WHITE SMOKE

[doc789]

WHAT CAUSES WHITE SMOKE IN EXHAUST OF A DIESEL ENGINE.. THIS ENG WAS REBUILT, SMOKE IS LIKE A BIG FOG, CHECKED FUEL RACK ,INJECTORS, ENG IS RUNNING GREAT ALL PRESSURES ARE NORMAL. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP.. ENG IS A 567BC EMD. 12 CYLINDER

 

[romke]

white smoke may be caused by water(vapour) condensing when expelled from the exhaust. when idling at low temperature or just after startup this would be normal, when it persists at higher temperatures and under load a leak somewhere in the headgasket(s) is the most likely cause.

 

[chief]

If you got a water leak ,you will also have a gas leak into the water space. Check your header tank for gas bubbles and scum, sure sign of a seal leak.

Offshore Engineering&Design

 

[L4189]

I think its possible for water to leak past the lower cylinder head "O" ring seal into the air box in which case there should be some coming out of the airbox drain. If it is a water leak you should see a loss on the site gauge. White smoke usually occurs with too much idling or low load where oil winds up in the exhaust system. Running at a heavy load (above 600 deg. exhaust temperature) should clear that up. Also what is your jacket water temperature?

 

[waross]

If one or more cylinders are getting fuel but not firing, (stuck exhaust valve?) the unburned fuel will smoke white in the exhaust.

Bill
--------------------
"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter

 

[MikeHalloran]

You should be asking the company that rebuilt the engine.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[jmw]

The first, logical and most usual assumption would be that the engine has been badly refurbished or interfered with - (I was commissioning a new system when we discovered someone had disposed of some sweet wrappers in the heat exchanger coolant intake which took us a while to sort out) but since this would appear to have been your initial assumption and your tests appear so far to satisfy you this is not the case, then this assumption is false.

Ergo the engine is fine.
It therefore follows that the problem is either in the ancillary systems or in the fuel.

Are there any changes in the exhaust system that could account for this? do you have exhaust gas heat exchangers that are not functioning as effectively as they should?

Is the intake air system OK or is there excessive moisture in the air?

Have you tested the fuel?
How much water in your fuel?
Has it been standing for some time?
Has it been contaminated?
Have you tried a new batch of fuel?


JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[dicer]

Raw fuel, unburnt.

 

[Callle]

Check the fuel injection timing. Too early fuel injection may cause white smoke when the engine is idling.

 

[CH5OH]

I have some XP with EMD engine,though it was a V20.
White smoke in outlet is unburned fuel.A sencitive component on this engine is the turbine clutch.
At low load, the turbine is coupled to the crank shaft using a clutch, which at high load (enough exhaust gas pressure to drive the turbine)will unclutch.
If this clutch fails to engage, you will have a very rich combustion (not enough air)on low load operation.