Intermittent Smoke Bursts From T180 D4-D D-Cat

[Karl27]

Hello there, i'm a new member with a real irritating problem and was looking for any help if possible please!

I've had my 2007 Toyota Avensis T180 D4-D D-Cat for about 4 weeks now, and every now and then it just starts billowing huge amounts of smoke out of the exhaust for no apparent reason.

I can be just trundling along around town or literally just sitting at lights, but wherever I am it is hugely embarrassing.

I've had the head gasket tested.......no problems.

I've had 5 different scanners on it......coming up with no fault codes.

I've had the EGR valve off and thoroughly cleaned......that didn't work.

I've put a DPF cleaner in it and given a serious long run up the motorway in 4th gear, which did blow a lot of smoke at first, and then was clear, but then I pottered around town in it later that day and it came back.

My last resort was obviously to take it to my local Toyota garage for them to put it on their Diagnostic machine, which I did yesterday......and they can't find anything wrong with it either.

IT'S DOING MY NUT IN!

The smoking only lasts for about 10 mins, then goes away. But can come back for no apparent reason, nothing in particular sets it off.

I personally think that something is triggering it to Regen itself too often, but no-one knows what.

PLEASE HELP!!

If anyone has any suggestions or has encountered this before and could help me I would be entirely grateful.

Many thanks, Karl.

[Mistermena]

Welcome to the forum Karl...

Sounds like a strange one. I'm guessing that its black smoke and not white? Have you cleaned the EGR pipe as well as the valve? (http://www.ebay.co.u...cvip=true&rt=nc)

1st thing I'd do is change the fuel/air filter and clean the MAF! What brand of fuel are you using? Try a different station or run some BG244 through it in some Shell V-Power derv or better still some of this juice... http://www.powerenha...f---cat-cleaner

http://www.powerenha...ine-concentrate (Use code MPG to get a 15% discount)

Does sound like a re-gen is happening to oftern. Did Toyota check the 5th injector or DPF? Is the car running on the latest ECU software? Have you a tuning box fitted?

Try speaking to the garage/person you bought the car from? Weird that this hasn't thrown up any fault codes at all... My mate Pete will be along soon to shed some light on the subject B) :P

[SMH13]

Mine too ! I have been told it purges itself to clean ......, EGR valve has been cleaned etc etc..... Ive given up !

[Karl27]

Welcome to the forum Karl...

Sounds like a strange one. I'm guessing that its black smoke and not white? Have you cleaned the EGR pipe as well as the valve? (http://www.ebay.co.u...cvip=true&rt=nc)

1st thing I'd do is change the fuel/air filter and clean the MAF! What brand of fuel are you using? Try a different station or run some BG244 through it in some Shell V-Power derv or better still some of this juice... http://www.powerenha...f---cat-cleaner

http://www.powerenha...ine-concentrate (Use code MPG to get a 15% discount)

Does sound like a re-gen is happening to oftern. Did Toyota check the 5th injector or DPF? Is the car running on the latest ECU software? Have you a tuning box fitted?

Try speaking to the garage/person you bought the car from? Weird that this hasn't thrown up any fault codes at all... My mate Pete will be along soon to shed some light on the subject B) :P

Hi, thanks for your reply.

I had the EGR cleaned at my mates garage, so i'm unsure whether the pipe was cleaned too, but I will ask.

I have actually already tried a DPF clean in the tank, which did blow a lot of crap out, but i'm quite sure that that isn't the problem anymore.

The smoke is quite white, so it's not like pure soot particles that are getting blasted out.

Toyota said they'd checked everything. But prior to me taking it there I had it in a garage on a scanner that told us that the DPF wasn't blocked.

I'm unsure if a tuning box is fitted (i'm not great under the bonnet I have to admit!), or whether the car is running the latest ECU software, but I presume it is?

I'm a motor trader and bought the car from auction, so i've got no-one to go back too unfortunately!

Anyway, I spoke to a local diesel specialist that i've used a couple of times previously about it to see if he had any ideas.

And he said, that he has seen a very similar ocurence with Mercedes Sprinter vans, and what sometimes happens is that one of the injectors could be leaking too much fuel and it builds up and then all that fuel burns off in one big burst which obviously causes the car to smoke and smell like it's over fuelling (which my car does), so he's going to bench test the injectors to see if any of them are faulty and then we can go from there. Only thing is that he's shut now until Jan 2nd! Ah well, i'll just have to wait.

What do you think of his analogy?

Regards,

Karl.

[Karl27]

Mine too ! I have been told it purges itself to clean ......, EGR valve has been cleaned etc etc..... Ive given up !

That's what it seems like yes. It's a !Removed! nightmare, I feel like pulling my hair out!