I really hope this isn't a turbo oil seal

Car is a blob WRX running 346 bhp.

Basically I left the car for a few days and then came back today to pop to the shops in and on startup up I usually have to blip the throttle (simtek cold start) and as I did a little puff of blue looking smoke came out the back, I let it idle for a few seconds then gave it another blip and no re-appearing smoke.

When I got to the shops I asked the missus to see if any smoke was coming out the back whilst I gave it some heavier throttle blips and no sign or anything.

Could it just be something as simple as the exhaust just blowing through any residue?

 

Sounds to me live a valve seal is leaking, oil will leak through when the cars is sat there,, then when you start up its very quickly burnt off, that's why you get a puff of blue smoke, and not continuous. There's not enough dripping through to show it all the time, that's why the smoke worse the longer your car has been sat.

But could equally be the turbo I guess. I would have thought the turbo seal was easier to check.

 

Without taking the motor out is there a way of finding out if it is the valve seals leaking?

 

Mine does this now and again. With mine it's just oil vapour collecting in the intake.Once it builds up a little it gets sucked in and burned off. The way to cure it is re-pipe the vents to a catch tank. Maybe you have the same issue. Mine got worse after the turbo boost was turned up.

 

Could be the same issue, its never happened before. I've had the same turbo and boost settings since last April.

 

Mine goes weeks or even months without doing it sometimes.. I discovered the reason for the sm9oke when i replaced the turbo to intercooler hose and saw the puddle of oil in the turbo.

 

has it only done it once or is it regular now? probably easier to check the turbo and rule that out rather than getting to your valves... but like kedlestone says, it may just be a one off and may not warrant any work.

 

It's not likely to be valve stem seals. There not prone to leaking on subaru engines and would be unlikely to drip oil into the cylinder because the subaru engine is a flat (horizontal) engine rather than a vertical engine lay out.