Do You really mean it when you say no smoke A3/B4?

[kooyajerms]

*Edited post to be more precise*

Do you really mean “No Smoke” ?

Ok so I’m a stickler for the truth. I do my best to be technical, so don’t read this post if you don’t want to hear my concept of technicalities. Now people say, yeah I installed XYZ and I got “no smoke.” Now on an A3/B4 I’ve heard many hear say yeah, I got no smoke, I installed my .216’s and woo! Now obviously that’s the extreme, but that is how some people sound. I call BS. So I’m setting up this post to see:

<font color="blue">Do you really mean “No Smoke”?</font>

I think the problem here is so many people don’t post correctly. Now this is my opinion. People when posting their issues with their vehicle are not stating the necessary. They think it’s obvious, but hi, we aren’t with you at your vehicle we don’t know what the heck is going on. We need to know the stats of your vehicle to figure out what’s going on. Now I’m zero on assisting anyone mechanically (unless I’ve had the problem myself, but even then the information has come from most of the vet’s here, big ups! heh). Woops tirade.


Ok so what mods do you have, what are your stats, your driving style, etc. Then tell me, do you smoke? I’ll start.

<font color="#666666"> 98 jetta AHU. 106k miles. .205’s on a4 bodies. 5.0 IQ. Idle is at 900 rpms. Cat Fuel filter. ONCCV. Cleaned intake 20k miles ago. Went 6 months straight Arco ECD, but I'm not too sure it was ECD (since there was so much praise that ULSD would be much cleaner etc and it didn't feel any different than other fuels) Running first tank of b20 (this cleaned it out BARELY) </font>

No startup smoke

My distinction for smoke has 4 different driving styles.

<font color="blue">1. -baby the vehicle and slowly get up to 3k rpm to change gears, and I will get no smoke. Takes me like 13 -15 seconds to get to 40 mph. Now this is the great mpg person, but for me I like longevity of the engine. (for the most part) </font>
<font color="green">2. -normal use of powerband to change gears at 3k rpm, my car will barely have a light haze. I get to 40 mph in a good 10 seconds I think. I’m guessing here. Depending on humidity it will be white or gray.</font>
<font color="blue">3. -gunning it. Get to 40 mph fast of the block. Like 6. I’m not WOT but I’m pushing almost my max boost. I’ll get a nice cloud of gray-black smoke.</font>
<font color="green">4. -WOT. Foot all the way down and giving way too much fuel that the engine has nothing to do with but to throw it out as black smoke CLOUDS. This is like switching gears at 4 rpms.</font>

This is all daytime driving.

Do you have “no smoke” at all 3 levels besides WOT, I mean everyone smokes at WOT right?

If anyone would like to participate, let me know how you smoke at those levels.

 

[Richard Berg]

I can't vote until tomorrow??

Anyway, I have a B4 + chip. I mash the right pedal like I'm playing drum set. The only time I see smoke is when starting on a cold day.

 

[rdkern]

Re: Do You really mean it when you say no smoke A3

I have a B4 with stock chip and .205's. When it's around freezing and the car is cold, a short puff at startup. Very irregularly I've noticed some at startup at about 40 - usually humid day. Once the car has been going a few minutes, I have never noticed any smoke (except the short time - 10 minutes or so- when I had the UP1 chip AND the .205's). WOT - I haven't seen any smoke.

 

[kooyajerms]

Re: Do You really mean it when you say no smoke A3

yeah the voting thing i couldn't edit once I put it up =( i had to actually do this post twice becuase I lost it the first time. So instead I wrote it on Word =(.

Hope everyone will chime in, no matter how insignicant you feel, I mean look, I'm the one who posted it, can anyone get any lower?

 

[Lug_Nut]

Re: Do You really mean it when you say no smoke A3

Smoke is relative. NO smoke? Not unless a hybrid on electric only. My wife's ULEV Honda smokes some. A white tissue at the tailpipe for 30 seconds will become slightly less white.
I probably get more smoke off the front tires of my TDI than I do from the tailpipe. But I seldom follow my own car down the road. I don't see evidence of any haze in the headlights behind me.
<p.s. That's on B100 because I smoked too much on petro.>

 

[kooyajerms]

Re: Do You really mean it when you say no smoke A3

Yeah it is relative that's why I put some absolutes. Why do you think I made some distinctions for levels of smoke and how the smoke was produced? From how you are running, it seems to implicate no smoke through normal driving, right?

<p.s. That's on B100 because I smoked too much on petro.>

Doesn't this kinda disprove that it's relative? Eh? How about we say NO smoke is relative John, and Smoke it self is not. =)

 

[rdkern]

Re: Do You really mean it when you say no smoke A3

From the drivers seat, I have not seen any smoke out of my B4 unless I had the UP1 chip and .205's. The smoke I saw was when my wife was getting it started, and I was watching her rear end (... should say, the car's read end.... her's was in the seat and I couldn't see it...). While driving, with proper chip/nozzles, I have not seen smoke from my B4.

 

[Ray_G]

Re: Do You really mean it when you say no smoke A3

97 Jetta, .205's no chip, I smoke starting at 3000 rpm, spray for skeeters at 3200. Does not seem to matter about how fast I accelerate. NO SMOKE at start up, not even at 40 degrees and below. (Ok, this is a lie, one puff, very small at start, one puff, really, really light) My car does not use any oil to speak of in 7000 miles (my oil change interval) The car has 107000 miles.
My timing is advanced not quite to the high end of the scale, IQ is 4.0, I had it at 1.6 but talk about smoke! Yikes that was a lot.
Under normal driving, shifting at about 2800 for me, driving on the highway at 80 or so I get 43mpg all around, and very little smoke.

 

[Toronto_Vento]

Re: Do You really mean it when you say no smoke A3

Okay, I guess I'm a LITTLE lucky with my setup. 98 Jetta. Here we go:

Timing is about 3/4 advanced.
IQ now set to ~5.5 (fluctuates between 5.4 and 5.6 at idle)
TRUE B203s (the injectors out of the transporter)(balanced by Greg)
NO chip
CAT fuel filter (not that this made a difference with smoke)
Boost bleed to a max of 20psi at WOT
Normal driving I shift at about 2400-2500 rpm. WOT? Depends on how I'm driving...I've taken the car close to redline.
Car has 200000 km on it. I usually get 49 mpg with summer fuel. A little less with the winter fuel.

Smoke? If I cruise on the highway and then lay into the accelerator, there will be a haze, but this is common with any diesel. If we are talking about a system which has been 'italian tuned', then only time I see smoke is at WOT, and that's more of a haze. You have to look really hard during the day, and it's just a slight haze at night. I'm not sure about smoke at startup.

As we know all too well is that no two TDIs seem to act the exact same. Some seem to give more smoke than others. From your setup, though, it seems that you've done injectors only. Honestly, I find for plug-and-play on the A3/B4s, chips are the better choice. Injectors can be made to work very well, but boost bleeds come into play along with something to keep the boost up there (instead of spikes).

If you increase your boost, that'll add more air to the system, and you'll see a reduction in your smoke.

 

[Diesel Dude]

Re: Do You really mean it when you say no smoke A3

OK, 97 A3 220,000km's, UP chip since 80k kms, Newly installed PP357's on A4 bodies, Timing top one third. IQ at 4.4. Mufflerectomy and 2 1/4 cat back exhaust, homemade CCV trap, stock air filter. Stanadyne performance formula and Amsoil cetane boost in every tank of dino fuel. Small puff of blue on cold start, disapears quickly. Light acceleration (1/3 throttle or less) not noticable from drivers seat. Heavier throttle, 10 - 12 lbs of boost, haze noticable from drivers seat. Heavy throttle, up to 20lbs, nice black smoke that clears somewhat when the boost catches up with the fueling. Thats how mine is behaving. The PP injectors did reduce smoke somewhat, but I attribute that mostly to the fact my original injectors were getting worn. Thats my story.

 

[paramedick]

Re: Do You really mean it when you say no smoke A3

1996 Passat. Bosch .205s and RC3. Had same setup in Jetta and same results.

Timing around 60 on chart. IQ 4.8. CAT filter.

Normal driving I shift around 3000-3200 rpm. 206K miles on Passat.

Small puff of smoke at startup. No appreciable smoke in daylight with normal operation. However, I do see a slight haze in the mirror at night when I accelerate.

Light grey smoke when I accelerate moderately on the highway. Great gobs of black smoke when I get into it at WOT.

 

[kooyajerms]

Re: Do You really mean it when you say no smoke A3

I'm loving the replies guys. Keep em comin. Vets out of the woodwork!

Guess I shoulda added the startup smoke. No startup smoke here.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

Re: Do You really mean it when you say no smoke A3

97 1Z engine, 43K. Sprint .205s on 220 bar bodies, RC3, IQ at 5.6, mufflerectomy. Puff of smoke at startup, no smoke on light driving, but smoke otherwise. Not objectionable now, and I'm pretty sensitive. I don't particularly care if it smokes at WOT as long as it dosn't look like the engine's on fire.

I mention the mufflerectomy because this has reduced smoke. The turbo spins up noticeably faster and much higher at highway speeds than it used to. At 75 if I nudge the accelerator the turbo spins up to 16 immediately. This has helped reduce smoke, I believe.

Still, these cars are noticeably smokier than A4s.

 

[wastegate]

Re: Do You really mean it when you say no smoke A3

noticable puff of whitish smoke on startup , gone within 2-5 sec, then small amount on acceleration during the first couple minutes when the engine is warming up for the first time of the day. aaz 1.9 L engine, 95 passat wagon...

 

[mjanney]

Re: Do You really mean it when you say no smoke A3

98 Jetta Up chip and Sprint 520's
SMoke, SMoke, SMoke, with B50 or higher, a lot less.

97 B4, RC2 and stock nozzles,
no smoke, no smoke, WOT-some smoke not much

I took the Up chip out of the 98 Jetta this weekend. I saw much less smoke and still had good power, just less off the line power. Much smoother with the chip out. I need better fuel consumption and want less smoke.

 

[Rammstein]

Re: Do You really mean it when you say no smoke A3

96 Passat variant, Bosch 205, evrymod, IQ at 4.2 and timing at 74.

When really cold (below -20), sometimes smoke, sometimes not.

If driven normally (like grandma), no smoke whatsoever.

When gunning it while not changing gear, a light to medium haze.

When gunning it hard with gear change (5th to 3rd), medium to semi-opaque haze.

When gunning it super hard with the evrymod all the way: I can loose 2 53 footer, most of the time 1.

Less smoke when chilli outside.

The cat has the bad habbit to get full, so once and in a while, the engine will stall because it's not able to exhaust.

To cure the problem: turn the car on with light throttle and rince it until it breathes freely.

It usually makes an enormous cloud and some carbon is left on the ground.

 

[silverfish]

Re: Do You really mean it when you say no smoke A3

No I don't smoke, not through my usual use, I baby the slug because its all about MPG, I shift below 2000, I don't boot it from cold...........ahhh

Yes I do smoke.......going home Friday night I sit at 70-80-90-95 most of the way but I don't hesitate on the hills, outside lane foot down BMW move over!!!! And yes it smokes , a swirling mist passing thru the headlights of the car behind as the driver thinks "oh TDI".

 

[ThePapaJohn]

I don't smoke ~ but my 2001 Golf sure does!

Large amounts of white smoke when the engine is COLD. Once she hits 190 deg. the smoke is GONE. This includes at Idle, or under power. Once the engine is warm ~ no more smoke at all...

John

 

[Audi5000TDI]

96 Passat, So Cal version of my fuel... Mostly whatever is cheap and local or on the way... Arco ULSD is sometimes available.

Mods... 205's on original bodies... Evry mod 880 ohms, QA set at 4.5, not sure of pump timing setting currently, last I checked it was dead center in the graph.

Observations.
No smoke at start up.
I shift at 2250 to 2400 rpm most always.
Heavy load at half throttle or more will smoke lightly under brisk acceleration going thru the gears.
Full throttle applications will smoke until the turbo catches up to the fueling.

Long periods of 65 or 70mph for 30 to 45 minutes requires an occaisional italian tune up of the injectors, which will blow black soot out on the first attempt, light gray haze on the second application and virtually none on the third attempt... a result of intercooler heat soaked point being reached and the ECU measuring warm intake air temp and reducing fueling to the injectors?

Don't know for sure, but if you hammer it, mine will smoke. Take your foot out of it to control it and your mileage improves. I see no point in taking the motor past 3000 rpm for shifting, maybe 3200. Beyond that, the motor just doesn't gain much in acceleration... Using a TDI where it performs best on the torque curve.... 1500 to 2500, is where I like to keep mine, exception being occaisional heavy load, where I floor it to blow things out briefly.

The 184s were cleaner, but at a price of being less than peppy compared to new 205s.

Let your motors temps come up and sit at 190 for a few minutes before you jump on it hard.

I don't think spirited driving is best for longevity of the 1z motor... cruising on the freeway at moderate speeds of 60 to 70 indicated is where it shines best.

Best mod? Running B20 cleans the smoke up immensely... hot humid days where relative humidity exceeds 35% at any time will make it smoke like a chimney.. Been that way with every diesel I've owned her in So Cal since 1981 with my Jetta coupe diesel when it was brand new, and the Audi 5000TD too.

 

[hgeittmann]

My '96 Passat has had a bunch of different setups in the last 6 months:
stock... no smoke*
PP520s w/ stock BK ecu... no smoke*
PP520s, BK ecu w/ stage 1 RocketChip... lots and lots of smoke,
PP520s, GQ ecu / stage 2 RocketChip... slightly less smoke past 1/2 throttle, much easier to control w/ right foot.
Sprint520s, GQ ecu w/ RC2... still smoking past 1/2 throttle. Power and smoke were pretty much the same.

Replaced N75 w/ boostvalve, bumped IQ up to 9, advanced base mechanical timing... all of these things helped a little bit, but past 1/2 throttle, still got some smoke, even running B100. So, I controlled it with my right foot for 3-4 months until I started my VNT17 project. Cleaned intake manifold 2 weeks ago (and it was really plugged, despite vaglogs during 3rd gear WOT runs showing good requested vs. actual MAF response. I should measure it now to have a good baseline... hmmm... project for tomorrow)... so now:
Sprint520s w/ BK ecu, RC1, IQ at 9.0 ... no smoke, IQ at 4.0 and get the familiar white haze at WOT*
* = the 2-5 seconds of white on cold starts (<32F, intermittent <45F)

When I get the vnt17 in (hopefully by xmas, I've had it mounted on the engine block, but had to abort as wife's patience ran out and I decided a few things needed to be done better), I'm planning to go back to the PP520s. I'll report back. I'd like to try the GQ w/ RC2 ecu, but it's already been converted to the AFN ecu. oh well. Oh, and yes my sig is out of date.

 

[Bryan42]

98 Jetta: RC2 and Sprint 520s, standard IQ, timing a bit advanced on new TB.
no smoke up to 90% throttle, some smoke at > 90% throttle

We call it the smoke option and wouldn't want to be without it, as once in a while it's good to get ride of tailgating SUVs.