Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Flavors of diesel smoke

[HoleshotHolset]

There are three colors of smoke that are supposedly 'normal' that can come out of our tailpipes..... or downpipe only if you choose to loose all the exhaust under the cab like I used to have.

I get a little bit of 'blue' on cold startup..... oil... . whether it's rings or turbo seals. . who knows.

I also get a bit of black... . that's a no brainer... rich A/F ratio.

But the gray smoke on a cold start... what is that? Is it soot mixed with condensation?

I realize that diesels smoke different colors based on ambient temps, engine load and what have you... but I don't know why/how/etc... .



Speaking of flavors... I read a thread a LONG time ago about someone who mixed some corn oil with some #2 and dumped it right into the tank. They said it smelled cool... like popcorn/biodiesel... . are there any benefits from doing this?? Will this hurt anything??



Matt - taking days off from work for: Diesel Fever

 

[catoiler]

Hey matt,you got to much time on your hands now sure you can handle it? ps. don't drink the fuel it's for the truck!!

 

['956Wheel]

Aren't you the guy who drinks diesel fuel? Take your medicine boy cause you sick!

Mike

 

[tgbol]

You can always put a chunk of hickory in the tail pipe.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

white = unburned fuel (e. g. cold engine, a bit too much accel pedal)

black = partially burned fuel

gray = white + black

 

[tgbol]

A restricted air filter or bad turbo will also cause white smoke

 

[HoleshotHolset]

I guess nobody will ever understand my enthusiasm for diesels.....

Too much time? No, I just have a constant need for information.

Many thanks to Joe D. for his concise explanation on the colors of what's coming out of my tailpipe.

I'm looking to add a lot more of the black variety in the near future!

These explanations of color are consistant with what I have observed when a high HP diesel is at the starting line and bringing the boost up..... once the smoke goes from gray to black... . watch out! I have downloaded a few . mpg's of BOMBed CTD trucks... . one of which was a mud-bogger, the other a puller... . both were white trucks... . but not the same truck. The mud bogger spit out a little white smoke as he fed it fuel... . then you can hear the turbo spool... . the smoke changes to black... . and then it dissapates as he launches it into the quagmire.

Thanks for the info!



Matt - I love this stuff..... give me cetane or give me death.

 

[SmokinCummins]

Hey Holeshot... . Your 94' needs a little timing advance... if you know what I mean fuel is getting in there a little to slow. . get it advanced to about 16 to 17 and it'll run great you response in the pedal will feel like the truck knows when your gonna hit the fuel before you even do it!!! That will help that grey and white stuff you have... Thanks. .

 

[Steve Roseman]

Holeshot,

I tried the vegetable oil mixed w/fuel. Was about one gallon oil to 10 gallon of fuel. It did smell funny, not really like popcorn, just like maybe something cooking. A friend of mine said it smelled more like hemp burning.

I didn't notice any differences in performance or mileage. Vegetable oil is kind of expensive to be burning in our trucks

 

[HoleshotHolset]

The smoke I am seeing was only on a cold startup..... my Dad had to move it so we could mow the weeds/dust and he didn't crank it long enough so that it started and ran normally. It kinda went: "roar!" and died instantly. Then when he tried to start it again... I all the flavors coming out of my tailpipe for like 5 seconds.



The truck seems to run fine once warmed up... . but I do want to advance the timing in conjunction with all my other plans for BOMBing. I think it would be interesting to see/hear/drive other trucks to compare/contrast.



As for the vegetable oil, I was just wondering if it was harmful or not... . I just thought it would be cool to drive around with a smell other than diesel. I would certainly get a lot of odd looks from people on my campus if my truck smelled like hemp!



Matt

 

[Hammer]

There is nothiong like the smell of a totally fat Cummins in the early morning after starting,,Kinda bring tears to my eyes,,Mine reminds me of some of my old Mack 6's I used to drive after they blocked the puffer valve and turned the fuel to her,,Seems like every time my esteemed other half see's me a sniffing around the tailpipe I hear some mumblings about not being quite right,,Go figure,,She'll never get it,till she finds her own.....

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Mine reminds me of some of my old Mack 6's I used to drive after they blocked the puffer valve and turned the fuel to her

Is the puffer valve similar to the wastegate that I'm used to hearing about? Most of the 'big' diesels I've ever seen didn't even have wastegates.....



I find myself near the tailpipe or watching/listening to what is coming out of it from the driver's seat VERY often. I LOVE the sound of an I-6 turbo diesel... . it's enough to make me turn around and stop whatever I'm doing to see/hear it.



My ex-girlfriend used to get upset when I'd open the window outside her dorm room at 6AM in sub-zero temperatures to listen to the trash truck's turbo spooling up... . She understood my passion, but still was not pleased when I'd get giddy at 6AM while letting in the cold air. Now if I were to ever see a coed getting giddy over a diesel, that's the woman for me!!



Matt - diesel fumes make me randy.

 

[HEMI®Dart]

#ad






Jeg's has fuel fragerance additives for gasoline & Alcohol. Not sure if they are recommended for diesel fuel.



http://www.jegs.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=12706&prmenbr=76

 

[tgbol]

Is that to cover up the 10% nitro the have in there tanks?

 

[HEMI®Dart]

I wouldn't doubt it tgbol

 

[HoleshotHolset]

I've been near a couple of nitro cars that had the additive in the fuel... it makes it a little less likely that your eyes will fall out of your head from watering so much... .

That's some funny stuff Hemi... . haha!



Matt

 

[tgbol]

If it does smell like Nitro or Diesel what good is it? 98% in the tank and a 1/5 in the driver and away we go.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

hahaha!!

I like that one!



Matt

 

[Willys]

Doesn't blue show with timing changes or bigger injectors(370's) ? Would that be from an improper atomization of fuel, or timing off at idle?



Ooopss... just realized this thread is a little old Was just doing some searching...