[jaisunny]

Hello,
I have a astra 1.7 cdti 2010 (J) that I bought with a few problems. I've managed to fix all the problems, but the smoking issue and losing diesel issue has got me stumped. Im not a mechanic, just a shadetree mechanic.

So the smoke is blueish, it produces a puff on startup, but on idle it generally doesn't smoke at all! It will then smoke again if I rev it hard or if I drive it.

Its also losing diesel and the oil level is rising, even after I changed the oil and filter! Its way above the max mark pretty quickly (even when checking with engine cold).

So im assuming that diesel is leaking into the engine here. But could this cause the blueish smoke? I have bought a set of used injectors and new copper washers in case these are the issue, but im unsure whether that could cause blueish smoke. I waiting for the weather to calm down a bit before changing them, bit nervous as never done a injector removal before and unsure if I need any special tools or need to follow and specific steps during the process. The turbo was replaced about 15 months ago, but i've pulled the hose from it and checked the shaft for play...Nada. But there was a drop of oil near the shaft. I also removed the breather from the rocker and with the engine running, smoke was coming out of it (again unsure if this is normal or not).

Thoughts please guys?

***optional! this is a little background info on the car that you can read if you have time, if not, don't worry, the above info sums it all up****
I bought this with numerous issues, the last owner sent it to a mechanic garage in MAY for a oil leak and engine cutting out on idle. The mechanic had it for 3 whole months, solved the oil leak by replacing the rocker/camshaft cover. They couldn't solve the cutting out issue. So the last owner racked up a bill of £800 due to many parts getting changed (crankshaft sensor, camshaft cover, rail pressure sensor, fuel pump, fuel filter), he didn't want to pay it to the mechanic as it wasn't fixed. So they agreed to pay 50% of that, which he did, then he sold it to me. The cutting out on idle issue I solved pretty cheaply (fuel regulator fault). But the smoking issue persists. The seller insists it wasn't smoking before he took it to the mechanic (who knows if true or not). The car drives okay, just with smoke. No real loss of power, but every now and again (Rarely) theres some hesitation. Anyway, the last mechanic gave the last owner a small box of bolts that he didn't put back on the car. These bolts mainly consist of engine undertray bolts and cambelt cover bolts, but, heres the odd part, a injector washer was present in this box. On the drive back home, I honestly didn't think the car was going to make it, smoke coming from every crevice of the car and smoking issue. It made it ok, and after I fixed the brakes and fuel regulator, it was much better, no smoke from every crevice..only from the exhaust!. But heres another thing, I did a DPF regen, but I stopped it immediately as it was leaking coolant from the rear of the engine area, note that it does not lose coolant at any other time only during a DPF regen! (why is that?). As I stopped the regen, the dpf light stayed on, this bugged me so a couple days later I did a regen and let it finish. It did smoke during the regen as the RPM was increasing, but, once again, the coolant was dripping out. DPF regen finished, light out, job done. But why was coolant leaking during this process has left me stumped. It doesn't leak coolant any other time. Anyway, the oil level rises pretty quickly, I am assuming diesel is entering and diluting the oil. Its also got a notable diesel loss when driving a few roads away the needle goes down too much. And the blueish smoke persists, that stinks of possibly oil.

[Hometune]

White smoke is unburnt diesel and blue smoke is burning oil. First check is to check the exhaust tail pipe. Put your finger in along the pipe and pull it out. Is the black soot on your finger dry and dusty or is it oily wet? This is important to determine.
If the soot is dry then any oil burning is coming from before the turbo so suspect piston rings, valve stem oil seals etc. If the soot is wet then there is a turbo oil leak.

Oil level above maximum will cause over pressurising of the crankcase and blow smoke out of the exhaust.

Loss of diesel may be injector problems but before replacing them you should carry out an injector leak off test (kits are available quite cheaply).
If one or more fails the test then it/they should be replaced. But, diesel into the oil is more likely to come from internal failure of the fuel cooled oil cooler. It looks like this in the advert: https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/VAUXHALL-AS...79337949&rt=nc

During a regen the timing is slightly altered and additional fuel is injected to raise the temperature in the DPF to over 450 degrees to burn off the soot. The engine gets much hotter and is put under load. If the leak is from the coolant expansion tank overflow pipe this may point to a head gasket issue or a failing thermostat, blocked radiator or failing water pump. I would be under the car with the engine running hot and the revs at 3,000 and inspecting the underside to see where the coolant comes from. First area would be the bottom of the timing belt cover as water pump shaft seals can leak under pressure. Removing the covers would be the way to confirm as there will be a sediment trace from the leaking area.

[jaisunny]

Originally Posted by Hometune;n195014

White smoke is unburnt diesel and blue smoke is burning oil. First check is to check the exhaust tail pipe. Put your finger in along the pipe and pull it out. Is the black soot on your finger dry and dusty or is it oily wet? This is important to determine.
If the soot is dry then any oil burning is coming from before the turbo so suspect piston rings, valve stem oil seals etc. If the soot is wet then there is a turbo oil leak.

Oil level above maximum will cause over pressurising of the crankcase and blow smoke out of the exhaust.

Loss of diesel may be injector problems but before replacing them you should carry out an injector leak off test (kits are available quite cheaply).
If one or more fails the test then it/they should be replaced. But, diesel into the oil is more likely to come from internal failure of the fuel cooled oil cooler. It looks like this in the advert: https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/VAUXHALL-AS...79337949&rt=nc

During a regen the timing is slightly altered and additional fuel is injected to raise the temperature in the DPF to over 450 degrees to burn off the soot. The engine gets much hotter and is put under load. If the leak is from the coolant expansion tank overflow pipe this may point to a head gasket issue or a failing thermostat, blocked radiator or failing water pump. I would be under the car with the engine running hot and the revs at 3,000 and inspecting the underside to see where the coolant comes from. First area would be the bottom of the timing belt cover as water pump shaft seals can leak under pressure. Removing the covers would be the way to confirm as there will be a sediment trace from the leaking area.

Thank you for the informative reply.
RE your points..

-The tailpipe is dry and sooty, but then so is my other diesel car which has no problems.
-When I replaced the oil to the correct level it still smoked still. So it isn't smoking due to overfilling. It also doesn't smoke on idle.
-The oil cooler is a interesting point, I thought just oil runs through this? and possibly coolant? not fuel? how would it mix in this unit?
-I would love to check where the coolant leak is coming from during a regen, but I don't want to run a regen again so soon, I heard its not a good thing to do. And it doesn't leak coolant during normal driving, so I cannot really test/check this again/ What I can say is, there's no oil in the coolant (no oily swirls) and no coolant in the oil (no mayo or frothing) or loss of power, which I believe would be a headgasket issue. The temp also climes to 90c like normal, so couldn't be a thermostat?. What I can say though is, the leak during a regen is from the rear of the engine, the only things here are the expansion tank and the oil cooler and a couple of pipes. TBH there is a little residue at some pipes that lead into the cockpit.

One thing I tried today and that was the live data for the fuel rail pressure, it is above standard on idle and way above when revving. What could this mean?

I don't know whether to get the injector leak off kit first or a compression test kit, or just simply change the injectors and washers and program them in first, or even the oil cooler you now mentioned if that can cause diesel to mix with oil and the blue smoke? I guess what I need to establish is if the pistons and valves are ok, if they're not, of course i'll be selling the vehicle as spares or repairs. But I do really want to try fix it if otherwise. I love messing with cars, its my hobby and brings some gratification.

[jaisunny]

Little update, I've been playing with the diag on the car, managed to enable a few features like MPG which wasn't displaying on this model from factory. I also went to reset the injector values and the fuel consumption value. I didn't realise it would erase the injector programming completely. Thats now reset to 0000000000005d on each injector. Anyway, since i've erased the injector programming, guess what? very minimal smoke, on idle and if revving hard, it gives a small puff of black smoke. But when driving/accelerating hard, it only gives a tiny tiny amount of blue smoke, very very tiny. I got the car up to temp 90c and drove it around trying to replicate it smoking badly blue like before, but couldn't.

Also regarding the engine oil, I wiped the dipstick a good 6 times, the oil level now doesn't show on the metal rod anymore, It only shows up to the max mark. So now im gonna guess the dipstick actually has an atrocious reading measurement and you need to wipe it many times to get a good reading. So it doesn't look like diesel is in the oil after all.

I don't know what to make of all this. Its really odd. Why has the smoke changed from blue to black on idle revving, and gone from puffs of blue smoke to very very minuscule puffs of blue smoke when driving it/accelerating hard?

[Hometune]

Fuel cooled oil coolers are a part that can fail and cause a diesel/oil mix.
Dry soot means the turbo is probably okay.
Injector programming seems to have been way out. If you can reprogram them it may be better still. One thing though is the copper washer. If it is missing from one of the injectors then this can cause a slight miss as the injector does not sit at the same height as the others.
It sounds like you have all but sorted the problem as a small puff of black smoke (overfuelling) is not unusual. Correct programming will minimise this.
On your diagnostic tool is there a function called 'Quantity Comparison'? It will be in the engine menu after the live data and actuators if available. If it is there use it as it can tell you what your injectors are doing.

[jaisunny]

Originally Posted by Hometune;n195020

Fuel cooled oil coolers are a part that can fail and cause a diesel/oil mix.
Dry soot means the turbo is probably okay.
Injector programming seems to have been way out. If you can reprogram them it may be better still. One thing though is the copper washer. If it is missing from one of the injectors then this can cause a slight miss as the injector does not sit at the same height as the others.
It sounds like you have all but sorted the problem as a small puff of black smoke (overfuelling) is not unusual. Correct programming will minimise this.
On your diagnostic tool is there a function called 'Quantity Comparison'? It will be in the engine menu after the live data and actuators if available. If it is there use it as it can tell you what your injectors are doing.

Yes, I will go ahead and attempt to change the injectors and replace all copper washers, and then program them. Assume they're programmed in order ie..
1 = cylinder 1
2 = cylinder 2
3 = cylinder 3
4 = cylinder 4
I've got new injectors as I was worried about the condition of the existing ones. So I will replace them. Im waiting on the O rings to turn up and today I bought some gasket sealer, so im pretty much ready I think.

"Quantity comparison" im not sure exists, but after I reset the injectors, I also have a new error code which is: "P062B FUEL INJECTION SMALL QUANTITY NOT LEARNED" So I assume that once i've programmed the injectors in, i'll go to that step you mentioned and let it learn the new value. Is this what you were referring to? or something else?

What do you think about the high rail pressure? 3544.78 on idle, and my launch kit was stating it needs to be between 0-3480.96. When revving it, the pressure increases even further. Could this indicate a bad fuel pump or something else? Strangely though, theres no error code for this high fuel pressure reading.

[Hometune]

The not learned is lack of programming. Once done and driven for a short time this should go away.
Quantity Comparison is not available for all engines - its a Bosch program that gives the actual injector duration from the electrical part of the injectors and puts them on a graph using a traffic light sequence so red is out of limits, orange marginal and green okay.
3544 v 3480 is not far away. Check it again after programming. If the fuel rail pressure sensor is aftermarket that could be a reason. Is there a function to reset fuel rail pressure sensor adaptations in the Launch? If so do it otherwise wait till the injectors are programmed.

[jaisunny]

Originally Posted by Hometune;n195029

The not learned is lack of programming. Once done and driven for a short time this should go away.
Quantity Comparison is not available for all engines - its a Bosch program that gives the actual injector duration from the electrical part of the injectors and puts them on a graph using a traffic light sequence so red is out of limits, orange marginal and green okay.
3544 v 3480 is not far away. Check it again after programming. If the fuel rail pressure sensor is aftermarket that could be a reason. Is there a function to reset fuel rail pressure sensor adaptations in the Launch? If so do it otherwise wait till the injectors are programmed.

Today I replaced the injectors and programmed them in. All went smoothly, pretty easy job for me TBH. Again, car drives Okay now. Little bit of smoke but nothing major like it was before.

"P062B-41 fuel injection small quantity not learned - Not programmed" Is present though and I cant get rid of it.

On my OPCOM, If I learn the small quantity with vehicle at idle, I press activate, the activate button greys out, then 2 mins later the activate button is highlighted again. Assume it did what it needs to do, but when reading the fault codes (and erasing) the error returns.

Pulled my Launch kit out, but when I click on "Learn small quantity" in the special function menu, it does nothing, nada, zilch.

What could be the issue here? what could happen if this isn't "learned"? poor fuel economy?

[Hometune]

I've copied this from the manual.

• Ensure the programming equipment is operating correctly.
• Ensure the correct software and the correct calibration is used.
• Attempt to program the K20 Engine Control Module.
• If DTC P062B sets, replace the K20 Engine Control Module

Check the correct injector codes are programmed then fit a new fuel filter, then do a leak off test. If that's all good and it still fails the learn then you may need to consider the SCV (suction control valve).

On your equipment you should have this in the live data:

Cylinder 1 Balancing Rate
Cylinder 2 Balancing Rate
Cylinder 3 Balancing Rate
Cylinder 4 Balancing Rate

In other words if there is any fault or tolerance out, the learning wont happen. So recheck the programming again and compare the values for the balancing rate (similar to the Quantity Comparison I mentioned before). They all need to be very close.
If still the same then do the leak off test as I said at the beginning. Its a very good way to ensure injectors are good. When doing the learn the coolant temp must be above 80c and the fuel temp above 30c.

If after all this its the same, I'd just run it for now. If the SCV or an injector later fails then you can try again.

[jaisunny]

Originally Posted by Hometune;n195066

I've copied this from the manual.

• Ensure the programming equipment is operating correctly.
• Ensure the correct software and the correct calibration is used.
• Attempt to program the K20 Engine Control Module.
• If DTC P062B sets, replace the K20 Engine Control Module

Check the correct injector codes are programmed then fit a new fuel filter, then do a leak off test. If that's all good and it still fails the learn then you may need to consider the SCV (suction control valve).

On your equipment you should have this in the live data:

Cylinder 1 Balancing Rate
Cylinder 2 Balancing Rate
Cylinder 3 Balancing Rate
Cylinder 4 Balancing Rate

In other words if there is any fault or tolerance out, the learning wont happen. So recheck the programming again and compare the values for the balancing rate (similar to the Quantity Comparison I mentioned before). They all need to be very close.
If still the same then do the leak off test as I said at the beginning. Its a very good way to ensure injectors are good. When doing the learn the coolant temp must be above 80c and the fuel temp above 30c.

If after all this its the same, I'd just run it for now. If the SCV or an injector later fails then you can try again.

Injector codes definitely programmed correctly, because on one I made a mistake and it told me it was wrong and wouldn't let me save it. I already replaced the SCV which fixed the initial problem of it cutting out as well, although I did use a used SCV. Also the fuel filter was replaced by the last mechanic who had it as I have the invoice for it, which was a month ago, i'll assume he fitted the correct one and fitted it correctly.

I did a Injector quantity check and it came up with the following results:
https://imgur.com/uZd5DbZ
https://imgur.com/1yXQcEu

Which makes me think #1 and #4 are a bit off, although im not sure what vauxhalls ideal tolerances are. The car isn't running lumpy, 5th gear sometimes has a little hesitation though at a certain speed. 6th seems OK. It does still seem like its using more fuel than expected too.

Im not sure whether to continue trying to repair it now, or leave it as is and see how it goes. What damage could be done with the injector quantity figures as per above? or by not learning the small quantity via diag? I don't have a injector leak down test, so im unable to do this job.

Just to clarify, the "injector quantity learning" error only appeared when I erased programming of the injectors. It was not there before that. I guess its a classic case of "if it isn't broke, don't fix it" before I erased them lol. Although it does look like there is a problem on the fueling system, hence why I cannot learn the injector quantity. You copied pasted a article which advised to replace the ECM, Probably too expensive of a job for me, I don't have the security pass either to program the keys if I were to replaced this module.

[Hometune]

No, don't replace the ECU. If it does become the suspect then send it to BBA Reman or ECU Testing (Google for details) for test and or repair. Much cheaper and no programming required.
I'd run it and see how you go. Those figures are close enough to ignore for now.

[jaisunny]

Originally Posted by Hometune;n195089

No, don't replace the ECU. If it does become the suspect then send it to BBA Reman or ECU Testing (Google for details) for test and or repair. Much cheaper and no programming required.
I'd run it and see how you go. Those figures are close enough to ignore for now.

Thanks, I pulled out a old Delphi I had and managed to learn the small quantity with that. Launch and OPCOM failed to do it. So that error has now gone.

Your help has been much appreciated, its helped me quite a bit along the way. The car definitely isn't perfect, and after sitting all night it does start up with a bit of smoke which clears after a while. I think its something that won't cause too much problems and probably could live for many more years like it is. Lets see. Thanks again.

[jaisunny]

I am back (sorry).

I finally took it for a 20 minute or so spin, I say spin.. I wanted to floor it a bit to try replicate some issues and i've encountered the following:

1-Random flat spots in 3rd, 4th and 5th which either rectify itself within 5 seconds, or rectify itself when I change gear.
2-Randomly it'll get code 84 on the dash (reduced performance ie.. limp mode) and it'll store a code P1259 (high pressure fuel pump).
3-The idiotic garage that had it before didn't put the timing belt cover on, so today i was trying to fit it and it was a pain to get on, looks like the engine mount needs to be removed to get it on properly, which I didn't realise until I made a booboo. It looks like I knocked the little pins that protrude out of the camshaft pulley and now I have a error code: P0341. One of the pins seems to be scraping on the camshaft sensor as it spins around. Assuming this isn't right. How would one realign these little pins again to the correct position?

[Hometune]

I assume you mean the 'pins' that tell the ECU the position of the camshaft sensor as in this pic?

[IMG2=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"https:\/\/i.postimg.cc\/KYWg4Tzj\/cam-pulley.jpeg"}[/IMG2]

These are critical for the correct timing. They determine the exact moment the injectors are fired. If they cannot be bent back into their correct position, just get a second hand one - loads for sale eBay - and remove the timing belt and fit one. That's assuming you know how to do this and if you haven't done one before you should get proper help. And if the sensor is damaged, best replace that too.

[jaisunny]

Originally Posted by Hometune;n195230

I assume you mean the 'pins' that tell the ECU the position of the camshaft sensor as in this pic?

[IMG2=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"https:\/\/i.postimg.cc\/KYWg4Tzj\/cam-pulley.jpeg"}[/IMG2]

These are critical for the correct timing. They determine the exact moment the injectors are fired. If they cannot be bent back into their correct position, just get a second hand one - loads for sale eBay - and remove the timing belt and fit one. That's assuming you know how to do this and if you haven't done one before you should get proper help. And if the sensor is damaged, best replace that too.

Correct...
I checked on ebay but I can't find one for my car, and whats the chances of them being bent in the post? I found car part sellers on ebay often sell parts with no or very minimal packaging.

How does one put these little pins in the correct position? are they all suppose to be in the exact position or are some in a different position slightly?

Am I right in thinking thats why I now get P1259 error?

[jaisunny]

I've managed to bend those metal parts back. I noticed one of them bent way before I bent them though, the last mechanic forgot to put the timing belt cover on so he's probably knocked them while working on the car. The camshaft sensor has a little scratch/groove on it where the metal part collided, but theres no errors anymore.. Luckily. How accurate do these things need to be? does it effect the car even if its a fraction of a mm out?

Just had the car out to give it a blast again but at 10pm theres way too much traffic.. very odd. Was much quieter in the day!

I did still get hesitation in 3rd slightly though. Wonder if its had a dodgy remap in the past. I cant think what else it could be, any thoughts? I could run the car while watching some live data I guess, do you recommend any specific live data to keep an eye on?

[Hometune]

A fraction of a mm wont matter. Nor will a scratch on the sensor. While the cover is off you can check the timing belt is correctly fitted and timed up. That may cause a hesitation. Throttle position v pedal, EGR, MAP/MAF, might be worth a look. Just go down the list and see if anything stands out. With the engine off, ignition on watch the pedal as you press and the throttle position to see they match up. If the revs are around 2750-3000 then it may be EGR or turbo related.

[jaisunny]

Originally Posted by Hometune;n195241

A fraction of a mm wont matter. Nor will a scratch on the sensor. While the cover is off you can check the timing belt is correctly fitted and timed up. That may cause a hesitation. Throttle position v pedal, EGR, MAP/MAF, might be worth a look. Just go down the list and see if anything stands out. With the engine off, ignition on watch the pedal as you press and the throttle position to see they match up. If the revs are around 2750-3000 then it may be EGR or turbo related.

Hi buddy,

Nearly a year later and I still have the same problems, Not really used the car TBH but now the weather is ok I really need to push to try resolve the issue/s.

I've replaced the fuel pump and checked the timing, all ok. I still get P1259 and it loses power and code 84 comes on the dash. Replaced so many parts now.

Not looked at EGR yet though.
Could this really give a complete hesitation/above codes AND blue smoke?

What about the rail pressure sensor? its had a new aftermarket one fitted, which may be sticking? but could that cause blue smoke?