Hi all, just wondered if anyone could shed some light on this?

 

I have an Audi A3 TDI which piles out grey smoke whenever I accelerate (even a little bit). There is also a strange rumbling noise from under the bonnet. 

I have ruled out the DPF as the previous owner took that out, the egr valve has been blanked off. Video attached.

 

Any help or guidance would be appreciated.

 

Mark

Hello Mark,

Can we take it you can smell diesel when you see the grey smoke? No loss of coolant? 

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

 

Yes smells of diesel and no loss of coolant (I think the engine oil also smells of diesel too). No loss of power though.

What's the mileage of the engine and do you have service history?

One other question. Is it using a lot of oil?

No not using any oil, it's 137,000 miles no service history, I bought it off copart and wish I hadn't bothered!!!

Hello Mark,

Not saying it is, but sounds like injectors then. If they are suspect than they are quite easily tested by a leak-back test. If it were mine, I would be entrusting it to a local recommended diesel specialist - not an ordinary garage. 

If you bought it recently from a dealer, then you should have redress. 

Kind regards,

Gareth. 

At that mileage the engine should be OK unless it's been thrashed by a previous owner, which is a possibility given that EGR and DPF have been disabled. It's hard to tell from just a one second sound clip but it sounds like the rattle is from the top end of the engine, rather than big ends or main bearings.