I just bought a second hand BMW325TDS.When the motor is idling a bit rough and there is white smoke from the exhaust. Can this be the diesel pump timing? Can I set the diesel pump timing and how do I set it?

White smoke is indicative of burning coolant. Gray smoke is burning oil.

Have a compression test done which will often give an indication of evolving head gasket problems. If the coolant level is going down, and there's no obvious leak, its a head gasket.

white smoke mostly is caused by over fueling so what i suggest you do is first of all check if there is no leak on the injectors and if there is none which means your valve sterm seals are damaged.When the head gasket is blown out you may have problems like :-loosing power when driving,over heating,idling problems and oil mixing with water, its not your head gasket.

Are you getting white smoke or no smoke from the exhaust after failed start attempts?
When the FICM was replaced, did Ford check the glow plugs and injectors for proper operation?
Are you using an engine oil heating element or is the engine dead cold when this happens?
How long does the engine run the first and second start attempts before it stalls and dies?

white smoke out of the exhaust would be a sign that it is burning coolant... if it goes away after it warms up, it could just be condensation inside the exhaust pipe. 1800 rpm is a very high idle, maybe have your IAC motor on the throttle body checked... check engine light? if so have the code read at your local auto zone.

If you have excessive white smoke coming from the vehicles exhaust, it sounds like your headgasket is failing. Especially having a rough idle too. Check your coolant level, does your exhaust smoke smell sweet, like Antifreeze? If so, the gasket has blown. Hope this helps...

Hi Whitneyford
Your priblem sounds more like the glow plug timer relay than the exhaust. White smoke after start up is a sign of diesel entering the exhaust before it has burned completly. This is as a result of the glow plugs switching off too early, which is usually caused by one or more faulty glow plugs or a faulty timer.With engine COLD, IGNITION ON... Check voltage with all 4 plugs connected. You should have a reading of 10--12 volts
If there is no power, check in-line fuse on loom coming to plugs.
If power is present, check for How Long. If only for a few seconds, the problem is with the timer. This unit (the larger of the relays and usually black in colour) is fitted on the fuse board, and there are a few different types. They come in 7 pin..8 pin..and even 9 pin units.
The glow plug light is often NOT accurate (even with a new timer unit fitted) as to the time of heating, and you will almost certainly find that power will flow to the plugs for quiet some time after the light goes out. This is not unusuall with The Jetta Tdi.
Good luck.
I hope this helps you sort out this problem
John

If you are sure it is white smoke and the car overheats or looses water,The head gasket is bad.
Or It's valve seals or rings smokes (but the smoke would have a blueish tint)

if idling rough sound like air in system.and your injection pump timing is off.

It's time for a Italian tune up!

The blue smoke can be one of two thing.

oil drop from the valve stem (from engine head to cyclinders)
or
diesel soot collect inside the exhaust system.

===
I will take a 5-10 minutes high rpm (not redline) ran on the highway.
Pay close attention to the rear view mirror and look for black diesel soot.
=== I will use Diesel Cleen or similar product to condition the fuel. (keep moisture down)
Use the recommended amount of SEAFOAM oil additive to condition the valve stem seal/rubber parts.

I can not rule out excessive blown by.
Can you get a diesel compression tester?
When was the last valve adjustment?

Please post the actual odometer on the engine and I will follow up on it.