Anybody come across this before?
It only happens on the first start of the day and there is no smoke initially. Once up to temperature there is no smoke and there is no hunting. The car has cut out suddenly twice but I don't know if it is fuel or electrical.

 

Finding what sort of smoke will help.

Blue tinge (hard to pick in the video) is engine oil.

White is either brake fluid (via the brake booster) or trans oil, via the vac modulator.

Coolant can be white also, and will have that "sweet" smell to it.

Our PreHE had previously had a failed trans modulator replaced, just before we stole it, and would smoke up after a few seconds. Oil in the inlet manifolds, and it dont take much to make smoke. Took it for a long HARD run (I let wifey drive), and after about 3 hours of that, all good, still OK today.

Check which fluid has dropped, that "could" be a key.

Pull the trans vac line off the rear of RH inlet manifold, look inside that hose for oil, if so, there it is. I doubt that item, coz when they go, smoke is 24/7, and trans upshift is usually crap.

Brake master cylinder weeping fluid into the engine side of the booster, and that fluid gets sucked in at start up (very high vacuam), and once gone its gone, until tomorrow morning. Tricky one to track, but a look see inside that vac hose at the top of the RH inlet manifold will be a good place to start.

Has this just started??, or been so for a while.

 

The hunting is the revs going over 14/1500 throttle closed and the overrun cutoff cutting the fuel as the ECU thinks you are coasting downhill on a trailing throttle.


The smoke, what does it smell like? A couple of possibilities:
Could be oil that has been collecting overnight after the last run in the valve guides and then as it is warmed on startup running down into the cylinders and burning off. Just could be running VV rich because some injectors are sticking to start with until warmed. As it is both sides though, I suspect oil somehow getting in there.


Worth cleaning out the PCV system filter and checking the sprung valve, even disconnecting it from the "pig's snout" and seeing if on the next start it makes any difference.
Just read Grant's post above. Much better suggestions!
Greg

 

Grant, it has started recently and seems to be getting slowly worse although it is more like steam than smoke; it is quite cool and very damp here at the moment.
Greg, sorry to be a dumb **** but what and where is the PCV filter and what the frack is a pig's snout?
BB reckons hunting could be the AAV?

 

The AAV might cause the symptoms, quite true, I was just saying what happens. No point in chasing the AAV/hunting problem, as if any of the other things that may cause the smoke are fixed, the hunting caused by high idle may go, as the extra air will be cut off too.


Grant's term is the Pig's snout! It is the round rubber thingy in front of the B bank V with a tube going from it to the b bank air cleaner. It pulls off the engine and there is a gauze filter inside which is worth cleaning if dirty anyway. Pull the tube off the snout and block it so nothing can get into the airbox from it to do the test. Parts 6, 7 and 10 in these diagrams:




Probably not the cause but if the PCV valve has gone open circuit somehow you never know.
My money is on Grant's ideas!
Greg

 

Greg could be right, as positive crank case pressure because the breather is blocked can cause blow by the piston rings, but i would suspect that this would be all the time, or at high revs

Steve says this ' smoke ' which i think is steam only last a few mins at the start of each day , just as mine does on cold damp days here in sunny England

but as ever , all input is worth checking out no matter what

BB

 

Now we know the atmospheric conditions (damn big words for me), I reckon leave the poor old girl alone.

It is exhaust steam, as hot meets cold, and all my Jags have done that when conditions are right, even down here.

The hunting idle is certainly worth giving a hissy AAV as the main culprit, and there are many right ups on that Laucas item.

I have a rebuild Word Doco for it, as does Greg.

I also have a removal Doco for it, as does Greg.

Dirty/grubby internal throttle bodies will also reek idle havoc.

If there are NO fluids that are vanishing, then dont try and fix what aint broke.

My HE used to lay an absolute "smoke screen" during our winters on those certain mornings when the planets lined up just right, never went looking for anything special, just glanced at what I knew was all OK, and went on living.

 

All true from BB and Grant, Steve. Mine steams like the Queen Mary on winter mornings. If the cloud does not smell of anything, just an AAV fix.
greg

 

I was probably a bit previous saying smoke instead of vapour but it is odd that the X Type (parked in front) doesn't steam at all and neither does the Freelander (parked next to the X Type). The Alfa never comes out of the garage so can't compare with that one!
I'll change the AAV next time home and possibly the EAV. Meanwhile I'm off for a quick cup of T followed by a PP.

 

HAHAHA, none of the comparisons are REAL Jaguars, fair dinkum.

Can you imagine a V12 in an X Type??

The rest, not even close.

Mainly to do with emissions settings in the later stuff that far excedes the 1960's V12 set up. Then add the "lean burn" of these more modern ECU's, and they have eliminated a BBQ talking point, bugga.

Drink more, worry less.

 

How often, and for how long, is the XJS driven?

The pipes and mufflers can hold quite a lot of water....which can keep accumulating unless the car is driven long enough to burn it off.

I'd take her for a good long run...like a full hour. Presumably, hopefully, the vapor cloud will be gone. Now let her sit overnight and, on start-up, see if the vapor cloud is gone or much much reduced from what we see in the video.

Cheers
DD

 

My vote is for water vapour. I like the look on firing up my lump on a cold morning and seeing it emit from each of the pipes.


Ideas:


1. Hold a clean sheet of white paper against each pipe. See or feel whatever condenses on it? Water or a bit oily?


2. As Doug says water will collect in the low parts of the exhaust. Promotes rust from within! Some drill a tiny hole in the low side of the mufflers.


As far as I can tell, the mufflers on my 83 are original and still sound. The resonators were replaced by a PO with small glass packs. Unfortunately, welded in place??? Why, cuz muffler shops are addicted to their MIGs and abhor wrenches....


Carl

 

Steve

Have you got a 'Non Standard' Exhaust System on your machine?

If so maybe the design holds more water vapour than the Standard Type.

 

Yes it is non 'standard'; no centre box and quad TWR tail pipes. It is quite a big system so I guess it can hold a lot of condensate but I've had it a couple of winters now and don't recall that amount of steam; makes a good stealth mode!
It should be quite impressive when I get back and start it up after 3 weeks sitting idle.

 

Hi Steve

I have made a Video of Starting my V12, so you could do a comparison, to how much your Car Smokes compared to mine.

Unless that is you want to 'Fess Up' to doing a Diesel Conversion or Misfueling?

The only problem being, that I am to making Videos, what some plumbers are to 'Tap Dancing'

When I did the first one, I did 15 second 'Time Elapsed' Photography and it made the Car look as if it was bouncing up and down like a 'Jack Hammer' and to be honest watching it would really do your head in.

The Second one was even worse and came out upside down, so the only way to watch it would be to stand on your head but then of course you would spill all your 'Pop Corn'