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Old 5th March 2021, 11:33   #11
MacRob
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Quote:
Originally Posted by roverbarmy View Post
I've always read smoke as follows:-
White smoke = steam
Black smoke = unburned fuel
Blue smoke = burned oil
Well I read there is a bug that grows in diesel when not used and churned up that causes moisture in the fuel. Hence the white smoke
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Old 5th March 2021, 12:00   #12
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We live and learn:-
https://www.capitalremanexchange.com...moke-by-color/
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Old 5th March 2021, 16:20   #13
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Well I'm hoping this might shred a bit of light on the subject.



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Old 5th March 2021, 16:45   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MacRob View Post
Well I read there is a bug that grows in diesel when not used and churned up that causes moisture in the fuel. Hence the white smoke
It's moisture that allows the bug to grow ,which is why we tend to get it more in boats.A full tank inhibits it's growth .If you had the bug ,you would see black slime in your tank and filter.
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Old 5th March 2021, 17:18   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MacRob View Post
Well I read there is a bug that grows in diesel when not used and churned up that causes moisture in the fuel. Hence the white smoke
The ' bugs ' don't cause moisture in the fuel, this comes from condensation within the tank and water in the delivered fuel, poor fitting tank caps etc.the ' bugs' do however need water to survive and multiply.

One other thing unrelated to the above is that over time derv and petrol deteriorates and goes stale due to oxidation and some of the lighter fractions evaporating, noticeable in old petrol when it takes on a yellow tinge and smells more like turps.

My neighbour is a biochemist in one of the two larger oil companies and explained this to me quite a while ago, commonly termed the ' diesel bug ' it is one of or a combination of several organisms, from bacteria, to viruses, to fungi etc. that create a biomass, sludge.

They all need water, warmth and food, so live and thrive at the water / derv contact area at the bottom of the tank, so water in the derv is a starting point to promote their growth, some feed on the derv, others feed on the waste matter produced by the organisms they tend to live like a symbiotic community.

It's the same with jet fuel, and the reason the tanks and fuel are treated with a biocide.

A clue that it is a problem is that the derv will appear sometimes milky and sometimes have a deeper yellow tinge than fresh derv,the deposit in the bottom of the tank is usually a brown colour and slimy and odd one that can occasionally be seen are slimy rope like strands both in the derv and filters.

So yes, both water and the ' bug ' can cause multiple problems and damage to the fuel system, testing for water is simple but not the bug, one way to see if that's a cause is to drain the tank as best as can be done and re-fill with fersh fuel and change the filter.

But don't presume that this is the problem,the article that Roverbarmy put a link to is a good source of other causes.

If you want to read a bit more about the ' bug ' my neighbour sent me the following paper to read, she mentioned, at the time, that it is an interesting read for a nosey B like me.


http://www.hpcdfuel.com/pdf/DOWfuel_training.pdf
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Old 5th March 2021, 20:00   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MacRob View Post
Well I read there is a bug that grows in diesel when not used and churned up that causes moisture in the fuel. Hence the white smoke
Moisture in fuel will defiantly cause white smoke
From experience bugs as you term them usually grow where warm and block filters, They usually appear stringy but fuel additives should stop it .
We use to get it on the standby diesel engines which where mounted with a day tank in heated modules . We used to bunker diesel off ships and use to treat it with biocide

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Old 6th March 2021, 09:09   #17
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Puts you off siphoning fuel!😲😱😧

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Old 6th March 2021, 10:24   #18
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Easy way to tell the difference between white smoke caused by water and white smoke caused by unburnt diesel is the smell of it - steam is odourless and vapourised diesel has a distinct acrid odour.
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Old 6th March 2021, 10:30   #19
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I'd forget the glow plug relay error, almost every diesel I've ever seen has this same fault.
I'm more surprised if I don't see it, I reckon it's on about 98%of all the cars I see

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Old 6th March 2021, 20:09   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MacRob View Post
Just had a thought.
Would old diesel cause white smoke.
Ie, I've not put fuel in the car since August last year
Doubt it is because of old diesel. My car has been in the garage since last end of June, and does not smoke at all on start up, with the diesel that was filled up full at that time.
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