4300 exhaust smoke

[steviep]

Earlier this year the engine on my 4300 was rebuilt. Since the rebuild the engine has started and run pretty good except for when it first starts it has a large cloud of what looks like blue smoke. My oil is still full and looks fine. The anti freeze looks fine too. The engine has less than 50 hours since rebuild and it seems to lessen the more it runs. Any help is appreciated.

 

[beenthere]

How many hours on the engine before the re-build?
Any idea what precipitated the need for a re-build and how extensive was it?

Hopefully the engine will settle in and clear up the smoke problem in due time.

 

[texasranger556]

Blue would most likely be raw diesel or possibly oil. Can you tell which from the smell?

 

[sweettractors]

Earlier this year the engine on my 4300 was rebuilt. Since the rebuild the engine has started and run pretty good except for when it first starts it has a large cloud of what looks like blue smoke. My oil is still full and looks fine. The anti freeze looks fine too. The engine has less than 50 hours since rebuild and it seems to lessen the more it runs. Any help is appreciated.

Could be that the rings never seated and/or not correctly rebuilt? Ken Sweet

 

[steviep]

The engine had about 1000 hours, the reason for rebuild was a little thing called starting fluid.The engine was bored with new pistols and rings plus the head redone. It was done by a reputable local machine engine rebuild shop. As far as smell I don't know.

 

[sweettractors]

The engine had about 1000 hours, the reason for rebuild was a little thing called starting fluid.The engine was bored with new pistols and rings plus the head redone. It was done by a reputable local machine engine rebuild shop. As far as smell I don't know.

Sometimes a rebuild does not bring a engine back to the performance levels of new. If you don't smell strong diesel in the exhaust, it probably is oil causing the smoke. Hopefully, it will get better as you add more hours. Ken Sweet

 

[Notforhire]

Just throwing this out there.
My 5055e started emitting blue smoke. The problem was a pinched fuel line. Not enough fuel was being injected, which caused poor combustion.

 

[kuboman]

If you can put it under load do that. It needs a good long hard workout.

 

[rekees4300]

when it first starts it has a large cloud of what looks like blue smoke.

My 4300 has always (17 years) done this, it's normal. Just diesel fumes due to cold engine. Don't worry about it.

 

[texasranger556]

My 4300 has always (17 years) done this, it's normal. Just diesel fumes due to cold engine. Don't worry about it.

Blue smoke?? My 4400 gives a short puff of black smoke when it starts, not blue.

 

[pmsmechanic]

As a rule black smoke is fuel, blue smoke is oil and white smoke is water or antifreeze.

 

[chubby]

My 3720 smokes bluish at cold idle. No oil loss or gain, no coolant loss or gain. Throttle up to 2000 no smoke. Runs perfect all 8 hours cutting a large field but the smoke will burn your throat and eyes. I made a video for my dealer 2 mins smoking then 2 mins clean thinking this would help solve my issue. This tractor has been doing this since i bought it at 112 hrs, now at 600 hrs. I will get to the dealer one of these days when I get some time. I think either injector dirty or timing of pump. After viewing video dealer agrees. But what is unknown, are other sensors that might effect a rich mixture at cold idle but what ever it would sure be nice for it to leave. Of course when blue smoke is mentioned the next words are rings and head gaskets. I would check injectors and timing or hire someone to do.

 

[steviep]

Thanks guys for all your help I am trying to find someone local to look at it. I don't want to take it to the dealer for repairs.

 

[fried1765]

Thanks guys for all your help I am trying to find someone local to look at it. I don't want to take it to the dealer for repairs.

My Ford 1920 (1989) with 1000 hours does the light blue smoke thing also.
I see wet stains at the very top of the muffler, where the little stack is attached.
I am thinking that is excess diesel fuel (inside of pipe gets black very quickly too)..
Am planning to have the injectors rebuilt, to see if that will cure both the wet fuel look, and the light blue smoke.

 

[pmsmechanic]

My Ford 1920 (1989) with 1000 hours does the light blue smoke thing also.
I see wet stains at the very top of the muffler, where the little stack is attached.
I am thinking that is excess diesel fuel (inside of pipe gets black very quickly too)..
Am planning to have the injectors rebuilt, to see if that will cure both the wet fuel look, and the light blue smoke.

Do you ever work this tractor? I'm talking about working it hard enough that that it lugs down in rpm once in a while. To me it sounds like that's what your tractor needs.

I'll tell you what I do. All winter my tractor just does easy work like blowing and pushing snow. Or moving vehicles etc in and out of my shop. Come spring I rototill gardens. Pto speed is 2600 engine rpm. Full throttle empty is about 2800 rpm which is where I rototill at. Most of the time i'm down to 2500-2600 rpm while rototilling with occasionally going a lot lower than that. What I want is for the engine to get warm enough to blow all of the unburnt fuel from winter out. Making it work does that.

 

[Phillip w]

My allis Chalmers 185 is pretty cold blooded. It smokes a good 5-10 minutes when you first start it up. That is on a reasonably warm day
If it is cold say 10-15 degrees it with smoke for maybe 30 minutes or so getting warmed up. Tractor runs good and stays plenty strong on a heavy pull like plowing and discing. 1have a 1531 massey ferguson compact tractor and it will puff a little smoke when you first start it. Funny thing the old allis Chalmers will start in cold weather better than the massey ferguson. I have had the allis Chalmers running when 10 below and the massey ferguson would not start.

 

[kevin37b]

Yep , you need to work it and get some real heat and compression going .

 

[fried1765]

Do you ever work this tractor? I'm talking about working it hard enough that that it lugs down in rpm once in a while. To me it sounds like that's what your tractor needs.

I'll tell you what I do. All winter my tractor just does easy work like blowing and pushing snow. Or moving vehicles etc in and out of my shop. Come spring I rototill gardens. Pto speed is 2600 engine rpm. Full throttle empty is about 2800 rpm which is where I rototill at. Most of the time i'm down to 2500-2600 rpm while rototilling with occasionally going a lot lower than that. What I want is for the engine to get warm enough to blow all of the unburnt fuel from winter out. Making it work does that.

Ah Ha !!
I sense that you may have hit exactly upon my issue.
I do not ever really "work" my 1920 FEL.
All winter, it sits in my barn in New England, while I sit in Florida.
Then when I do return, it gets less than 10 hours of very light use for the entire summer.
ALL of that time is at less than 1500 RPM

My Ford 3400 TLB (gas) does any real work that I need.
I treat the little 1920 like a baby (it is such a sweet little machine - just over 1000 hrs., I refurbished, and looks like new).
Maybe not such a good idea?
I have a new KK tiller sitting in the barn, perhaps I should use that, or my brush hog.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[dfkrug]

The engine had about 1000 hours, the reason for rebuild was a little thing called starting fluid.The engine was bored with new pistols and rings plus the head redone.

These Yanmar engines can go quite a while with worn rings and cylinders. When it comes to rebuild
time, due to hard starting or excessive smoke, they can be rebored, but there is only one oversize
piston make for it: 0.25mm. For earlier Yanmars from Deere, you could buy .25 or .5mm O/S pistons.

On the last 4300 I rebuilt, a .25mm boring job was not really enough to clean up all the wear. I
went with that anyway (no choice!), but blow-by and oil consumption was not going to be as good as new.

Maybe the same thing was done by your rebuilder.

 

[steviep]

Homebuilder actually told me he wish there was a in between size because it wasn't in that bad of shape. Less smoke now even less if I use the block heater for a couple of hours before using. Now I have a new problem , it looks like I have a bad head gasket.