Help....The 1.6 diesel engine in my 86 t25 tends to smoke

[darkangel1975]

Hi , i have just brought my first ever t25 and i 'm a complete novice, its a 1.6 diesel 1986 5 speed ,and it tends to smoke when going up hills, well certainly more noticeable when going up a hill. Is this the norm? or have a brought a pig. many thanks John

[matt]

I tend smoke after a few pints.......

dunna look, i find that helps

[peasant]

All diesels smoke under load, so to a degree it's normal.

It really depends on how much smoke there is and how noticeable it is.
Smoke visible in rear view mirror at night against the lights of cars behind you ...perfectly normal
Smoke visible in the side mirror during daytime (at the tip of the exhaust) ...when you have to squint to see it it, it's ok ...if you see a black cloud, it isn't
Smoke clearly visible in the rear view mirror during daytime ...that's definitely too much

If it's really smokey, first port of call is your air filter and air lines ...make sure everything is clean and clear. If that doesn't solve it it gets more complicated (and to the point where I for example involve my mechanic)

[darkangel1975]

Matt your funny (0: Many thank peasant, its not to bad just seems to be when we are chugging up a hill it is not really that noticable unless you are following the van. I guess we will keep chugging along untill we need to call the nice man from the AA. Lets hope its not to soon x

[peasant]

Our old diesels are stone age technology. Pre-chamber, no direct injection, not a sensor to be seen, never mind an ECU ...all purely mechanical.

They just smoke a bit, it's part of their character. If it doesn't smoke, it's running too lean