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Car smoking at idle

Well today after I got off of work I noticed my car was smoking pruty good when I was on the off ramp. When I got home I let it idle for awile in the drive way and it was just puffing out white smoke. Any ideas? I know it could be a valve seal or the turbo seal is blown?
 

Diego

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^ pretty much answered your own question......... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 

Usually valve seals are the indication when you let the car sit over night and when you first start it up it will smoke pretty good when you first start it.

Turbo seal is when you boost on it and the smoke seems to be worse then normal.

Try and have someone drive behind you and keep and eye on your exhaust and let you know what they see when you hammer on it.

It could be several different things, but you have the two most common nailed.



Give us some details on your engine, ever been rebuilt? Newer turbo?
 

toybreaker

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Apr 30, 2006
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^^^ What they said x2.

It's also helpfull to inspect/clean/replace your pcv valve when a car just randomly starts smoking.

It may be varnished up enough that it's not operating efficiently, and that'll make even a healthy motor smoke under certain conditions.

Make sure the other vent hose on the valve cover is free and clear as well.

Good luck, and update the thread when you get to the bottom of things.
 

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gifCar has 130k miles on it. PO told me that timing belt and head were rebuilt at one point. I confermed that when I pulled the valve cover off and the top side of the head looked brand new. the turbo says .60 a/r on the cold side. I was told thats its a 50 trim...anyways If im driving the car in 5th and im cruising an about 25% throttle and let off the gas completey for 20 to 30 seconds let the car coase slower and I put my foot back on the throttle it smokes then. or very now and then bettwen shifts it smokes alittle. when Im at idle its the wourse though. it doest seem to smoke when im on it though.
How do I conferm its the turbo or a valve seal?
How much does it cost to have a turbo rebuilt if thats whats wrong with my car?



409/2000
 

turbowop

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Quoting BOOSTIN HARD:
Usually valve seals are the indication when you let the car sit over night and when you first start it up it will smoke pretty good when you first start it.




This may be true in an older V8, but not really in our cars. The valve seal sits above the floor of the head, so oil doesn't pool up around them when the car is parked and not running. At idle, vacuum is what pulls oil past the seals and into the combustion chamber, causing the smoking issue. If it goes away after you leave a stop, it's most likely valve seals. It's a very common issue with the 4g63 when the miles start to climb.
 

Good to know, but I was always under the impression that the oil rolling off of the rocker arms making the oil pool up around the seal area on the valve and leaks past it.
 

So if the turbo has alot of shaft play its a blown turbo? Will it have shaft play on just the hot or just the cold side or will it have play on both sides? If it isnt the turbo how do I tell if its a valve seal? DAMN CARS lol /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bawling.gif
 

some side to side shaft play is present even in brand new turbos...... IMO it just takes feeling a bunch of them to figure out how much it too much. Maybe someone else can chime in with a actual dimension for side to side shaft play that is acceptable(couple mm maybe?). /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif Normally when seals are blown the shaft moves in and out a good amount. There should be pretty much no in and out play.

If a turbo seal is blown there will normally be oil in the charge pipes. Take a look at the IC piping right around the turbo and see if you can see any oil build up and that will give you a better idea of the turbo's condition.

As fo verifying that it is the valve seals, that is a tough task. Most of the time that conclusion is drawn when you can determine that everything else is fine. If its not the turbo, and if the motor checks out on a compression or leak down test then its probably the valve seals.
 

turbowop

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Quoting BOOSTIN HARD:
Good to know, but I was always under the impression that the oil rolling off of the rocker arms making the oil pool up around the seal area on the valve and leaks past it.



Yeah, but I don't think it's enough to make it smoke at start-up. I've had really bad valve seals before that caused really bad smoking issues at idle, but at start-up, nothing.
 

I used a can of that engine cleaner stuff at my last oil change. Could that dry out my valve seals? I put 1500 miles on it before it started smoking. it smells like fresh oil out of the exhaust. its not a blown turbo. It didnt over heat and the cooland looks green and the oil still looks fresh so its not a headgasket. I dont have an egr valve. IDK damn it lol I could drive it more and check the spark plugs to see if they are covered in burt oil. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bawling.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bawling.gif
 

"...that engine cleaner stuff..." what engine cleaner stuff? exactly what stuff? Was is something you put in the oil and leave in there, or something you run with the old oil and then drain?

Its possible that stuff dried out a seal. Most of the time cars burning oil will have a very white electrode tip because of how hot it burns, but have black build up around the bottom of the threads.
 

Well I took the intake pipe off of the car and I think the turbo is bad. There is alot of shaft play in it. I know alittle is good but this thing moves all over. I would love to get a fp3065 but the funds for such a turbo are limited at the moment. I know I want to go with a new turbo but cant decide what to get. I was thinking of a evo3 16g...But I found this DSM 18G-6SL2 Turbocharger. Anyone running this turbo? I like it because its alittle bigger and still boosts up at lower rpm's. What does a evo 3 16g turbo make full boost at? Like 2500rpm or 3k?
 

The evo 3 16g is a great street turbo. If you are going for a fast, streetable car that is the best turbo IMO. Mine spools up to 19lbs between 3,000 and 3,500. Just dont buy an EBAY version of the 16 g. A used Mitsu turbo is miles better than a brand new EBAY.... Also i would be sure you are getting sufficient oil and coolant to your turbo before you install a new one. Turbos normally blow for a reason, not just out of the blue.
 

Diego

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In a van down by the river, Iowa
Could have been eaten to sh*t, like Jdm-somethingsomethings2K1

His turbo was crapped out lean. My 14b was weak, of course, and ate crap too.


E3, hands down one great streetable power maker. I have one, not sure if ill ever let it go while having a daily driver capabilites.
 
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