[Goldmember]

Hi All,

I'm hoping someone like 4eP will read this post, I need some out of the box thinking!

My vehicle is properly maintained, I look after it well. It's my second GEN3 4m41. I'm the second owner and it has 165,000km on the clock. I've had an intermittent black smoke issue for the last year or so, I've done the following:

1. Removed EGR and blanked.
2. Removed CAT and replaced with straight.
3. Installed EGT and BOOST gauge at the same time to ensure everything was happy. (everything is) EGT on the worst day, towing a small 4x4 trailer up a steep hills in 35 degrees was about 620 degrees)

The black smoke appears on heavy acceleration - again engine temp, egt stay normal.

I've had the injectors pulled and checked by Constantiaberg diesel in Cape Town. No issues, perfect condition.
On tar roads I use a K&N air filter, gravel standard issue.

Fuel consumption normal
No erratic idle either standing still or on the road at various speeds (i.e. I'm guessing fuel pump is fine)

I've had the turbo pulled and serviced. It had a slightly sticky wastegate.

Questions:

1. Could the fuel pump be slightly out because of the previously sticky wastegate?
2. Idle butterfly mechanism?
3. Other that could be tested?

The vehicle throws no error codes. I've reset and tested ECU several times. Zero codes after a few hundred km each time.

At this point I may have to agree with : 4X4 friends and my mechanic (who I've used since 2001 (knows his oats) says ignore if fuel consumption, egt/ other are all normal.

Any comments or advice would be appreciated.

...but I find it hard to ignore despite the feeling of joy I get when I see the pushy RANGER behind me vanish in a cloud of black smoke...

[RoelfleRoux]

My 2003 had that issue, but since new. There was nothing found to be out of order and it never changed. It wasn't so bad that the car behind me would disappear, but very obvious in the dark if there were lights behind me. I traded it at about 120k km with zero issues.

The symptom is clearly over fueling, which does come with a few potential threats, so I'm not saying ignore it. I'm just saying mine didn't go boom.

The one item you don't mention checking in your post, and the one I think could actually be your problem, is the SCV. Maybe it deserves a consideration.

But yeah, let's see what the knowledgeable guys come up with.

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[Goldmember]

Thanks for your prompt response Roelf! Much appreciated.

Isn't the SCV a commonrail problem---mine is still Gen 3 2006...sorry, I'm not that knowledgeable. So apologize if I should know better and there is one!!!

[Goldmember]

Roelf! I can't tell you how much I appreciate the prompt to look at something different...I remembered when I bought the vehicle about 2 years ago that it had a flutter noise on flooring it (no smoke) - this turned out to be the wastegate...turbo fix. But before I had the turbo sorted I replaced the THROTTLE BODY!! Because I thought the flutter could be coming from there, because it wasn't that - it made no difference...but the turbo guys who serviced the turbo must have adjusted the tolerance screws on the THROTTLE BODY...

We got the vehicle back from them and I was doing a lot of flying around, so my wife drove it for about 2 months where I literally drove to church and back at 40km/h...when I did drive it...

Then one day (2 months after turbo - if not more) I needed to use it and blam! Black smoke on the high way under acceleration! And since then it's been linked to the throttle body!

At 4pm, I pulled the 'new' throttle body off, replaced it with the old one that I kept in bubble wrap...and now after driving close to 50km in different scenarios - the black smoke is gone! It's been present every day when accelerating now for the last 22 months!!! It led me to remove the EGR, then the CAT - install the gauges etc....

I don't regret any of that, but it had nothing to do with some of that stuff - it was literally one of their team thinking he could get the turbo to spool earlier or something by adjusting the screw on one side - the idle wasn't effected - it was the full open end I imagine? Don't know.

Anyway. Amazing.

PROBLEM GONE!!!

[RoelfleRoux]

There you go!
Great news.

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[Goldmember]