Smokey mTDI

[maxigaz]

hello america,
i just had a very similar problem to yours, my ahu suddenly started to smoke at each startup, not as long as yours, but unburnt fuel, and a lot.
So i did all the tests that you've done, until i detected a compression on cylinder 2 was down half the way: 30 bars on 3 cylinders, 15 on one. And that in one night!!
Funnily after a few minutes of idling, the shaking diseapered, and the engine was smooth as usual. no loss of power. even in block 13, all cylinders were spot on.
i felt something was wrong with the lifters, so i changed oil, filter and added a bottle of valve lifter cleaner, ran the car 100 km, and this morning it started with no smoke! broommmm, prefect.
so i assume something was blocking a lifter open.
and i'm happy!

[maxigaz]

hello guys,
well i talked a bit too fast the other day, my smokey startups are back again. this time worse, i can smoke the whole village!!
so i did another compression check, 10 bars this time on the faulty cylinder. on saturday i had checked, 28 bars.
So i decided to dismantle the engine, and half way through the job, before unbolting the head, after 2 nights of thinking, i thought it would be wise to check the lifters.
i removed the camshaft, had then access to the lifters, and pressed on them. Nothing, not a movement!
so i removed the faulty cylinder ones, and tryed to press them between my fingers: on one a tiny little bubble of oil came out, on the other, nothing. Stiff as rocco!
On my spare cylinder head, the lifters can be depressed quite a bit, lets say 2 or 3mm of travel. So  do you think i've got a clue there?
I will tomorrow put the soft lifters on my engine and do a compression check again, i've got the feeling it should cure the trouble.
I'll tell you.
cheers
stef