White smoke on cold start up

[orinocoe]

Hey I have a 2007 2.0 TDCI SMax, it has done 74,000 miles and when warm runs a treat, but on cold start up she runs like a bag of nails for a prob 10-15 seconds and buckets of white smoke comes out the exhaust.

I have noticed that the "outside air" dash read out is a little ambitious today it was reading 22 degrees with frost on the ground!! also what ever the outside temperature seems to be the glow plug light only flicks on and straight back off again when the ignition is switched on.

I am hoping some one hear has had the same issue and give some direction that i can look, I am fairly handy with the spanners but I am stumped into which way to attack this issue first.   

[gregers]

welcome womble,  

dont worry about the glow plug light,think thats a red herring to you.from what i understand and read and have the same thing on mine,i dont even see the thing light up.
apparently it flicks on for a micro second.

im thinking the temp problem could well be a sensor??
as it defo wernt 22 degrees today, ???location im afraid i cant help you with.

[orinocoe]

Cheers, well I know the ambient temperature sensor is behind the front bumper up on the passenger side, I have contemplated changing it but am not sure it will help with the white smoke and rough idle on cold start up issue which is my main concern currently..... does your car start fine when cold with out the glow plug light staying on then?

[gregers]

mine winds over a bit on 1st starting,but im thinking its due a new battery.no white smoke that i know of.
maybe the glow plugs need looking at?

[inky38]

Definitely the glow plugs in my opinion.

I had this problem a while back.  Glow plug light flashed on for a second.   When it eventually started there was a plume of white smoke  (unburnt diesel)

When the mechanic tested the glow plugs he said none of them were actually working.

When they were replaced, car started straight away and no white smoke.

Oh and the temperature sensor always lies to me for the first 5 minutes of a journey  (initially reads high but soon settles down)

[SirDavidAlhambra]

Yeah what you need are new glow plugs I think