Mitsubishi L200 blowing smoke - turbo failure? | Ask Honest John

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Mitsubishi L200 blowing smoke - turbo failure?

My son owns a (2001 model) Mitsubishi L200 2.5 diesel pick-up. When starting from cold, the vehicle belches out smoke. He was warned that the turbo is on the way out; however, whilst driving home from work this week, it lost all power and spewed oil out at front of engine.

He limped it home (about half a mile) at 10mph and it starts fine, but belts out smoke of all colours from the exhaust. The engine has no knocks, bangs or other weird noises and will tick over. Could it possibly just require a new turbo or does it possibly need a complete engine?

Asked on 31 October 2016 by Glenn Hobbs

Answered by Honest John

Reads as if the turbo is completely shot and the turbo bearing oil seals have failed which is how the engine oil is getting into the combustion chambers. As well as a turbo it will need turbo bearing oil feed and oil return pipes because these get blocked with carbon, starve the turbo bearing of oil and that's why the turbo fails. That's if I'm right, of course.

Tags: diesel engines technical issues pick-ups smoking turbo engines

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