Smoking!

Pueblo_Boy · 6th October 2019, 20:40

...and I don't mean in a nice way!
I have just driven all the way from Central Scotland to the Costa del Sol, Spain. I noticed about half way down, the exhaust was pumping out clouds of black smoke when the engine was stressed - heavy acceleration, or going up big hills. Otherwise, it performed impeccably.
I suspect something is awry with the turbo (it's a CDTi engine)? Any advice? Will it make it back home, or should I attempt to get it fixed here in Spain, given it is in reality a BMW engine?
I was also disappointed with the mpg, but then I suppose over 40mpg at speeds of 70mph or more is not too bad...

marinabrian · 6th October 2019, 20:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pueblo_Boy

...and I don't mean in a nice way!
I have just driven all the way from Central Scotland to the Costa del Sol, Spain. I noticed about half way down, the exhaust was pumping out clouds of black smoke when the engine was stressed - heavy acceleration, or going up big hills. Otherwise, it performed impeccably.
I suspect something is awry with the turbo (it's a CDTi engine)? Any advice? Will it make it back home, or should I attempt to get it fixed here in Spain, given it is in reality a BMW engine?
I was also disappointed with the mpg, but then I suppose over 40mpg at speeds of 70mph or more is not too bad...

Fuel consumption is poor, very poor, and the black smoke is indicative of a leak in the intake system.

Check the intercooler hoses, and the intercooler elbow to ensure the O rings haven't popped

Brian

Pueblo_Boy · 6th October 2019, 20:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by marinabrian

Fuel consumption is poor, very poor, and the black smoke is indicative of a leak in the intake system.

Check the intercooler hoses, and the intercooler elbow to ensure the O rings haven't popped

Brian

That was quick!

Astraeus just replaced the intercooler rings for me last week or so, and the old ones were in perfect condition! I'll have a local garage check out the pipes to search for the problem - I will be delighted if it is just a loose pipe!

As for the fuel consumption...very costly over a near 2000 mile journey, not part of the plan! On the way down from Scotland to Portsmouth it avearged 44.8mpg for the nearly all motorway trip, but that figure worsened considerably once into France...

marinabrian · 6th October 2019, 21:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pueblo_Boy

That was quick!

Astraeus just replaced the intercooler rings for me last week or so, and the old ones were in perfect condition! I'll have a local garage check out the pipes to search for the problem - I will be delighted if it is just a loose pipe!

As for the fuel consumption...very costly over a near 2000 mile journey, not part of the plan! On the way down from Scotland to Portsmouth it avearged 44.8mpg for the nearly all motorway trip, but that figure worsened considerably once into France...

Well to put that into context John, I've covered 2300 miles in my car in the past ten days, and my consumption is just over 50 MPG fully laden, and not hanging about

Same state of tune too

Brian

Pueblo_Boy · 6th October 2019, 21:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by marinabrian

Well to put that into context John, I've covered 2300 miles in my car in the past ten days, and my consumption is just over 50 MPG fully laden, and not hanging about

Same state of tune too

Brian

Ooof! Then I have lost out big time. Mind you, part of the problem may be my fault - in the rush to get going, I forgot to check my tyre pressures

But still, I'm losing out on around 15mpg...

Pueblo_Boy · 10th October 2019, 19:59

The local garage mechanic had a look, and saw that the pipe that enters the intercooler was loose. He tightened it up, but reckoned that the whole intercooler was skewed to one side, like it had taken a knock or something...so he reckons I might need a replacement intercooler; he suggested I drive around for a week and see how it goes, before he has to strip it down to check the intercooler for damage...

He said he scrapped an MG diesel like mine last week, from 2001, and he also reckoned that the intercooler was 'round the other way' - with the pipework on the left as you look at it from the front, rather than on the right like mine...does anyone know if the MG equivalent intercooler is different? The MG is probably still at the local scrapyard, so I might be in luck if I need one, and if they are the same. That's a lot of 'ifs'! There's not too many cars like mine running around the Costa del Sol! Funnily enough, when I was near Irun in the north of Spain, I thought I spied a Tourer just like mine going in the opposite direction

It was like driving into a mirror...

So, please, does an MG from 2001 have the same intercooler as my 2004 Rover? Fingers crossed...

Rogue · 6th October 2019, 20:43

Check the intercooler O rings...

clf · 12th October 2019, 13:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pueblo_Boy

I visited the scrapyards in Malaga (of which there are 10+ all next to each other in an industrial estate), and picked up the 'new' intercooler for 40 euros. The donor car was agood looking MG ZT, right-hand drive, Spanish plates, and the underside looked clean and shiny...I was almost wishing I needed a new exhaust or something else!

That was a result, as I don't think Rovers/MG were ever imported into Spain, so pretty rare to find.

The scrapyards are all computerised now - they can find any car, with 200+ parts listed on each one, so they know if a part has been sold or not. Takes the hunting around trying to find your car out of service!

So, intercooler to be fitted next Wednesday, I hope that solves the problem, and I can have a worry free journey home (after soaking up some more sun - bit of a heatwave going on down here for mid-October!)

Before going to the trouble of replacing the intercooler. Check that the elbow is correctly seated. I always thought mine was until I checked whilst the bumper was off. Bumper off and headlight removed, allowed me to push it down until there was a 'thunk'. After that there was slightly more power and the gunk behind the bumper stopped.

Sent from my SM-A600FN using Tapatalk

Pueblo_Boy · 15th October 2019, 11:54

OK, the intercooler replacement got put back till tomorrow

Can anyone tell me how long it should take a mechanic to do the job? Presumably, it involves draining the system as well as removing bumper and radiator...

Should I clean the second-hand intercooler first? It has been leaking oil all over my boot, and maybe a jetwash would be good for it, although it doesn't look too bad...

Arctic · 17th October 2019, 08:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRuss

The intercoolers on both the Rover and MG are the same

Sounds like there might be some damage to the intercooler from what the mechanic said, that would certainly account for the smoke issue

Russ

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pueblo_Boy

OK, the intercooler replacement got put back till tomorrow

Can anyone tell me how long it should take a mechanic to do the job? Presumably, it involves draining the system as well as removing bumper and radiator...

Quote:

Should I clean the second-hand intercooler first? It has been leaking oil all over my boot, and maybe a jetwash would be good for it, although it doesn't look too bad...

Yes clean the intercooler out while you can make sure its dry before fitting it, it should take about 2 hours to remove the old one and fit the replacement, bumper off, slam panel off, fan off, then the intercooler.

PS Russ I have sent you a PM regarding something else, Also Brian

6th October 2019, 20:40	#1
Pueblo_Boy Loves to post Rover 75 Tourer Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: Sauchie Posts: 370 Thanks: 66 Thanked 56 Times in 36 Posts	Smoking! ...and I don't mean in a nice way! I have just driven all the way from Central Scotland to the Costa del Sol, Spain. I noticed about half way down, the exhaust was pumping out clouds of black smoke when the engine was stressed - heavy acceleration, or going up big hills. Otherwise, it performed impeccably. I suspect something is awry with the turbo (it's a CDTi engine)? Any advice? Will it make it back home, or should I attempt to get it fixed here in Spain, given it is in reality a BMW engine? I was also disappointed with the mpg, but then I suppose over 40mpg at speeds of 70mph or more is not too bad... __________________ 24,658th 75 Tourer made, out of 27,407 136th Tourer CDT Contemporary SE (135hp) out of 364 194th 75 Tourer in Firefrost Red out of 518 Firefrost Red 75 Tourers Interior Trim Sports PPH Black, but now with real walnut wooden trim! One of only 20 on the road!

10th October 2019, 19:59	#6
Pueblo_Boy Loves to post Rover 75 Tourer Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: Sauchie Posts: 370 Thanks: 66 Thanked 56 Times in 36 Posts	The local garage mechanic had a look, and saw that the pipe that enters the intercooler was loose. He tightened it up, but reckoned that the whole intercooler was skewed to one side, like it had taken a knock or something...so he reckons I might need a replacement intercooler; he suggested I drive around for a week and see how it goes, before he has to strip it down to check the intercooler for damage... He said he scrapped an MG diesel like mine last week, from 2001, and he also reckoned that the intercooler was 'round the other way' - with the pipework on the left as you look at it from the front, rather than on the right like mine...does anyone know if the MG equivalent intercooler is different? The MG is probably still at the local scrapyard, so I might be in luck if I need one, and if they are the same. That's a lot of 'ifs'! There's not too many cars like mine running around the Costa del Sol! Funnily enough, when I was near Irun in the north of Spain, I thought I spied a Tourer just like mine going in the opposite direction It was like driving into a mirror... So, please, does an MG from 2001 have the same intercooler as my 2004 Rover? Fingers crossed... __________________ 24,658th 75 Tourer made, out of 27,407 136th Tourer CDT Contemporary SE (135hp) out of 364 194th 75 Tourer in Firefrost Red out of 518 Firefrost Red 75 Tourers Interior Trim Sports PPH Black, but now with real walnut wooden trim! One of only 20 on the road!

6th October 2019, 20:43	#7
Rogue I really should get out more....... 75 CDT SE 160 Saloon Join Date: May 2017 Location: Thorpe St Andrew, Norwich Posts: 2,655 Thanks: 1,386 Thanked 1,096 Times in 774 Posts	Check the intercooler O rings... __________________ Glutton for punishment --- Previously ... 2.6 SD1 x 2, 3.5 SD1, 820S, 820Si x2, 216 Gsi, 220T saloon, 414, 45 1.4 x2 and now a Cowley 75 CDT Last edited by Rogue; 6th October 2019 at 20:44.. Reason: Beat me to it

15th October 2019, 11:54	#9
Pueblo_Boy Loves to post Rover 75 Tourer Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: Sauchie Posts: 370 Thanks: 66 Thanked 56 Times in 36 Posts	OK, the intercooler replacement got put back till tomorrow Can anyone tell me how long it should take a mechanic to do the job? Presumably, it involves draining the system as well as removing bumper and radiator... Should I clean the second-hand intercooler first? It has been leaking oil all over my boot, and maybe a jetwash would be good for it, although it doesn't look too bad... __________________ 24,658th 75 Tourer made, out of 27,407 136th Tourer CDT Contemporary SE (135hp) out of 364 194th 75 Tourer in Firefrost Red out of 518 Firefrost Red 75 Tourers Interior Trim Sports PPH Black, but now with real walnut wooden trim! One of only 20 on the road!