White smoke from exhaust - loosing coolant

[Scallytoes]

Hi, apologies for the length but want to be detailed. I have a 2014 2.0tdi at 94k and am experiencing white smoke from the exhaust when the car is up to temp (after approx 5 mins of driving) I’m loosing coolant, topping up prob every 7-10 days) No hesitation starting, no distinct loss of power, no engine mgt lights on. No mayo in the oil filler cap and no visible leaks that I can see anyway.

I booked it in with my mechanic and he stated there was nothing that points to a head gasket issue and had a chat with a vag friend who said it could be an issue with the inlet manifold, egr and or egr cooler but that would be a process of elimination after the car is dismantled kind of thing.

any clues yet??

I went online (like you do) and someone mentioned to check a fuse in the battery fuse compartment. Couldn’t see anything blown on the small removable fuses. On my way back in after a short drive my fan kicked in (this used to happen all the time and after-run but haven’t heard this for some time coming to think of it) anyway, shortly after my particulate filter light appeared. Normally I’d just take it out on the motorway to clear this but feel less inclined to do so while the car is poorly) 

No lights on the dash before the dpf light, no limp mode, no hesitation on startup or acceleration, no smoke on startup, no mayo in oil cap at a bit of a loss.

Really really hoping someone very clever recognises the above and says ‘I know exactly what this’ and hope that’s not just wishful thinking.

over to you guys….my 160k miles 8P seemed like a tank compared this 8V

Thank you so much for reading this far and racking your brains over this, eternally grateful 🙏 

[Steve Q]

I'd definitely consider the egr/egr cooler as the main cause with this. But you could get a pressure test done on the engine to be safe. 

 

[Scallytoes]

My mechanic did say he’d pressure test it so assume he’s done that to rule out the head gasket option. Looking at the symptoms you seem bang on the money, just hoping that solves the issue. Really appreciate and value your opinion and time so thank you will keep this thread alive and update for others too, now to price one up and get a price for fitting. 

[Scallytoes]

The other thing is… I’ve seen egr deletes and software remaps mentioned as an option rather than put a new egr / egr cooler on a car that’s already at 95k miles now??

[Steve Q]

7 hours ago, Scallytoes said:

My mechanic did say he’d pressure test it so assume he’s done that to rule out the head gasket option. Looking at the symptoms you seem bang on the money, just hoping that solves the issue. Really appreciate and value your opinion and time so thank you will keep this thread alive and update for others too, now to price one up and get a price for fitting. 

You're welcome, please keep us posted on how you get on 🙂 

Yes that's an option, but we're seeing more and more cars coming here with further issues after having dpf or egr deletes.