Smoke!!! Help!!!!

[X21 LSS]

Evening all,

Im hoping somebody can help us out?

Over the past few weeks on cold starts my 987 '06' 3.2 boxster s it has started to smoke really bad for about 10 seconds then goes clear, i'm trying not to panic so any help would be grateful.

We have owned it for 14 months now and its not done this before!!

Thanks in advance,

Ross

 

[thumbhead]

Has it been stood for a while, sounds like classic flat six syndrome mine is the same if I've left it for a week or so and not run it.

A small amount of oil creeps up the bore on the pots and when you fire it up it looks bad but really isn't an issue or so I've been informed by my specialist

 

[X21 LSS]

Thanks very much,

Should have mentioned also she has 54,000 miles now so its probably worn out anyway!!

ill try to take the cap off the oil filler while its running but does the engine need to reach temperature before doing so?

Ill also ring pc guildford tomorrow for a quote to change the separator

 

[Motorhead]

I'd just let the engine idle for a few minutes before trying to remove the filler cap.

I'm not from your area but rather than use the PC, a cheaper alternative might be to try a Porsche Indy like GT One who are in Chertsey [ http://www.gt-one.co.uk/ ]. Or you may be able to find someone here:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=48&t=394669&mid=0&nmt=Specialists%2C+sales+and+servicing

Jeff

 

[X21 LSS]

Thanks jeff

Ill give them a try too, thanks alot for the advice much appreciated

Ross

 

[Motorhead]

Hope you get it sorted Ross.

Jeff

 

[X21 LSS]

Booked in to pc brooklands next week, £292 was the quote! Which isnt too bad in the scheme of things.

Ross

 

[Clewsey]

If the smoke clears fine after a few moments after starting then to me it doesn't sound like the typical AOS issue. I'm no mechanic but I'd have thought the smoke would be present with driving.

My 986 S did the same after it wasn't used for a week and cleared up almost immediately. I also had a Porsche Motorsport AOS fitted and that hadn't failed as it was only fitted last year.

Hopefully the OPC will give you an honest appraisal.

 

[JonathanT75]

If its driven hard before being parked, the oil collects in the inlet manifold and then smokes on startup. Just drive the car gently for the last couple of minutes of your trip and i've never had it happen when ive done this.

 

[X21 LSS]

Hi,

The smoke is more of an oily blue colour and lasts about 10 secs then burns off and runs clear, the car is a garage queen so doesnt get used all that much!! We havent changed our driving habits over the last 14 months so its not one of the normal characteristics of our car?!
Its not using any oil or leaving spots on the garage floor, the only other thing i have noticed is alot of water in the tail pipe?

Im reading all sorts about bore scoring and im now dreading taking it in for a diagnosis😳😳

Thanks

Ross

 

[Motorhead]

Ross,

I'd certainly agree with others' comments but as you said in your OP, confirmed in your last post, this is something that has only recently started occuring and hence my reference to a failing AOS. Of course, bore scoring is something which has been reported on these engines - and blue smoke is usually an indication that oil is being burnt - but let's hope that the PC check-out will confirm something less drastic. They may well recommend a borescope examination and/or a compression check.

Even if you are burning a little bit of oil, don't assume automatically that it's due to scored bores. There are a number of reasons for this, including worn valve guides or seals, which can lead to a build-up of oil in the cylinders which is burned off when starting the engine. It's one disadvantage of the flat-6 engine configuration.

If you've not run the car very much during the recent cooler weather, this would have caused some water condensate to collect in the exhaust which could have caused the appearance of water at the tail-pipe you've noted.

Jeff