help, black smoke when accelerating

[locry]

is this normal for a 603 non turbo? its an 87 300d.
i notice i emit black smoke when accelerating hard, its quite embarassing,
any opinions? thanks

[boxscar]

check/ replace air cleaner element.

[JamesStein]

Black smoke = unburned fuel

A good starting point is the air filter. If you don't know the last time it was changed, its probably time to replace it.

[Fisherman]

If it is only on acceleration then it could very well be that it is getting too much fuel (max fuel delivery too rich). This was the case on my 240D such that when you pushed the throttle down to accelerate it opened the IP all the way and it was dumping too much fuel so that it couldn't burn it all.

I admit I know nothing about your motor or car though so this is just a thought... good luck.

[Brian Carlton]

It's quite interesting regarding no turbo on this vehicle. I was under the assumption, clearly wrong, that all 1987 300D vehicles were equipped with the turbocharged 603 engine, the same engine as found in my SDL.

I don't have any experience with the naturally aspirated version, but, as others have posted, the air filter is the first place to start. If the engine cannot get sufficient air at full load, it will smoke. Without a turbo, the intake system needs to have no restrictions.

I would highly doubt the IP is the culprit, at this point.

[locry]

the air filter is 2 months old, so its not that, my 300d is a euro version that's why it doesn't have turbo (it's an option i think), i don't know about what IP i have, I guess its the standard non-turbo one, how and where do i adjust max fuel delivery?

so black smoke is unburned fuel, since my air filter is new, it rules out lack of oxygen, it means the engine is getting too much fuel, it can be the IP delivering too much fuel or could it be injectors? i don't emit smoke under normal loads, just when accelerating... hmmmmm

[Brian Carlton]

I'll get Dave to make an opinion on it. He's one of the most knowledgeable members on the 603.

[h2odiesel]

How do you usually drive the Car? Do you generally ease your way around and only accelerate hard when merging? It could be that you've got some carbon built up in the exhaust and you need to run the engine hard for awhile. Every time I buy a new diesel (and it is far too often) it takes a few weeks of driving them hard to blow out all the crap. These engines thrive on running near full load. Care for it like it was your first born, but drive it like you stole it. Your engine will thank you.

[Brian Carlton]

In thinking about this some more, can you please describe how much black smoke we are talking about here?

I would venture to guess that a n/a diesel will be definitely putting out some black smoke when the rack is fully open because it is necessary to ensure that all the air is consumed and you are making the maximum power available.
This is in contrast to the turbocharged vehicles which always have too much air.

The question is how much?

Is is a touch of smoke that you can see in the rear view, that does not linger?

Or are we talking a cloud of smoke that will remain for 10 seconds or so?

The former is probably normal. The latter is not.

[gsxr]

The advice given so far is correct. If the car is a Euro non-turbo, has new air filter, is blowing a lot of black smoke, and is not carboned up... then it's getting too much fuel. Hard to say how or why, though. I'm assuming your oil consumption is normal (quart per 3000 miles or better) and there is no blue or white smoke under any conditions. I'd give it a healthy Italian tuneup and try a bottle of Red Line Diesel Fuel Catalyst in the next tank (or Lubro Moly Diesel Purge), and see if the smoke lessens. If so, it's probably just carboned up. I'm not sure if a non-turbo 603 pump can have it's ADA (altitude compensator) adjusted or not.

BTW, if your car is a USA vehicle, the VIN will start with WDBEB33, if it's a true Euro car it will be something like WDB124130.

[Hatterasguy]

Tired injectors will smoke, try a diesel purge maybe.

[h2odiesel]

Dave said something that made me want to ask one more question. You don't live in Denver or another high altitude city do you?

[Fisherman]

Has anyone ever seen a N/A IP for one of these cars or have access to a drawing? I swear this sounds a lot like the problems I had on my 240.
If there was a drawing you could probably see the max fuel adjustment screw on it if it has one.

[locry]

it is indeed a euro car. has the 124 digits on the vin
the smoke lingers WHILE accelerating and completely disappears, from the rear view mirror that is, once it upshifts. i get the smoke everytime i accelerate and the tranny downshifts. its more visible at night because i can see the smoke through the headlights on the rear view. i'll try diesel purge or somethng, do i run it through the tank? or through the filter?

[dannym]

Hey,
The purge is done through the filter. It's a simple and easy process.
Check this link:

Click Here

Danny