BetterDaze

I would appreciate some ideas on to where to look to find the source of the smoke in my engine bay. Actively I am ordering a fuel injector seal kit and replacing the seals on the vacuum pump for the om642.

Recently replaced the typical orange seals and the oil filter housing. The spilled oil was cleaned up but the car still has a light plume of smoke drifting out from under the hood. Neither me or my mechanic have been able to find it.

Car has no drivability issues no CEL so I’m not quite ready to give up on it….It’s been going on for a while and I need some help as I replace some inexpensive seals that the car would need anyways at 280K miles, once I lift the hood it dissipates I will get a better look tomorrow

tjts1

Did you try opening the hood,? Preferably during the day?

DennisG01

What does it smell like? Unfortunately, it's kinda hard to diagnose something like this from where we are

I know you said it sort of goes away when you lift the hood - but maybe try a few times and see if you can catch the area it's coming from - at least the general area so you can start looking closer.

That's a decent amount of smoke coming out - I think you'll find the spot once you start looking better.

BetterDaze

Thanks I was mainly wondering if it had ever happened to anyone before. This morning I started it with the hood up and saw a faint ghost emerge from vacuum pump area. I put new seals in it and am about to check again after a highway run.


i do think my injectors are leaking or maybe it’s a side affect of the cold but it cranks a bit longer to start than normal.

kajtek1

Black death would be my guess without opening the hood.

BetterDaze

I plan to address the injector seals next, what part number can I use to get the thicker version? Should I order a slide hammer in case?

GoodByeHonda

My guess is that it's your exhaust manifold.

DennisG01

Sure, it's happened to me. But again, it could be coming from just about anywhere. There's absolutely no way to correlate someone elses experience with yours when there's zero information on where it's coming from. It's kind of like saying "My car is making a weird sound. Has your car ever made a weird sound? What do you think it is?"

Once you get a more definitive idea of location, maybe we can help narrow it down. Until then, it's all guessing.

BetterDaze

That’s completely understandable haha. But I know this particular engine has common leaks that are almost guaranteed to occur at some point ie. oil filter housing, intake seals, vacuum pump etc.

my car is almost 300k miles and I was asking for multiple hints not expecting a golden solution. I did a highway run and had no smoke when I got home after doing the vacuum pump seals, I’ll keep my eye on it over the weekend

DennisG01

Sure, understood. Truth is, ANY engine at 300K miles (usually much less) will suffer from seal leaks/etc - that's pretty typical and to be expected. Hopefully you found your "smoking gun"

My "current" leak is a bad connection at the exhaust downpip elbow off the turbo. That's one of the reasons I asked what the smoke smelled like (oil, exhaust, coolant, etc) - as that can help point you in a direction.

tjts1

Open the oil cap with the engines running. Is it chugging smoke like a coal train?

BetterDaze

Clearly my engine could be suffering from multiple things at once and I think that it indeed was. There is no longer a constant stream of smoke coming from out the grill and no new oil residue.

i parked briefly to fill my tire and getting ready to pull off the car was just stuck cranking, I turn the key back and then it starts right back up, a puff of smoke came out the passenger side of the hood and I smell diesel when I turn my heat on.

i plan to get new injector seals and bolts but don’t have time for my car to be out of commission, could it be done in a day? And what else can I make sure I have on hand

John CC

You have to locate the leak first, then you can decide what to replace.

BetterDaze

I already replaced a handful of parts and haven’t seen it smoking all week. I just want to stay ahead of the ball, despite the high mileage I don’t plan to sell this car and want it to last as long as possible.


that’s why I’m asking about the injector seals and other common issues on top of what I think/hope is resolved currently

BetterDaze

Nope still there, I got on the highway and could see smoke as I coast slowly in rush hour. I lift the hood and it is coming from under the fuel filter area. Of course I drive it to my indie and it stops smoking when I pull up.

It’s smoking from the middle of the V and the smoke is certainly blue, this weekend I will pull the fuel filter to inspect and clean underneath

BetterDaze

Ended up being a broken collector pipe under turbo emitting smoke. Indie replaced the pipe and no more diesel smell in the cabin or smoke from the V