N-reg 940 2.4TD smoking on start & early running

[Brasso]

185k miles and it has just started smoking very heavily - blue/white - on start up and for first 10 minutes of running. During this period it also misfires.

Volvo dealer reckoned it was exhaust gas recycle so I paid them to remove manifold and clean it out...but no joy.

Now they reckon it's valve stem seals and estimate £1400 to fix (no way).

Any other suggestions that might cost less than £1400?

Thanks

[skyship007]

Originally Posted by Brasso

185k miles and it has just started smoking very heavily - blue/white - on start up and for first 10 minutes of running. During this period it also misfires.

Volvo dealer reckoned it was exhaust gas recycle so I paid them to remove manifold and clean it out...but no joy.

Now they reckon it's valve stem seals and estimate £1400 to fix (no way).

Any other suggestions that might cost less than £1400?

Thanks

The dealer wasted your money cleaning the EGR, as there is no way a blocked EGR will cause oil to leak into the cylinders after shutdown.

Firstly I would check that the crankcase is venting correctly, as a blocked vent can cause a big increase in oil consumption. From your description this is an unlikely cause, but worth checking.

A failing turbo (Oil leaks from shaft seal, strange sounds like whistling and lack of power etc) can leak oil into the cylinders, but this is also a less likely cause.

That leaves broken rings or failed valve guides and it's best to get a compression check done to figure out which is causing the problem. An engine with bad rings will have a high oil consumption and will also smoke slightly when subject to some WOT. If the engine is smoke free after warming up, it's more likely to be bad valve guide oil seals.
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A Volvo dealer will think Christmas has come early if you ask one to replace the head etc. It might be worth looking at a scrap yard head if the rings are good. In some cases it makes more sense to fit a used or recon engine with a warranty, because if the valve guides are failing the rings may not be far behind.

If the engine has done a lot of idling or short tripping, it might be worth trying to see if the oil scraper rings are sticking by doing an overnight piston soak after removing the glow plugs. This should be done using a solvent oil additive and just before you change the oil and filter as the solvents will get into the crankcase.

Once you have done the piston soak it might be worth trying a thicker high mileage oil like Mobil 1 10/60 EL and as the problem sounds serious I would add a can of Liqui Moly Stop leak. That might help to get the valve guide oil seals functioning and reduce the oil consumption rate, BUT if the rings have failed it won't make much difference.

[jpliddy]

hi i blocked of my E.G.R valve many years ago and others have to on this engine . so sadly the volvo dealer has been poor in his diagnose of your problem . i was told many years ago that this E.G.R. type is useless that came from a v.w. comment . there is a company in Darwin lancashire that specialise in engine heads for .v.w. they are v.w. engineers worth a call for sure
keep us informed as these cars are getting rare now. hope you can keep it going mine done 209000 now just run in

[skyship007]

One other cause of white smoke on start up is a broken head gasket, but if it is the HG the smoke won't smell of oil and the coolant level will be dropping etc. Not much difference in the cost of the repair, as it's often worth replacing the head of an older engine if the HG fails anyway.
If the oil has any light brown streaks from anti freeze contamination, the engine has probably been damaged beyond economic repair already, turbo bearings in particular.
Most HG failures are caused by a serious overheating incident that warps the head, unfortunately diesel engines are nearly always damaged by steam train type overheating incidents whereas a petrol engine will often survive undamaged.

[PNuT]

get the compression checked before you go any further...

how much oil is it burning?

[peter burton]

If you park on a slope, park with the nose uphill,if you park downhill facing it gets worse.Mine been doing it for a couple of years now still on 193500 miles.I find posh Shell diesel with the additives and a long run works wonders.I have always thought valve stem seals but I do not use any oil.I suspect turbo seals as oily mist getting put into air intake just before turbo from engine breather.I put in all six new glow plugs a few years ago that made huge difference.Love to know all possible causes and expected oil usage if valve stem seals gone.Can valve stem seals be done with the head in place?

[Aitchjay]

The situation described is also similar with my 2007 V70 Auto although not on start up only when the temp. needle approaches the mid point. The turbo has been replaced which has made the condition worse, so my next step is a compression test and possible valve guide seal replacement. Performance and MPG are excellent at 122000 miles arguing that mechanically the engine is sound. Aren't Volvo engines supposed to do 250000 miles anyway? Thanks Aitchjay.