Diesel injector cleaner fuel additives ?

[joidevie]

Hi everyone..

Recently bought an Opel Astra Diesel dti.. very clean, and with 130k on the clock. It runs fabulously, except when starting from cold, there is a huge plume of white/blue smoke (oily smell, not steam). A few revs later, or perhaps a couple of kms, and all is fine.

My 'mechanique' friend down the road has suggested a dose of injector cleaner fluid in the next tank. I've bought the "Bardhal Pro" 500ml to add to 20l of diesel..

I've read a fair bit (valve stems, injectors etc..).. A dose of this stuff shouldn't harm right? And best done before a 'long run' to use the whole 20l or can I just put it in now and go about my normal business?

I'm not unduly worried, just wondering whether anyone's particularly on the ball on these products..

Many thanks if anyone can offer any experiences..

[dave21478]

Early versions of the Vaux / Opel DTI engines have serious injection pump problems that often lead to failure at around 100 - 150k. Its not the end of the world though if it does happen as reconditioned units are easily available (in UK anyway, good luck finding a resonable priced on in France!)

Later models suffer less from this failure, and if the pump has been rebuilt properly, will probably outlast the rest of the car.

As for the injector cleaner.....follow the dilution instructions, bung it in and drive normally. Longer term, use two-stroke oil as an additive.

The cheapest, most basic 2-stroke oil from supermarkets....ie premier prix mineral 2-stroke mower/strimmer oil, not semi or fully synthetic, preferably with low ash content. Add 150 - 200ml to every full tank of diesel. Yes, you will get odd looks on the forecourt, but you will also get smoother, quieter running and maybe better MPG. Modern diesel fuels have less lubrication properties than they used to, so engines often react better to fuel with a dose of 2-stroke oil in which acts as a lubricating additive.

[joidevie]

[quote user="dave21478"]Early versions of the Vaux / Opel DTI engines have serious injection pump problems that often lead to failure at around 100 - 150k. [/quote]

It's a 2001 2.0 dti.. And it's 130k km's (so 80k ish miles, so pretty new for a diesel?).

I looked everywhere for a car that had no DMF, no DPF, and the 2.0 had no cambelt as well.. Now a possible injector pump!? Would this cause the oily white smoke, and why only at startup..?

I'll give the cleaner a go, and then see if it's more serious. I'm back in the UK a lot, and a DHL to France may save many €€'s. Germany is also a good source of Opel (Vaux) bits, with sellers prepared to ship within the EU.. A quick look finds a lot of 1.7 pumps, but not many 2.0's...

Thanks for the response.

[dave21478]

The smoke could be lots of things. You have the injector cleaner, so give it a try....you never know.

Could also be worn valve stem seals and a dozen other things that cause smoke on startup...some serious, some less so. Ideally it needs diagnosed by someone who knows what they are doing. Carrying on driving it in the meantime is very unlikely to cause any further damage. Personally, I wouldn't be too worried about it.

Pump failure usually starts with loss of power, cutting out, and becoming difficult to restart.

The firm is nothing to do with me, but I have used Diesel Bob on a few occasions now

www.dieselbob.co.uk

and always had good service. He has reconditioned an injection pump and several injectors for me amongst other things. Prices were reasonable and he will post parts to France.

[dave21478]

oh, and be careful if buying a used pump....it may not be much better than your old one, and if I remember rightly, the vaux/opel pumps are coded to work with the cars ECU and immobiliser so a used one will not work straight away without being reprogrammed first. A reconditioned unit wont have this problem.

[joidevie]

Thanks Dave.. Sounds like you've been around the block on this one..

Dieselbob comes up on searches, so I'll bookmark them..

I'll give the cleaner a go!

[f1steveuk]

The 2T works for lubrication, not so good on  breaking down soot deposits. I use Redex Diesel additive each time we travel to or from the UK, as it uses about a tank to get home. Single rail systems don't clog the injector as much, but the EGR (Exhaust Gas Re-Cycling) valve is very susceptable to clogging up, and sticking (as any Renualt Espace owner!) killing performance, and like any engine, it's the short, sharp runs the do for engines!