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Big turbo car blue smoke at idle

jeffreylyon

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Pittsburgh
#21
Before we assume that it's the lack of a cat. that is causing this (I'm a huge proponent of catted downpipes, BTW), remember a couple of things:

1 - A cold cat. doesn't burn off anything; there is a cat. warm-up mode that richen the mixture in order to warm up the cat. so that it can start to work (this is what the crackle and pop tunes hijack). Even if this was an catless downpipe issue a catted downpipe would have the same problem on a cold start. This is why, on a cold day, our catted cars smell rich when warming up.

2 - A cat.'s purpose is to burn off the *small* amount of unburned hydrocarbons that make it out of the combustion cycle. It's not going to help reduce a mixture that's so rich that you can see smoke nor a oil sealing problem that introducing enough oil that the car is exhaling smoke. A properly running catless FiST might stink (or smell lovely, depending upon your taste in odors) but it won't visibly exhale smoke as is the OP's.

The catch can is filling much more quickly now (since stock turbo, 1300 miles ago). I can't see how the turbo would increase the amount of oil in blow-by unless the oil seals had shit the bed and, in that case, OP's FiST would be billowing smoke and the smoke would increase as does oil pressure and/or boost. In this thread OP says that the smoke smells like oil but at the end of the video OP says that it smells like gas. I'd wager that it smells like gas because OP is running catless but the smoke is due to oil; the mixture would have to be super rich to cause that much smoke and OP's dyno and butt-dyno suggest that that's not the case.

My vote is that this something with the PCV system.
 


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Location
Rochester
#22
turbo seals. same thing on my audi. the exhaust is vaporizing the oil that's getting past which is why it's going blue. it will likely keep getting worse.

that's way too much smoke / blue in color to just be de-catted. all the decatted cars I have blow darker black smoke when all is well and do it under throttle, not when let off.
 


OP
Gogoggansgo
Messages
160
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141
Location
Dyer, IN, USA
Thread Starter #24
Before we assume that it's the lack of a cat. that is causing this (I'm a huge proponent of catted downpipes, BTW), remember a couple of things:

1 - A cold cat. doesn't burn off anything; there is a cat. warm-up mode that richen the mixture in order to warm up the cat. so that it can start to work (this is what the crackle and pop tunes hijack). Even if this was an catless downpipe issue a catted downpipe would have the same problem on a cold start. This is why, on a cold day, our catted cars smell rich when warming up.

2 - A cat.'s purpose is to burn off the *small* amount of unburned hydrocarbons that make it out of the combustion cycle. It's not going to help reduce a mixture that's so rich that you can see smoke nor a oil sealing problem that introducing enough oil that the car is exhaling smoke. A properly running catless FiST might stink (or smell lovely, depending upon your taste in odors) but it won't visibly exhale smoke as is the OP's.

The catch can is filling much more quickly now (since stock turbo, 1300 miles ago). I can't see how the turbo would increase the amount of oil in blow-by unless the oil seals had shit the bed and, in that case, OP's FiST would be billowing smoke and the smoke would increase as does oil pressure and/or boost. In this thread OP says that the smoke smells like oil but at the end of the video OP says that it smells like gas. I'd wager that it smells like gas because OP is running catless but the smoke is due to oil; the mixture would have to be super rich to cause that much smoke and OP's dyno and butt-dyno suggest that that's not the case.

My vote is that this something with the PCV system.
That’s what I’m thinking because when I’m out on the street and the smoke is blue, gray ish it’s definitely oil smell but in the garage it was full on burnt gas, and what’s funny is on a cold start at idle the car is 15-15.50 afr and once the O2 sensor gets warm maybe 3-4 mins it’s right at 14.55-14.70s
 


OP
Gogoggansgo
Messages
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Location
Dyer, IN, USA
Thread Starter #25
turbo seals. same thing on my audi. the exhaust is vaporizing the oil that's getting past which is why it's going blue. it will likely keep getting worse.

that's way too much smoke / blue in color to just be de-catted. all the decatted cars I have blow darker black smoke when all is well and do it under throttle, not when let off.
but when i did a cold start this morning absolutely no smoke period, if the oil seals where going bad it would be doing it non stop
 


OP
Gogoggansgo
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Location
Dyer, IN, USA
Thread Starter #26
Well we figured it out

we found no exhaust, intake or boost leaks of any kind. And i did have the 93 slot on when i had e30 in the tank that explains the cel, now the smoke, btr told me flat out it’s pretty common on the big turbo cars to do it as the re turn line sometimes doesn’t do a good job at idea, i told him flat out every time i get smoke is when i baby the car and just drive around. Then drive it harder lmfao
 


Se7eN

Senior Member
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San Juan, Puerto Rico
#30
Well we figured it out

we found no exhaust, intake or boost leaks of any kind. And i did have the 93 slot on when i had e30 in the tank that explains the cel, now the smoke, btr told me flat out it’s pretty common on the big turbo cars to do it as the re turn line sometimes doesn’t do a good job at idea, i told him flat out every time i get smoke is when i baby the car and just drive around. Then drive it harder lmfao
Change the catch-can out for the stock line and try it out
 


Messages
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63
Location
Colorado
#31
I have the same turbo and also run a catless dp .... really noticed it today mine also lets out a kinda blue smoke on deceleration only and at idle your video is basically identical to what mine does .... after running a catless dp for almost a year i understand why so many people are against it, im deff going to go high flow catted as soon as i can.
 


gtx3076

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US
#32
Smoke at idle was a common issue on weak k04 turbo seals. Basically idling or very light driving, especially with the A/C on. Just seems like similar symptoms.
 


Messages
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11
Location
Warner Robins, GA, USA
#35
I got the same problem i got a oil catch can, it reduce the smoking on engine breaking but its still there, i ordered the check valve to see if that helps will notify if it fixes it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 


Messages
445
Likes
520
Location
Metro Detroit
#36
May not apply here but blue smoke at idle and puffs of blue smoke when lifting off the throttle during a shift was a common (darned near universal) issue with the Small Block Chevy. Cause was a poor valve seal design that most likely came into use because it was cheap. BTW, this seal was in use until the debut of the LS series engines and never seemed to effect oil consumption or emissions, it's just what the SBC did.
 


OP
Gogoggansgo
Messages
160
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141
Location
Dyer, IN, USA
Thread Starter #37
Smoke at idle was a common issue on weak k04 turbo seals. Basically idling or very light driving, especially with the A/C on. Just seems like similar symptoms.
I can confirm this as of today it smoked again at a light, the catch can was really full.15k miles not drove hard at all, i should of done a ball bearing turbo and be done with it
 




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