Disco smokes like a pothead in denial.

[Wimperdink]

Heya folks, I'm hoping for the best but expecting the worst. I just need a lil direction on where to go next.

My 98 Disco 1 smokes but only recreationally. Its habit is making a speculator somewhere have wet dreams over oil prices/consumption rates.

Driving at around 60 mph, if I let off the gas for a second or two and then hit the throttle, it lets off a large cloud of smoke like a spy car smoke screen. 90% of the time, the smoke is blue, the other 10% it comes out black. After the initial cloud, it clears up until I let off again and repeat. In two days and about 50 miles, its burned a quart of oil.

The engine light is on and has been cleared a number of times. It has thrown diff codes each time it comes on. First time it was multiple cylinder misfire and cylinder 5 misfire. Second time it was codes p0102, p0741. Since then I've received codes P1178, P0171, and p0420 in which order I don't remember. I had them cleared and it is back on again after what felt like another misfire. It stumbled and has run fine since except for the smoking issue. I was hoping to get the same codes so that I could chase down the issue, but with new codes each time, its just left me flabbergasted.

Next step? Leakdown test?

 

[Disco Mike]

Need more information, how many miles on it,what year is it, have you been having to add oil, what octane are you running?
The 102 and the 734 is for a bad MAF. Clear and get the codes read today and get back to us with your current numbers.

 

[joey]

Also check the air filter, if it is clogged it will continue to smoke badly as well... not enough air to fuel ratio can do this. Water pump from atlantic british is only $70 if I remember right.

 

[Wimperdink]

Need more information, how many miles on it,what year is it, have you been having to add oil, what octane are you running?
The 102 and the 734 is for a bad MAF. Clear and get the codes read today and get back to us with your current numbers.

Its a 98 LSE with 98k miles running 93 octane. Checked the oil when I picked it up, 3 weeks of driving later and its 3 quarts low. Filled it back up with 15w-40 and a half quart of Lucas oil additive. 2 days later its a quart low. I'll get the codes again today.

Also check the air filter, if it is clogged it will continue to smoke badly as well... not enough air to fuel ratio can do this. Water pump from atlantic british is only $70 if I remember right.

I'll look at the filter today. air to fuel mix off can blow thick blue smoke? I guess I paid 38 from ebay. I hope it lasts or I'll be buying another. From the sounds of things I should keep a new pump and some tools onboard for that reason though.

 

[Wimperdink]

OK here's today's laundry list

p1178
p1316
p0300 - random multi cylinder misfire
p0305 - cylinder 5 misfire
p0430

The filter looks clean enough

A little more to go on. Here's what I've done since I bought it. Because it was misfiring on the way home when I picked it up, it felt like water in the fuel. I dumped a bottle of heet to remove any water that may be in the fuel. I used the red bottle that includes some injector cleaner. From there I went on a 140 mile trip and it ran flawlessly until I came back home and it tripped the check engine light again. I figured maybe the cleaner was doing its job but not yet enough. Next tank of fuel, I used SeaFoam to clean the fuel system. Things have just gotten worse since that.

 

[Wimperdink]

Well my last post didn't make it..... maybe because of the pic.... Let me see if I remember everything I typed.

The list of codes I just pulled is....
P1178 Maximum Positive AMFR Correction Fault
P1316 Misfire Excessive Emissions Fault
P0300 Misfire On Multiple Cylinder
P0305 Misfire Cylinder 5
P0430 Catalyst Efficiency Low Fault Bank B

The air filter is not bad at all. I posted a pic of it but I think thats what got my post witheld?

Just for the fun of it, I pulled sparkplug #5 to check its condition and do a compression check just to see if it might be an issue with the head gasket since I've had the cylinder 5 misfire code twice now. The compression on cylinder 5 is 129psi. The plug has a fair bit of carbon in it and was generally dirty. I would post a pic but afraid the post might get withheld again.

The tailpipe inside is covered with a thick soot. There is a smattering of what was a wet soot on the driveway about 3' behind the tailpipe from when I revved the engine in the driveway last night.

A lil history of what I've done prior to all of this. I felt like the misfires might have been from water in the fuel or something simple so I ran a red can of heet through it for water removal and injector cleaning. It ran great for 140 miles and just before reaching home it tripped the check engine light again. Next/current tank of fuel has SeaFoam in it in hopes that it would clean out anything in the fuel system that needed cleaning. Things have gone downhill since that.

 

[Disco Mike]

So, yes, it is time for a compression test and possibly a leak down depending on what the compression looks like. Sounds like rings to me but that is without any test reswults from you.

 

[Wimperdink]

I'll go out and do all 8 cylinders now. Cylinder # 5 has already been checked as per above but I'll go do the other 7 quick.

 

[joey]

98k and burning oil like that... damn. someone didn't take care of it.

 

[Wimperdink]

So, yes, it is time for a compression test and possibly a leak down depending on what the compression looks like. Sounds like rings to me but that is without any test reswults from you.

OK I don't really have a leakdown guage setup but I assume that leaving the compression tester on for a min or so after the compression check would be close. I didn't rock the crank back n forth though.

Compression results.

Cylinder # 1 = 124psi - Cylinder # 2 = 128psi
Cylinder # 3 = 140psi - Cylinder # 4 = 128psi
Cylinder # 5 = 129psi - Cylinder # 6 = 129psi
Cylinder # 7 = 130psi - Cylinder # 8 = 135psi


Cylinders 1,3,5, and 7's plugs were in way worse condition than the other side. The previous owner also had 3 brands of plugs in this thing and they were in nasty condition. The worst of them had some pretty serious carbon buildup on them. I will replace them very soon but just cleaned them up for the meantime.

98k and burning oil like that... damn. someone didn't take care of it.

You'll love the following quote from the craigslist ad.

I got it from a man in Knoxville about 3 years ago who had owned it for over 10 years, He worked at the UT hospital ,He garage kept it and it was properly maintained by Experienced Rover Mechanics.

The seller buys and sells European vehicles and works on them. I'm assuming at this point that he knew something was up and unloaded it quick. It ran fine on the test drive but has just progressively deteriorated.