Blowin' a bit of smoke!

[Pearce]

Hi guys,

My vw golf mk5 2.0 TDI has been blowing quite a bit of smoke as of late. It may have been doing it for a while but i just haven't noticed. Ever since i have been pretty self conscious of heavy accelerating because that is when i leave quite a large dust cloud.

I understand that Diesels are supposed to blow a bit but for me it doesn't look like a normal amount. My theory is that the chip i installed, which increased the HP by about 30%, is the cause.

My question:
1. Will some kind of cold air intake reduce the amount of smoke?
2. What can i do to reduce the smoke?
3. Because there has been so much smoke, is there anything i should be worried about?
4. Is there anything i should be cleaning out?

Any other suggestions in regards to modification etc would be great too.

[lhennessy]

As far as I know it's normal, mine under any acceleration will leave a good bit of smoke. And if u boot it its a massive cloud.

Ill be interested if there is anything that could help reduce it.

[stickshift3000]

My theory is that the chip i installed, which increased the HP by about 30%, is the cause.

That'll be why, the chip is adding more fuel. It's normal and nothing I'd be concerned about.

More fuel = more power = more smoke.

[Pearce]

I was more worried about the fuel to oxygen mix, and the damage the extra smoke could do. Plus i want to know if anyone has suggestions.

Thanks though guys.

[Gigitt]

2007 Mk5... How clean is your Intake pipe? ERG?
If they are clogged you are only making the car work harder and you'll just smoke more!

If the car cannot breath then a chip will only make it smoke much much worse.

[Pearce]

Fantastic, that's the kind of information i'm looking for. I'll check out the intake pipe/EGR and report back. I actually had that in mind when i wrote the post but it seems like a big job, and i am short of time at the moment!

[gldgti]

What 'chip'?

Some many remaps alter the boost along with the fuelling and timing so that the a/f ratio is similar and smoke levels remain similar. Sometimes if you arent happy you can get your tuner to modify the tune aswell.

Anyway, the extra smoke shouldn't be a major cause for concern.... if its enough to worry about, believe me you will know.

Cleaning out your intake, ensuring you use good quality oil (less oil vapour) and good fuel will all help reduce smoke levels.

Also, the turbo's responding fast will help reduce smoke when applying accelerator - so a bigger exhaust that allow faster spool up will actually help reduce the soot production when you put your foot down.

IMHO, I wouldn't change anything on the intake side of the turbocharger. The standard air-box setup is actually very good, and already gets you nice ambient air.

[Pearce]

I bought a chip from ChipExpress, a UK company. It definitely increased my performance, but when i bought it a few months ago, i wasn't fully up with the forums, so the gains seemed fairly well balances for the price.

Is there much more tuning i can do than the chip tuning?

Thanks for your response.

[kaanage]

Is the chip one of those tuning boxes? They can only increase fuelling so more smoke is to be expected.

[Pearce]

Yeah it is a box, i installed it where a cable plugs into the spark plugs i think. Have a quick look:

Benefits | Diesel Tuning with CHIP Expressâ„¢