my 350SD smokes a lot when under boost. it smokes really bad. has a factory rebuilt engine with only 20k on it. puts out a huge cloud and i can't see the cars behind me. but when they pass me i sure get a funny look. i have also followed the car a few times, and it smokes while just going around town. looks bluish, and i know it is hard to tell by sight and by smell, but i swear i smell some burned oil. the EGR system has been rebuilt. mileage has actually increased, and oil consumption is 1000 miles/quart. i am pretty sure that is what it is, but of course Mercedes says that is fine. they say 600 miles/quart is unacceptable and my dad has never had any other mercedes diesel use oil. so we both think that any oil consumption is unacceptable. the car also has a lot of diesel knock, and it misses bad too. start it up and it misses for a good minute. that could be glow plugs. it has been into the dealer repeatedly to no avail. although they have done a lot of warranty work. besides the rebuild of the EGR system, it has had 3 or 4 sets of new injectors, a new injection pump, new chain tensioner, and the injection pump was also timed. this is a hassle. any help with this would be appreciated.

i posted this on the diesel discussion. if you want to check it out it is in there and is also called 350SD smokes like crazy. i would really like some help from you MB techs that have experience with the factory rebuilt 3.5L turbo engine. it has more info about what is going on with the engine. all the help would be appreciated. thanks.

I'm not there so can not tell for sure but what you are telling us sounds like what happens when the seal goes out in a turbo.. Lots of smoke..

Snowdance

i was talking to my dad and both of us think that might be causing the smoke. oil going through the turbo and getting burned up in the exhaust. can that also cause a stuck EGR? it was all new 2000 miles ago, and i think that there shouldn't be anything wrong with the EGR already unless there is something wrong with the engine. also, we have oil that comes up between the intake manifold and air horn. thanks for the reply.

If the engine is a MB REBUILT, i thought it has a 4 year 50,000 mile warranty on it.

it does. and it has been into the the dealership numerous times for warranty work. we're glad that the engine has the warranty because injection pumps and other items that have been replaced aren't cheap.

What kind of Fairlane do you have??

i have a 1967 fairlane convertible 500. i screwed up on my log in name. oh well. i meant red67fairlane500, but missed the second 0. anyways. thats what i got. oh and i got a hotrodded 289 with a little over 300 HP, but i want to put in a 351W, add Nitrous. i think my windsor will have over 400 HP w/o nitrous, and then over 500 on the juice. i can't wait to start building it up.
oh i looked on your profile and i was wishin you were living in the Seattle area. i also want to have my car restored. it has been in the family since it was new, so it is definitely restoration worthy. oh well i know this was off topic, but it did deal with cars.

I have had several Mercedes Turbo Diesels and several trucks with turbo.. All high mileage.. When a turbo seal goes out it can leak both ways.. Into the intake and into the exhause.. Laying down a lot of white or light blue smoke.. Its kind of hard to get any engine to smoke that much with out breaking a piston or some thing like that.. If it runs fair and on all cyl.. Odds are its a turbo Seal.. This is just experance talking..

Snowdance

I have a friend that owns a body shop. He has completely restored four 66/67 Fairlane GTs and is currently restoring a 66 Cyclone GT convertible. These cars are BOSS !! I can send you some pics if you want to see them. My 65 Futura Falcon has a 289 bored .030 with a forged crank, SpeedPro flattop 10.5 to 1 pistons, Edelbrock F4B intake and Edelbrock 600 CFM cab, ported and polished heads.... sorry, I got carried away! Love them small block FORDS!!

send them please. i would love to see them

yea Ken, i have seen light blue smoke coming from the exhaust when i have followed the car. no other diesel that we have had has done that. i will bring the trubo seal to the attention of my dad. thanks.

also, Ken, our engine doesn't have high mileage. could the Turbo seal still be the culprit??

Housing seals will cause this, they load the intake with oil but, will use the hell out of oil as well.

Pump timing too high will cause it too, 14.5 degrees is max, anything over that will cause smoke and noise. The boost control system has to be plumbed correctly as well.

If I paid for a crate mill in this car I'd demand they replace the mill as they cant fix it. Crate mills normally aren't remans but new. Unfortunatly most have sat for years prior to install.

Joe

btw I ran around in a 68 Cougar GT for years, 302 roller, 4 speed, locked 9", Gurney front end, rolled fenders, 4 wheel disc, frame connectors (weld in), glass hood and deck lid. More or less and Merc version of the transam cars, copied of course. Most fun you caould have behind the wheel with your clothes on.

__________________
Project Smoker, '87 603 powered wagon
Hauler, 96 CTD can you say torque?
Toy 73 Cougar xr7 convertible
Acme Automotive Inc.
Raleigh NC
919-881-0364

Joe,

thanks for the reply.* the pump timing should be fine.* my dad is going to try and find an independent diesel mechanic that really knows this engine.* i am also going to go down to Mercedes-Benz of Portland today and see if i can talk to one of the techs that really know this engine.

the chain tensioner on this engine was replaced, but what was the reason for this?* the tech never gave an answer.* what causes the chain tensioner to go bad in only 20,000 miles.

we are getting to that point of demanding a new engine, and if they won't do that, then we are asking that they extend the warranty period a lot.* seems to me that they have spent more money on this engine (parts and labor) then they should have.* meaning, they should of given us a new engine when we were starting to have serious problems.* i.e. the injection pump was replaced.

the other day my dad followed the car and he told me that he saw a lot of light blue smoke the whole time.* the smoke is just convering the back of the car.* kinda like what an old school bus looks like with all the soot, except i don't think they are burning much oil, it is just a build up.

could that sound that we hear be excessice piston slap?* all the guys on here say yea the engine is noisy on cold start-up.* but this is excessive noise.* the only way that i can explain it is that if you were standing infront of the car when it started up cold, and you wanted to talk to the person next to you, you have to shout at them so that they can hear what you are saying.* like i said, the noise is excessive.* the engine used to be a slight knock a little when it was cold at around 900 RPM, more like a growl or purr when you are sitting in the car.

thanks for all the replys

Been following this thread for a while and keep wondering -- could this be the dreaded curse of the 3.5 L diesel? I.E., out of round cylinder, bent connecting rod syndrome? Or is 20,000 miles way too soon for this to happen?

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Steve
'93 400E