyota did this. Mine smokes a little in the morning, it is light gray. But maybe it could be blueish if the light hit it right, diesel is an oil. I will have to look more closely tomarrow morning.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I see you live in Philly so you will get a nice cold winter, is this your first one? As the temps go down the amount of smoke goes up!

One of the girls at the store I work in (she is very hot btw ) noticed that my car was making "weird sounds" one day. She didn't know what diesel was or that some cars run on it.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Yes, it will be my first winter with the car. I was wondering if the smoke was due to the cold weather. It's been dropping down to around 40 at night around here so I guess that's got something to do with it.

I just made sure I had voltage at all the glow-plugs. Joy! Didn't measure the resistance yet. I guess I'll have to take the crossover pipe off to change the little beggers!

Dave

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1986 300SDL

hope you were able to 'educate' her then

btw, that yellow sdl up here is gone and i understand that a fellow member bought another sdl that the same guy had for sale....
i have encouraged pics.

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1984 300D Turbo - 231k....totalled 11/30/07 RIP

No unfortunitly the blonde runs deep in her. But thats ok candy for the eyes.

It did sell? I wonder who bought it?

daverdla I had to remove my intake manifold to get all of them. Not to bad of a job it also gave me an oppertunity to clean all of the tar the egr left behind out. One more thing you should replace, on the drivers side right behind the headlight their is a black box. Pop off the cover and you will see a metal 80amp strip fuse. It is for the glowplugs and is only $.69 on Fastlane you should replace it and carry a spare with you.

Order a new block heater cord while your at it their only $12.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Rats! I just ordered 6 glow plugs, two strip fuses but not the cord for the block heater. I'll save that one for my next order. I also ordered, just for the heck of it, a new air filter and new fuel filters.

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1986 300SDL