Our Td6 has recently started to leave quite a cloud of black/dark grey smoke when accelerating hard, particularly when going up hills, or towing. It's a 2006 model with 112,000 miles on the clock.

The injectors were all refurbished just before we bought the car, about 18 months/10,000 miles ago.

I have already done a search on this problem and it seems that there could be a number of causes. What would be the best course of action to try and rectify it?

It is due a service soon, so I will be doing engine oil and filters shortly.

Hi Glen, did you convert the turbo filter to the vortex type, as that can give those symptoms.
It could also be air filter needs changing, if it's due a service.
start with cheapest solution first.
greg.

My TD6 started doing the same, I changed the filter gregdav is talking about and it's a lot less noticeable now! I would recommend the BMW vortex type filter as I didn't and will have to change mine again next year!! 

Sure, I will do the air filter soon, just to eliminate it.

Would a 2006 model Td6 still have the early type of breather filter? I used to have an E46 320d and I know that BMW generally stopped fitting the 'loo roll' type filter in 2003.

I seem to recall reading that Land Rover never adopted the vortex, and stuck with the loo roll type filter you describe. When I changed mine it was caked in oil! 

I would say yes, they will still have the loo roll filter. As stacker says, land rover stuck with the bmw m57 engine until the tdv8 took over.
AFAIK the only thing to change on the td6 facelift was the braking system, changed from ate to trw.
worth £20 or so to get it done.
greg

Crazy that LR didn't switch to the vortex breather. I notice that some suppliers are even still selling the 'loo roll' type.

Vortex breather and service kit on order. Will see if that lot solves the smoking issue.

Best place to start.

they also gave us that crappy gearbox

other than that, I'm really happy with mine.

A job for the weekend, if the parts arrive in time.

The car had a recon gearbox fitted just before we bought it but it failed again after 3500 miles. Turned out the techniciaan nicked a seal when reassembling. Got it repaired under warranty and also had Valve Bodies UK fit Sonnax valves to the block. Trouble is, I am now best part of £1000 out of pocket for removal and re-fitting charges, and courier costs to return and collect the gearbox. The Small Claims Court beckons!

The X5 got the stronger 6 speed 'box in 2004, shame BMW didn't fit the same in the Td6.

I believe l/r knew they would be phasing out the td6 for the tdv8, so probably thought it wasn't worth it.
I've got to keep hold of mine, because the later models air suspension can't be adjusted individually like our bmw based system. So won't be changing in the near future, unless someone comes up with a mod for it.
Anyway, good luck with the vortex upgrade, hope it solves your problem.
Greg.

Mine started doing this shortly after I bought it at 235000kms.
I took the inlet manifold off and gave it thorough clean to desoot it.
A very messy job!
Followed it with a deEGR.
Solved the black smoke problem.

Adrian VW Amarok 2014 Highline auto

Finally got round to working on the car this afternoon.

I did have the 'loo roll' type breather, so, given that the car is one of the last TD6 models, it looks like RR stuck with it until the TDV8 was introduced. The breather was quite blocked with hard oil deposits, so the vortex one should improve matters.

I also thought that I had a slight diesel leak under the area of the EGR valve but looking at it today it appeared to be engine oil and not diesel, and it was also present in the area around the top of the dip-stick tube. I wonder if the blocked breather was causing the oil to vent in these areas. I have washed off the oil with de-greaser, so will see if it re-occurs.

I changed the air filter but that wasn't too grubby.

I did take off the inlet hose on the EGR valve and there appears to be quite a bit of tar in the valve, so if it is still smoking the next job will be a manifold clean, and possibly EGR delete.

Glen.

Hi Glen, if the loo roll type filter was full of crap, then that could be giving you back pressure in the crankcase, which I have heard can cause the dipstick to be forced out, I also believe it was the reason for a lot of turbo failures, good you changed it.
on the egr issue, if you haven't already done it, disconnect the vacuum pipe from the egr and plug it with a bolt or screw(tight fit).
That will give your engine the best shakeup ever, maybe a few more mpg and a lot more power
glad your getting through your list of jobs, don't know about you, but I find the td6 easier to service than the td5.
Greg.

Greg,

Good idea, I might try blocking the vacuum pipe to the EGR. I used to have a BMW 320d (4cylinder version of the same engine as the Td6) and I fitted an EGR by-pass kit to that which made quite a difference. I also de-catted it, which reduced turbo lag considerably, so I am keen to try this on the Td6 too.

My wife is towing the horse trailer on Friday and that tends to make it smoke the most, so will see if it has improved matters.

I didn't find the TD5 too bad to service, it was just a bit more involved with the oil centrifuge thing. The air filter was far easier to change on the TD5, five minutes rather the best part of an hour.

I'm glad this thread has come up again as I thought at the end of last year I had solved the problem with smoke on acceleration with my car, turns out I haven't.

I didn't really help myself though, I changed the 'loo roll' type filter for a new genuine one, so that was clean and I also changed my oil but not he oil filter, didn't have the right size socket and forgot about it since.

Just wondering to myself if this will make any difference? I tonight have ordered the vortex type crankcase breather so I will fit that at the weekend (Saturday is my birthday anyway ) but think I will also change my oil and filter.

Sorry to hi-jack your thread, just wondering to myself if my stupidity would be causing me problems!