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If a diesel smokes, under any conditions other than full throttle or high load, something is wrong. Generally, too much fuel is being injected. Black smoke is usually a signal that there's too much fuel, not enough air, or injector pump timing is off. One of the most common causes is an air inlet restriction. The cause may be a dirty air filter, a collapsed intake hose, or an exhaust restriction. Check the air filter--ensure it has been changed recently (every 5,000 miles). Check the fuel injectors. Leaking injectors create an overly rich air/fuel mixture and cause black smoke. Take the valve cover off and look at the exhaust part of the injector, when it is running. Each time the injector fires, you should see oil exhausting from it. If you see oil coming out, then the injector is good. When replacing a bad injector, take the glow plug out and crank the engine to get any oil out of the cylinder. If you don't, you could hydro-lock and bend a rod. Check turbo for carbon build-up and bent turbine blades. This ties into exhaust restriction. Only use full synthetic heavy duty diesel engine oil in a turbo diesel. It will help the engine perform much better, reduce smoke, and quadruple the life of the turbo.
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