Thread: White smoke from exhaust and oil filler (TD5)

The smoke is more steamy than anything else. It smells strange to me, probably because diesel exhaust mixed with coolant smells different to petrol and coolant.

I'm going with head gasket and I'm preparing to remove head -d unless anyone has a better idea?

Originally Posted by discorevy

I had actually written that I think it may be a cracked head but seeing you asked then over revving with too thin a head gasket , or an overfull sump are a couple of things that can bend a rod ......... not sure how an injector can squirt a valve open , or how brake fluid could enter the intake manifold on a td5 , but to each their own

I dont own a td5, the fire brigade has one but I have not serviced it so I was not aware how the break booster was connected. I know it can happen in some cars (break fluid enter the engine) so I mentioned it. It cant happen in a td5, fine, but you need to chill man.
If the engine was fine before then too thin a gasket is not likely nor is too much oil and it would have to be a hell of a lot of oil over filled to bend a conrod! My father inlaw in Italy had the garage check the oil every time he filled up with fuel. The garage each time added oil and charged him. By the time I checked it for him on a visit the oil was full to the top of the dipstick, the car was fine after I drained the many liters extra out, no damage done.
What I said re an injector squirting was if unburnt fuel is entering a cylinder when the valve opens on that stroke the unburnt fuel will be released, ie it wont collect on the piston possibly bending a conrod, I was saying it would not be possible.
Back to the OP's question, if it was my car I would be doing a compression test which would show things like a bent conrod. I would be also getting a test done to see if any exhaust gases are bubbling into the coolant, but I have had a head issue when this test is negative too so it is only an indicator.
I dont have direct experience with td5's, but I have rebuilt so many engines from bare blocks in my time it is not funny everything from a D7 dozer, Toytota's, Perkins, Fiat, old series Land Rovers, MG, Dolomite sprint's to mention just a few off the top of my head.
My 2c is a cracked head is possible, actually very likely, I have a Toyota head in the shed I was convinced was fine, but when I had it checked it was cracked in three places. All the same I was just trying to eliminate everything else possible first, before the OP dives in pulling the head again.
Chris