every diesel additive (kamil's post about red-line made me think about this..) claims to reduce smoke, but my car does not smoke!

is the light mist behind the car at night what youall call smoke? or should it be thick black smoke like freightliners on the interstate?

im a self-diagnosed worrywort and if its supposed to smoke then dammit, i want it to!

i had a bit of grey smoke that smelled strongly of unburned fuel but a new air filter cleared it up(?)

i was at the burger king getting lunch and the lady commented that my car smelled like a gas heater, there was an auto-parts place next door so i stopped before eating my nummie greaseball on wonderbread.

oh yeah and i lost the wing-nut to the air cleaner, should i worry about that? i dont think i dropped it into an open engine, though...

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DAG-NAB-IT~!

THANK you for reminding me that my car has an AIR FILTER.

My car was always smokeless, even wide open throttle, until recently. Fuel economy has dropped from 31 mpg earlier in the summer to 23 - 24 mpg. Step on the go pedal now, and the traffic behind my tailpipe is buried in thick smog.

IT'S BEEN ALMOST 15K miles since I've checked mine....OH sure, change the fuel filters, replace lines, fasten clamps, check for leaks, clean switchover system, but I overlooked the most obvious. I'm sure the car can't breathe.

Any diesel is supposed to smoke a little. At night, heck, I can see smoke from my gasser at WOT. A diesel's emissions particulates are large, and thus the luminiscence from headlights exaggerates the visual output. It is normal, and it sounds like your car is in great shape.

Chances are the wing nut just dropped to the bellypan. Just go under and reclaim your nut. More than likely it has already slid out from behind, however. Get a new one at an auto retail store. Is that not the only bolt that fastens the cover?

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1987 300SDL (324000)

1986 Porsche 951 (944 Turbo) (166000)

1978 Porsche 924 (99000)

1996 Nissan Pathfinder R50 (201000)

mine only smokes at WOT and that is what I am trying to solve. I never floor the car and I press the pedal to a certain point and then it begins to smoke. Maybe I should just drive it around like a maniac so it gets some workout in the forbidden WOT range... ?

Like I said, I never go into the forbidden smoking "zone"...maybe that is my problem ?

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Audi TT

heh heh

Kamil--

i have a 240d automatic in central alabama, it isnt mountainous, but it is VERY hilly, to run the air conditioner on the interstate and keep up(rather...barely avoid being run over by yukons and caravans lol) with traffic, i have *have* to run WOT or risk my safety!

DSL-

you should buy one of those little notebooks thats like, a miniature composition book. keep track of what you do and your weekly mileage and such, itll remind you! i like to forget things beyond oil changes as well. mostly lately it has been fueling before the little red light comes on, i hate that it comes on so late, like 10 minutes before the car sputters and runs out of fuel heh heh

Anyone Else-

how often are we supposed to change the air filters? why dont parts suppliers on the internet offer auto-payment options? my bank account could not handle it, but if i had a life outside of academia, and were paid for my labor(dontcha hate working 40 hours a week and paying the school to do it?) i might sign up for an auto-maintenence plan, send you all the things your cars service schedule warrants at the correct service intervals, it would be wonderful!

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It would be a good idea but everyone runs at different intervals. I might put 10k miles a year but the next person might do 30k in the same time span.

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Audi TT

well, my driving is 80 miles a weekday, very little on the weekend.

my father says that 3 months regardless of mileage is fine, i dont know what i do actually...let me use my handy-dandy computadora calculator!

isnt it wonderful that this big flat screen g5 computer can be used as a calculator? i never remember that they give you one with the software...

ok, so thats roughly 6k miles in 3 months, ive done my oil in the merc 3 times so far, 10k since january. i thought i read 5k miles for changes?

the neon was recommended 7.5k but i dont trust that, it seems like lots of miles for a car that can turn 7500rpms and has a capacity of a *whole* 4.5 quarts!

i have to say though, that little leon is a champ, the oil light has come on more than a few times because i keep forgetting ive been driving it for 8 *years* ...its still that shiny little car i drove off the new car lot in my head for some reason! 135k and not a single mechanical part replaced!

i dont know which is better though, a car engineered as a whole...to fail all at once, or a car that will last forever, but need attention almost constantly.

what say youall?

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You should buy one of those little notebooks thats like, a miniature composition book. Keep track of what you forget and such, it'll remind you!

be nice tango

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