Aborted cambelt change - now exhaust smoking

[scottyh56]

I took my 1988 T25 1.6TDi into a mechanic to change the cambelt. Three hours later I got a call explaining that he did not have the tools to get access to release 3 key bolts so I went and picked it up and drove away unimpressed. Brighton has hills and at the start of the journey back I noticed a trail of smoke. But it went away and I put it down to a cold engine hitting a hill. Three weeks on (the van not being used) and its still noticably smoking when revved up even when warm. It probably improves after 20 mins or so. The noise it makes and the power seems fine.

It's not nasty smelly smoke but I am a bit worried now with the MOT booked for next week. Any thoughts on this please? A coincidence or could this be a timing belt issue?.

Very grateful for any help sending me in the right direction, not back to that mechanic!

Cheers
Scott

[pirate-pete]

See if you can find somewhere to at least check the cam timing. I don't know if there will be any timing marks on the flywheel visible through the inspection cover if you have a 1.6TDI as that does not sound like the vans original engine. A garage can probably work it out other ways. Sounds whoever you took it to first was a right cowboy not having the correct tools, so doubt you can trust him to admit that he may have made the belt slip a tooth or two.

I know when my front pulley bolt let go on a 1.9 TDI (same effect as broken timing belt) I was getting white smoke due to unburnt fuel before coming to halt and finding out the bad news. Usually smoky diesel vans have blacker smoke due to soot from overfilling but I guess for the MOT it makes no difference to their sniffer.

[scottyh56]

Thanks - it seems that could indeed be something to do with the belt but the guy said that his problem was getting access to work on it at all so I doubt that he moved it a notch. Thinking about it, because the van had not been up such a hill for awhile perhaps there was a problem that I did not previously notice - higher revs at higher speeds would not leave an easily spotted smoke trail, especially when I was not looking for one.

[Bigfootedboarder]

Black smoke is normally over fueling, sounds like a pump timing issue, req'd the plunger lift setting up,(DTI in the back of the pump at tdc and measure ) also depend how you drive? If your never in to boost and if it's over fueling the exhaust will soot and as soon as you give it a bit extra out comes the smoke/soot

[HarryMann]

Turbo Diesels will always be boosting to some extent when any appreciable power is applied

[AdrianC]

Pump timing's out.