silent running

Last few days my just run-in EJ20 has been smoking on startup, a big cloud of white-grey smoke (not steam) out of the exhaust that keeps churning out for 10-20 seconds then clears.

It seems to run fine. I don't see anything when I'm driving at all, only on cold startup. Warm startup doesn't seem to do it either. Is it the valve stem seals? I just replaced the whole bloody set! I'm supposed to be getting a remap done this weekend and then off to the 'Ring at Easter. Can I fix it later and just keep topping up with oil?

dj219957

In this weather everyones cars are chucking out loads of steam in the mornings. Soon as they come off warm up phase there fine. You see this most noticably at 8am ish when everyone has just pulled out to go to work.

or maybee yours is not quite fuelled right on cold start for the first few moments hence the grey smoke which indicates fuel.

silent running

Well it has been pretty thirsty since the rebuild. My main concern really is whether it's something I can leave until the remap. I seriously do not want to pull the engine if I can help it.

Scobman

I would guess its water burning off that lies in the exhaust boxes. As DJ says in this weather all cars are doing this - mine does.

dj219957

if it clears when the engine is warm i would say it has to be down to the weather at the moment. wouldnt have thought anything is wrong.

dan83590

And the oil looks okay Silent?

silent running

Well that's the thing. The oil did seem down a little and I needed to top it up with maybe a quarter of a litre. The first thing I thought of was that the catch tank had filled up to the top and maybe it sucked a load of mayonnaise through the inlet when I started it up. I then cleared the tank out and it seemed better but then today it happened again and the catch tank is nowhere near full.

Maybe there's mayonnaise still in the inlet manifold somewhere.

dan83590

Hmm. I think it would be very unlucky if your stem seals were faulty as I know you replaced them for new. My next guess would have been faulty turbo. But now you have said about the catch tank filling

Is the smoke gradually reducing?

silent running

My breather system is totally sealed. It does not vent out anywhere, it is the factory layout simply with a catch tank intercepting the line out of the crankcase. It has collected a fair bit but then, saying that, it's the first time I emptied it after 1100 miles of running from new and it's about the size of a coke can.

I tried it again tonight after letting it cool down and what I think I'm seeing now is that at first there's nothing there, then after half a minute smoke starts to appear. That seems to me to be condensation. What happened earlier this afternoon was that the weather was warm and the engine was stone cold and it made obvious white smoke...

dan83590

Did the smoke stop?

silent running

In the end, I think it was a combination of the catch tank being full up and needing emptying at the same time with it being weird weather for a few days with warm foggy mornings and cold clear nights. Or something. Anyway it seems to be OK now....

joz8968

iTrader: (13)

Well that must have been a genuine sigh of relief, then?

At least, now, you have nothing to hold you back from fully enjoying your new-found 346-odd ponies...