Blue smoke on start up - Ford Mondeo

cyclonebri1

My last 2 cars didn't use or lose ANY coolant through their working lives, and I'm, talking 12 years here. There is clearly something amiss with the Mondy.;)

bigjl

RICK... wrote: »

Ok so I've just gone out to hoover the car out, as been away for the weekend.

Thought i'd check the fluid levels... coolant level is just below minimum, and oil level is about half way. when it had a full coolant change it was above maximum. wouldnt say it's lost loads but still enough to wonder where it's gone? no mayo under filler cap or anything. done about 4.5k since it was changed.

Also i dont know if this is normal but the oil smelt more like diesel than oil..

i keep finding little things as i go along, whether they have any relevance i don't know.

really sorry for keep posting these little bits up, but i want to have as much ammo behind me as possible for when it goes in this week, as i'm assuming it'll be the last check they'll do before they tell me to clear off.

My Mondeo has never needed the coolant topped up, in fact the level has never changed and this is a mega mile 2005 130 TDCi.

My previous car, Subaru Legacy 2004, never had the coolant topped up by me in the 4 years I owned it, never used any either.

Over the years I have used cars for work over huge mileages, the only car that ever needed topping up was a Renault 21 and that was because of a leak.

At the highest my annual mileage was nearly 80k.

A 60 plate car should not be using coolant, end if story. Oil yes, a certain amount of oil usage is fine, my Subaru used to use oil when you hammered it, not much different to a few VAG engined cars that I and frinds have owned over the years.

Is your car the 2.0 TDCi as that has a DPF, and from my research they work by either using an additive to burn off the soot and crap in the filter(PSA Group) or they inject extra diesel into the cylinders to increase the temp in the DPF and to therefore burn off the soot and crap in the DPF, the excess diesel can end up in the sump, just ask anybody that owns a diesel with the Fiat 1.9 engine and a DPF, the LAS has had to replace hundreds of engines because of this, though admittedly we did have well over 300 to start with.

RICK..._2

cheers for the posts guys.

im going to make a mental note of all these little problems and make sure i put them to the guy they're sending out. i just like to check on here first, as i've always had petrol cars so not sure whats normal and whats not etc!

the car is the 1.8 tdci, one of the last ever made so i was told, so doesn't come with a dpf unfortunately.

edit - something which made me laugh earlier, ive noticed that each time ive researched problems ive found on google, the 1.8 tdci engine has always come up at least within the first 10 results...

and Ford say 'there is no common faults on this car' - hmm...

bigjl

This is bad news for me as my next car was possibly going to be a 1.8 TDCi Mondeo, simply to avoid the DPF on the 2.0.

Well hopefully the system is better than the DPF system fitted to the Zafira, Vectra etc.

Though to be honest I keep looking at the latest Prius and thinking that at least it isn't as dynamically compromised as the older 1.5 versions. Sat in one at a dealer the other day and the steering wheel is actually in a decent position, the older one that i drove it felt like the steering wheel was below your knees, a very strange driving position, though OK, if you are short in leg.

RICK..._2

i think mine was just poorly built to be honest. especially since it had no coolant after 500 miles due to clips not being on properly etc. just my luck really

we had a focus before this which was nice, but as im quite tall and do alot of longer journeys decided to get something a lot bigger/comfier. i tried loads of cars out but still found myself going back to the mondeo. had a insignia hire car other week which was really nice, look smart and quite modern inside although bit tacky in places. rear view is a bit crap though as you cant see much, but probably get used to it.

cyclonebri1

bigjl wrote: »

This is bad news for me as my next car was possibly going to be a 1.8 TDCi Mondeo, simply to avoid the DPF on the 2.0.

Well hopefully the system is better than the DPF system fitted to the Zafira, Vectra etc.

Though to be honest I keep looking at the latest Prius and thinking that at least it isn't as dynamically compromised as the older 1.5 versions. Sat in one at a dealer the other day and the steering wheel is actually in a decent position, the older one that i drove it felt like the steering wheel was below your knees, a very strange driving position, though OK, if you are short in leg.

My sil has one of the later 2.0ltr Prius's's's??
Fine car, but dangerous to pedestrians at low speed as it's absolutely silent, and not as econocical as you'd expect, ;)

pwllbwdr

RICK... wrote: »

It's being dealt with by the executive team. They've all looked at the videos and they reckon it's 'unburnt fuel in the exhaust'

I know nothing about diesel engines, but I don't see how "unburnt fuel in the exhaust" can result in oil smoke on first start up - the exhaust will be entirely cold, and won't be capable of igniting unburnt fuel until it warms up.

vaio

esmerobbo wrote: »

Oil burning just on first start-up could be caused by valve stem oil seals, the oil left in the head seeping past them overnight. There is an easy test for this, which may point to it. Take the car on a run and find a long decline where it is safe, whilst declining take your foot off the accelerator whilst still in gear. The longer the decline the better. After a while accelerate and watch your rear view mirror for any signs of blue smoke.

If your valve stem oil seals are comprised the added vacuum from the closed throttle, will replicate the overnight leakage. I would be surprised on such a low mileage car but I have known it!

This works on petrol engines because they develop vacuum on over-run but I’m pretty sure diesels don’t develop vacuum so it wouldn’t work, something to do with not having a throttle butterfly.

RICK..._2

pwllbwdr wrote: »

I know nothing about diesel engines, but I don't see how "unburnt fuel in the exhaust" can result in oil smoke on first start up - the exhaust will be entirely cold, and won't be capable of igniting unburnt fuel until it warms up.

Never actually thought about that.. good point. Another thing to ask them lol

i started it this morning and the smoke appears to be coming out for longer periods, so this leak is obviously increasing slightly. the 500 mile drive at the weekend doesn't seem to of done much good.

going to try get hold of them today to see if they can get this mechanic to our house the day it's booked in so he can see the problem himself. all i'm hoping now is that he's a genuine bloke and see's theres something not right with it, rather than try fob me off again.

Strider590

RICK... wrote: »

I've done my own research and found LOADS of people saying that it's a common fault on this engine that the injector seals fail and leak overnight, causing the smoke and that replacement injectors solves the problem. The technician said he electronically checked them and they were fine..

Now I don't know what to do, thats 2 ford garages that say there's nothing wrong with it.

This is why I won't touch dealerships, they replace qualified and experienced mechanics, with low paid, laptop wielding monkeys.......