ML 3.2 blowing blue smoke and no throttle response

[Marchy]

Ok starting a new thread for this question.

Warning this could be a long one.

0630 today I start the Triton (ML 3.2l) as I always do to let it tick over for a min or 2 before I drive to work. It started but idle seemed lower. Still smooth but closer to 500 rpm than the normal 700. Pressed the go pedal with hand to try getting it to idle up a bit and nothing happened. Tried a few more times and still no rpm change at all. Turned it off started again idle sounded about right and upon holding the go pedal down to the floor for 15-20 seconds I got the rpm to around 1200.

Left it run while I grabbed my gear for work (2mins or so) go back out the front and there is a very large cloud of blue smoke floating up the street originating from my Triton. Turned it off popped bonnet check oil coolant everything that is a easy look over. Started it again and still pissing smoke. Pressed go pedal and rpm still very slow to climb smoke levels went up 10 fold. Turn it off again disconnect battery to see if resetting stuff made any change = nope still smoking still almost zero throttle response. Tried starting with my chip plugged in (chipit) which has been disconnected for around 10,000km throttle response was great smoke slowly reducing. Do a lap of block smoke stopped so off I go to work with chip plugged in. By connect and disconnect chip I don't remove plug from rail I simply remove power from the chip unit. Fairly sure I remember reading when I got the chip that if it does not get power it's as if it's not in the system at all, please correct me if I'm wrong on that one.

Disconnect chip at work start it a few times and all is good no smoke running well. Drive home before lunch check intake for oil from turbo seal = none to be seen dry intake. Oil level still fine, coolant still fine, no codes on scan gauge.

Drive to airport to pick up kids and while at 100kph it starts to die, over 2-3km I drop back to 80 gradually not trying to due to the Logan mwy being rather busy, as motor surges then dies surges again then dies then it stopped dead. Pull over wouldn't restart, connect chip away we go as normal. A bit harsh in transition from coast to acceleration but ran fine the rest of the way and home again.

Now I'm trying to figure out what to do. 233,000km on clock, EGR blanked with 8mm hole, oil + filter done 4000km ago same as fuel filter and air filter. Checked intake manifold when I did last service and only light carbon coating inside, crank case blow by does not enter the intake anymore. Filled with fuel yesterday and dragged the boat 200km around brisbane without issue. Drove to get dinner last night again no issue. I'm leaning towards fuel filter after the way it carried on to the airport today but that does not answer the blue smoke question.

If anyone has any ideas please let me know.

[Cowboy Dave]

Copying my response from the other thread:

When you were disconnecting and reconnecting the chip, were you doing that at the back of the fuel rail or in some other way?

I'm just wondering there if you might have a dodgy connection which is being improved by using the chip loom and then buggered again when unplugged. I've heard of a few of the fuel rail plugs working loose, they feel fine but the pins inside get pushed back enough to make a dodgy connection.

If not that then query whether you can completely remove the chip and all wiring to exclude something else going on there.

[Naff]

Hmm check the plug as CD said. My fuel filter issue was black smoke... But I also had smoke billowing out prior to a service where my SCV was replaced.

[Marchy]

I changed my post CD to detail how I connect disconnect. Simply remove power from the chip unit. Bottom of second large paragraph is more detailed. Although how could I describe removing power in a more detailed way..... The only part of the chip circuit that has been touched during the last 130,000km has been the power connected or not depending on my mood. Just started feeling sorry for it once it hit 220,000km so have left it disconnected for a while.

[Cowboy Dave]

Ah sorry mate I assumed you just cut and pasted.

Which model chip is it? 215, 219? Were there other models, I can never keep track. The last one I saw you had to plug in a test plug thing to take it out of play but you may be right for your model.

I'd still be thinking electrical in some way given the chip having an impact.

[Marchy]

I wish it was black smoke then it would be logical to blame fuel system somewhere, I'm basically waiting for the fuel system to require some professional TLC as it's last component change was a SCV at around 100,000km so something has to spit sooner or later in the often problematic fuel system we live with. However blue smoke has thrown me. Unless I'm chasing 2 separate issues which happened to occur on the same day.

[Cowboy Dave]

Isn't it black smoke is excess fuel in the mix and white/blue is unburned fuel like when the glow plugs don't work?

[Naff]

I always forget too.. Could be related to air? Is that filter clean?

[Marchy]

I am not sure which model chip it is was the first or maybe second group buy on here years ago when it was like $495 or may have been $695? Either way it's been a while. It doesn't have any "features" the newer ones had like dual map switch or EGR monitoring just one fuel map and the map sensor connection which isn't connected anyway.

You may be onto something with glow plugs and smoke colour. It was a blue colour but didn't smell much like oil smoke so maybe it was just unburnt juice. Could also explain the zero throttle response to start off.

That just leaves the stalling 30 or 40 km into my drive this arvo to nut out.

Thanks CD I'm feeling much better I think now

[Marchy]

Air filter is clean and I also removed it while fault finding this morning (it made no difference) but forgot to put that in my first post.

[Cowboy Dave]

Yeah better to be electrical than oil burning which is what you were thinking on the smoke I'm guessing.

So, remove and clean maf sensor and plug/terminals, remove and clean SCV (there's a thread on how to service them), check plug/connections for MAP sensor, and maybe remove, clean and re-seat the plug on top of the accelerator pedal assembly.

Guessing really.

[Marchy]

Yeah I've never seen blue smoke and it end well before so I was shitting slightly.

As long at it behaves at 0300 tomorrow for my fishing trip I'll check those things after. Luckily I'm not dragging the boat tomorrow so I can limp to his place one way or another and sort it out after.

SCV clean - that's a new one for me. Can't wait to give it a crack. As long as it's not as painful as an upper and lower intake manifold clean! That job sucks!!!

I'll do fuel filter too soon but will try and get through more of this tank first as It was not from my local servo so could be part of what's upsetting the apple cart and fuel filters are not the cheapest.

Thanks again for to ideas hopefully I can sort it out soon.

[hvac guy]

Take out the chip completely 1st
Than check for other faults it could be the bypass circuit in the chip giving feedbback to another part of the ecu. Causing all your problems

[triton_guru]

Compression check sounds like the rings are going

[RHKTriton]

Have you tried a decent injector cleaner additive recently?

I've found that a dose now and then can put a new breath of performance back.

[RHKTriton]

Blue smoke usually suggests you must be driving a yota or fordzda.

Oil getting past valve stems?

[Marchy]

Today's update.
0400, started ok but was taking about 15-20 seconds for rpm to climb to 1000 rpm after that it would accelerate and drove as per normal. At lights I would just have to keep rpm above 1000 and all was good. Stalled 100m from mates house in middle of road and wouldn't restart. Plugged chip in and still no start. Finally started on about 5th try. Parked went fishing didn't catch much.

Drive home about 1400, started fine chip still plugged in drove 400m died. Pumped fuel primer and took a good 1-2 mins of solid pumping to get fuel pressure. Started fine drove home fine.

Now I start pulling shit apart. Remove chip totally, SCV clean/polish, drop some fuel from tank to see if it's dirty, replace fuel filter. Any other suggestions for things to check other than those mentioned above?

It normally gets fuel set in the tank each fill but I ran out recently and can't find it in brisbane yet so it's not had any fuel system treatment for 5000km maybe a bit more.

[Cowboy Dave]

Check the fuel hoses have a good seal at the filter pipes? Definitely sounds fuel related now but who knows? No engine lights? Would be good to use an obd reader to check for fault codes

[hvac guy]

I really think are dealing with an electronic gremlin. Can u see the throttle 1 position and rail pressure when this happens

[hvac guy]

Sounds like the throttle flap is not opening

[Marchy]

I have a scan gauge but it's not showing any codes.

Would the scan gauge tell me rail pressure or throttle position? If so how?

I agree it seems electrical as it is intermittent if it was a physical block /restriction then it would be all the time.

[hvac guy]

Scan guage will tell u all of it. I have an ultra guage so i dont know the settings for the scan guage sorry. But there is a scan guage thread

[Marchy]

Ok so got it to have a spit in the driveway. TPS at idle when idling normal was 20 on the scan gauge. When it was idling low and zero throttle responseand blowing blue smoke TPS read 99. FPR does not display on the scan gauge sadly

Disconnect chip completely and start it so far no low idle and TPS reading 20. Got an engine light upon first start and was so excited but then realised that when removing the second battery I disconnected the MAP sensor and didn't plug it back in so code was MAP sensor low voltage.

So far it's still behaving but it has had moments of good behaviour today so who knows if it's fixed or not.

I guess I might as well do the SCV while stuff is in bits and the fuel filter too while I'm motivated.

Thanks for the ideas all.

[mattz]

I'd replace the fuel filer first. You may have picked up some bad fuel. Also check that all your fuel lines are tight and not sucking air in.
It all that fails to fix the problem with remove and service/replace your scv.
It sounds fuel related seeing priming it got you going.

[Marchy]

Question. Should the throttle position be open or closed when engine off? Mine stays wide open when engine off and as well at idle for a few mins but then closes after a little while. Wondering if that's my issue. But then I need to determine if it's being told to close and not responding or not getting told.