Jump to content

White Smoke


Gnrnr
 Share

Recommended Posts

Just trying to get a handle on this smoke coming from the exhaust.  It is a little too persistent for my liking at this stage as I am very new to these cars having only got my first in the last month or so.  The car is a 987.1 Cayman S with just over 110,000km on it.

I have attached a video showing the smoke.  It is not present in initial startup while turning the engine over and probably takes between 5-20 seconds to first appear after starting.  To me the smoke doesn't have an oil smell, more like fuel and not a smell like hot coolant.  The engine idle increases if I take off the oil filler cap and drops back again when I close it.  There is a bit of a tick or tap noise, could be lifters, could be the initial stages of bore scoring, but I have no idea.  The car is using a little bit of oil, maybe 500ml (or a little bit more) over 2000km (about what I have driven so far) and I have had to top up about 600ml of coolant.

The smoke seems reasonably persistent and I'm sure I have seen it appear on restarting after a 30 minute drive.  I do not know if it goes away as once you are moving it cant be seen and it is a lot like condensation burning off in a cold morning to look at.  The car runs fine, temperature runs bang on 80°C as expected.

I have the car booked in for a service at the end of next month for the usual oils and filters.  I am doing the drive belt, gearbox oil and the AOS at the service.  Plugs and coils can wait till next year.

Yes my phone is a potato.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes this one has the AOS, well at least from everything i have read on it.  Hopefully the coolant is just a combination of me not having checked the level when I got it and it coming to Vic from QLD.  it might be a leaky cap as I have read they can suffer from that, but I don't have a good data point on coolant usage yet.  Might even be a small airlock in the system.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Your oil usage (500ml per 2000km) is not that big - but its not good either. The "ticking or tapping" is more of a concern especially if it happens on a cold start and reduces as the engine warms up. This is a classic bore scoring  scenario on the Cayman S / Boxster S 3.4 l engines. Your oil usage could possibly increase between oil changes which won't help your confidence - do you also have a sooty exhaust pipe?

The only real way to diagnose scored bores is with a camera - preferably from the bottom of the engine looking up, not through the spark plug holes looking down. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, Stephen Tinker said:

Your oil usage (500ml per 2000km) is not that big - but its not good either. The "ticking or tapping" is more of a concern especially if it happens on a cold start and reduces as the engine warms up. This is a classic bore scoring  scenario on the Cayman S / Boxster S 3.4 l engines. Your oil usage could possibly increase between oil changes which won't help your confidence - do you also have a sooty exhaust pipe?

The only real way to diagnose scored bores is with a camera - preferably from the bottom of the engine looking up, not through the spark plug holes looking down. 

No soot in the exhaust pipe.  That actually looks alright.  I'm leaning/hoping it is the AOS.  The idle change is a big pointer to that not being right in any case,  Ticking is consistent and there all the time.  I've not noticed a change in that, but I've only had the car for about 4-6 weeks so it makes it hard to know if anything has changed.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When the AOS went kaput in my 986 Boxster, it would be intermittent, wether the engine was hot or cold.    When it did let the smoke go it was embarrassing,....and I mean embarrassing.

I remember trying to work out what the problem was, so I took it for a spirited run up Arthurs Seat, got to the top, turned the engine off, gave it a break for about 5 minutes....

Fired it up, and unfortunately for the group of about twenty Chinese tourists enjoying the view and the fresh air, I lost sight of them in the amount of smoke that was emitted.

It also did it to me at servos after I had filled up.....So once the AOS does go you will know.....Not a big fix from memory, not sure if the 987 is much different but I had an independent change it, and I think it was about $250.00 or less.   Hopefully it is an easy fix for you. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would bet on it being the AOS, mine did the same, a little smoke and every now and then threw a CEL. It can also explain the oil usage. I would get the water pump changed as a matter of course. I was told they last about 100k by my independent specialist. You shouldn't have to top up coolant.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you everyone for your responses.    I'm much for confident it is the AOS at this stage and not something more sinister.

The coolant I am hoping will settle down once I check out a few more things.  It doesn't appear to be leaking,  but after filling the first time and going for a short drive of about 20 minutes I have noticed a little dried coolant around the filling cap itself.  Maybe a seal in that is not working as it should.  I'll do a little more experimenting with that and see what transpires.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Gnrnr said:

Thank you everyone for your responses.    I'm much for confident it is the AOS at this stage and not something more sinister.

The coolant I am hoping will settle down once I check out a few more things.  It doesn't appear to be leaking,  but after filling the first time and going for a short drive of about 20 minutes I have noticed a little dried coolant around the filling cap itself.  Maybe a seal in that is not working as it should.  I'll do a little more experimenting with that and see what transpires.

keep us all in the loop as to how you go...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Gnrnr said:

.  It doesn't appear to be leaking,  but after filling the first time and going for a short drive of about 20 minutes I have noticed a little dried coolant around the filling cap itself.  Maybe a seal in that is not working as it should. 

If your blue coloured coolant filler cap part number ends with "01" then that is the old part number - I think the newer revised number finishes with"04".

Quite a common problem with the rubber seal deteriorating.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A little update.  I went out at lunchtime for a drive into town.  There is a bit of oil/soot in the exhaust.  It was actually oily to the touch when I had a look while shutting up the shed.  I had another look for the smoke when I got into town before shutting it down and there was none at that point in time (15-20minutes after starting).

2 minutes ago, Stephen Tinker said:

If your blue coloured coolant filler cap part number ends with "01" then that is the old part number - I think the newer revised number finishes with"04".

Quite a common problem with the rubber seal deteriorating.

I'll have a look at that right now.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine (987.1) smoked white when the AOS went, but it was more like someone vaping. Huge thick clouds.

So thick that I couldn't see where I was driving (the smoke was rolling up the car into the cabin with the roof down). Completely covered the road in smoke that took a few minutes to dissipate.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

35 minutes ago, Bibbs said:

Mine (987.1) smoked white when the AOS went, but it was more like someone vaping. Huge thick clouds.

So thick that I couldn't see where I was driving (the smoke was rolling up the car into the cabin with the roof down). Completely covered the road in smoke that took a few minutes to dissipate.

 

Maybe I caught it early :D (hoping like hell I have anyway)

That sounds a lot like my first car way back when I was 18.  Mighty Datsun 120y with dodgy valve stem seals.  Generally great till you went down a hill and put your foot down, creating a smoke screen for the next 2-300m.  Once the oil burnt off all good again till you had an extended run again of the engine pulling a high vacuum due to rolling down a hill with the throttle shut off.  I think at one point I got to burning about a litre a week in that car.  Became an excercise in fill the oil and check the fuel.  At least until I let it go a couple of weeks too long and had the oil light come on. One week after that it did a big end bearing  That is a horrible sound,  At least an engine for that from the Datsun wrecker was only $110 or so :D. Couple of days at a mates place had it sorted.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

54 minutes ago, Bibbs said:

Mine (987.1) smoked white when the AOS went, but it was more like someone vaping. Huge thick clouds.

So thick that I couldn't see where I was driving (the smoke was rolling up the car into the cabin with the roof down). Completely covered the road in smoke that took a few minutes to dissipate.

 

yep same.....same....very comical if it wasn't so embarrassing..

14 minutes ago, Gnrnr said:

Maybe I caught it early :D (hoping like hell I have anyway)

That sounds a lot like my first car way back when I was 18.  Mighty Datsun 120y with dodgy valve stem seals.  Generally great till you went down a hill and put your foot down, creating a smoke screen for the next 2-300m.  Once the oil burnt off all good again till you had an extended run again of the engine pulling a high vacuum due to rolling down a hill with the throttle shut off.  I think at one point I got to burning about a litre a week in that car.  Became an excercise in fill the oil and check the fuel.  At least until I let it go a couple of weeks too long and had the oil light come on. One week after that it did a big end bearing  That is a horrible sound,  At least an engine for that from the Datsun wrecker was only $110 or so :D. Couple of days at a mates place had it sorted.

Can't believe you just owned up to that one.....:wacko:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I said mighty :D

I loved that car at the time.  It was just a fun car.  I used to drive the black spur a lot in it.  Best ever run I did was 12 mins from windy road sign at the start to the windy road sign at the Narbethong end (so rough average of 75-80km/h).  Turn in at Fernshaw was 130km/h indicated.  Going up that next hill it would top out at 90km/h  the absolute worst speed in that car.  Valve bouncing sort of revs in third, but not enough revs to pull any quicker in 4th.   Front wheels were 12x4.5...  Best tyres I could get (maybe it was afford, but I'm pretty sure there was only one tyre available, Remington Steel.....) in that size were absolutely terrible ones 155 wide.  Rear had 13x6 running 185 or 195.  Understeer city as the fronts would literally roll over and play dead, especially on those long corners at the start, actually rubbing on the side walls.   Front end grip was the limit on those curves and that was about 60km/h.

I used to rally with a mate at the time in a Datsun 1200 coupe.  Stupidly light cars.  Fully setup with rollcage etc it was only 750kg.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just out of interest for those 987 folk who have had the AOS fail, what sort of mileage were you at?

If there is a common theme I would consider doing it as a pre-emptive. Plumes of smoke a long way from home would freak plenty of us out and that would be an expensive “just to be safe” tow home. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...