Smoking after just sitting

[Rabbit TD]

I finaly got my Rabbit fixed, repainted and polished and back on the road again after getting hit in the right side about a month ago.  It seems fine other than I think it's out of alignment just a little but I can straighten it up with the alignamatic.  I started it a few times moving it in and out of the garage while working on it and Saturday I had it about done and when I started it basicly just to run it a little it seemed like it was running richer or something.  It smoked a good bit {black} and this motor normaly has almost no smoke to it and continued doing it even giving it short throttle bursts, it ran smooth just like before though.  I figured it would go away after some normal driving and it pretty much seems to be doing that. It's around 80 degrees around here What would cause an engine to do this from just sitting for about 3 weeks at warm temperatres on top of it, I'm just curious and it is going away like I hoped it would.  Also has just rebuilt by Giles injectors {stock 155's} with just about 6,000 mi. on them which are fine.

[jtanguay]

you used new heat shields when installing the injectors right?  black smoke after sitting isn't so bad, but it should clear up after driving.  my TDI smoked a bit from sitting about 2 months.

[SolarSteve]

Check the air filter housing and accociated plumbing.  Mabey a mouse or something built a nest in there and the motor is not getting enough air.

[Rabbit TD]

you used new heat shields when installing the injectors right?  black smoke after sitting isn't so bad, but it should clear up after driving.  my TDI smoked a bit from sitting about 2 months.
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Yes I definately used new shields, Giles sent me them when I got the injectors.  I went to a tractor pull tonight and when I left the parking lot after sitting in it moving just a little at a time when I pulled out on the highway it made a hell of a cloud.  Of course the motor was cold going through the parking lot but I've never seen this motor do this.  I sure hope it goes away.  When I had the wreck I drove it home and it ran just fine like always and like I said it only has about 6,000 on it.  I know it will go away after a run or two down the interstate which is what it is used to doing 5 days a week, but what actualy causes them to smoke from just sitting for a month, especialy in warm weather and in a garage. 

[burn_your_money]

It's possible that a piece of something is causing one of the injectors to stick. A good hard run on the highway should free it up though.

[jtanguay]

hmmm yea a can of diesel purge might clear things up (a good reason for going with a 1 micron CAT fuel filter or other brand...)  but i'm starting to think that your timing might have slightly changed from the accident.  i was in a head on collision @ 50 kph and i tried starting it in the yard and it was coughing like it wanted to go but it was no use.  no interference, but the pump moved and threw the whole timing off.  even if your pump moved half a mm that could really make a difference.  its worth a shot looking into.  does it drive differently at speed?

[Rabbit TD]

hmmm yea a can of diesel purge might clear things up (a good reason for going with a 1 micron CAT fuel filter or other brand...)  but i'm starting to think that your timing might have slightly changed from the accident.  i was in a head on collision @ 50 kph and i tried starting it in the yard and it was coughing like it wanted to go but it was no use.  no interference, but the pump moved and threw the whole timing off.  even if your pump moved half a mm that could really make a difference.  its worth a shot looking into.  does it drive differently at speed?

I stopped in at Autozone this evening which is the same place I had the wreck actualy and got my usual re-supply of PB Blaster and Brake Clean and saw they had Seafoam so I got a can which I am gonna run through.  It starts and runs fine, doesn' tmiss or run uneven even when first started and the boost is the same.  I hear that Seafoam is good stuff.  One thing that I'm a little worried about now though is the alignment.  It tracks straight and doesn't pull or anything but it just doesn't feel as stable as it used to for some reason.  It takes the same force to move it right or left but it just doesn't seem as instantaneous to me and feels a little looser when going over a hump in the road.  I got out my Alignamatic yesterday and when moving the car over it the settings were the same as before and the camber is the same also.  I've always just used a 2 foot level that rests against the wheel and gave it about 1/4 bubble negative camber and 0 toe and it has always been fine and never wore the tires.  I kind of feel the problem, if there is one, is in the rear axel since it was hit right at the front of the rear wheel opening and in the door {passenger side}.  I don't think her bumper actualy hit the wheel or the tire though but I think I'm gonna have to do some checking under there and do some measuring I guess.  I think the Bently has things in there about that.

[jtanguay]

i bent the rear axle beam one time avoiding a collision in the winter... the tire was on an angle  man that was a fun half hour drive to the mechanics shop!!! not even worth trying to fix i was lucky enough to find someone scrapping one and got new brakes to boot! its surprising at how easy it bent... i mean maybe 30kph curb hit?

[Rabbit TD]

i bent the rear axle beam one time avoiding a collision in the winter... the tire was on an angle  man that was a fun half hour drive to the mechanics shop!!! not even worth trying to fix i was lucky enough to find someone scrapping one and got new brakes to boot! its surprising at how easy it bent... i mean maybe 30kph curb hit?

I just hope if something is bent back there it is the axel itself and not the body twisted.  She really didn't hit me that hard and when I drove home I really didn't notice anything out of the ordinary but I was pretty mad, sad and scared all at the same time and maby didn't notice anything.  I did however pull most of the quarter panel back out with a ratchet type power pull hooked on the hitch on my truck.  It got to the point I was actualy sliding the tires on the Rabbit and maby I even caused it.  I've been driving my  92 Park Ave. since then and maby I've just gotten used to it again and my Rabbit just seems different from not driving it for a while.  I''m gonna try to find a long straight edge and lay it against the rear wheels and see where it points on each side just for a rough check first.  Eyeballing it it doesn't seem off at all sighting down the side.