smoke on start up
Discussion
911mark911 said:
hi all sorry if this has been asked before, I have tried looking through old posts.
my 996 (02) has started smoking on start up for about 2 seconds and only first thing in the morning, the rest of the day no probs, and still sounds normal, thanks for any advice
If it never did it before (I'd be surprised) and if it always does it now, you should get it looked at.my 996 (02) has started smoking on start up for about 2 seconds and only first thing in the morning, the rest of the day no probs, and still sounds normal, thanks for any advice
But the phrase 'they all do that Sir' springs to mind.
Allegedly to do with the horizontally lying bores sometimes getting some oil in if left on an incline overnight dependent of the position of each inlet valve open or shut and so on.
My Subarus never have a cloud of smoke on start-up though
911mark911 said:
yes it always had a small bit of smoke on start, but also just done an oil and filter change, and it now smokes a bit more than before maybe a coincidence
Did the engine get overfilled with oil? What oil was used? Something strange or what you have been using in the past?My 52 C2 37k used to to it on occasion, normally the morning after a good thrashing.
My car smoke gave a white haze, rich fuel smell, almost similar to an old fashioned car with a choke. I was told this is totally normal for these cars. I ran this car for over a year with no problems, the more I used it the less it did it, almost as if the last owner had not thrashed the car enough. Eventually it stopped altogether.
I was told the most likley reason for this happening is the oil seeps past the piston rings while the car rests, on ignition this oil burns and gives a puff of white smoke.
My advise would be keep man eye on your oil usage, if the car uses above average then approach your mechanic for a closer look. My car used about half a litre of Mobil1 every 1500-2000 miles, the car was driven hard nearly every drive. Remember the oil is like piss in these machines so oil usage is normal, some cars more than others, so don't worry if your car uses a little. Keep an eye on your tail pipes and see if one side soots up more than the other and make sure your car isn't smoking through normal driving. No unusual ticking or tapping noises coming from the engine (warm or cold). If you experience any of the above take your car to a Porsche garage or specialist for an inspection for piece of mind. But you will find the occasional puff of white smoke on startup is a normal part of owning a 996.
Basically don't worry too much about it at the moment, use it and do these simple checks I have recommended.
Tim
My car smoke gave a white haze, rich fuel smell, almost similar to an old fashioned car with a choke. I was told this is totally normal for these cars. I ran this car for over a year with no problems, the more I used it the less it did it, almost as if the last owner had not thrashed the car enough. Eventually it stopped altogether.
I was told the most likley reason for this happening is the oil seeps past the piston rings while the car rests, on ignition this oil burns and gives a puff of white smoke.
My advise would be keep man eye on your oil usage, if the car uses above average then approach your mechanic for a closer look. My car used about half a litre of Mobil1 every 1500-2000 miles, the car was driven hard nearly every drive. Remember the oil is like piss in these machines so oil usage is normal, some cars more than others, so don't worry if your car uses a little. Keep an eye on your tail pipes and see if one side soots up more than the other and make sure your car isn't smoking through normal driving. No unusual ticking or tapping noises coming from the engine (warm or cold). If you experience any of the above take your car to a Porsche garage or specialist for an inspection for piece of mind. But you will find the occasional puff of white smoke on startup is a normal part of owning a 996.
Basically don't worry too much about it at the moment, use it and do these simple checks I have recommended.
Tim
911mark911 said:
thanks guys yes it was smoking more the day after a good run, but seems better today a very small amount of smoke and yes it was like an old car on choke. changed oil to millers cfs race oil. I think I got a bit paranoid about all the talk of these engines going bad.
Right so what oil (and weight) did you have, and what 'weight' of oil is the Millers stuff it has now?I don't know the oil-change amount for the 996 off the top of my head - it might be that you put too much in, or it might be that you had 0W40 in the engine previously, and so you are going to 'see' some differences now, but if you don't know what was in before we are just guessing.
How much did you put in?
How much did you put in?
911mark911 said:
hi I put the amount of oil that it stated in the book not sure what was in there before but there was a 1ltr bottle of Castrol in the front, so did a full change inc filter and replaced with millers competition full synthetic 10w40
The amount of oil given in the owners manual may not be right. The correct amount is provided by the factory and is tied to the car's VIN. But if the amount you put in is too much the level should read high. What does the level read?The oil doesn't come past the rings. If it did the engine would smoke every time and while running, too.
The smoke comes from the AOS which allows some oil vapor past and this is routed to the intake. If this happens while the engine is running the oil is pulled into the engine and burned and because the engine and converters are hot there is no smoke.
But if some oil vapor makes it past the AOS just before the engine is shut off the oil of course doesn't get get burned up but runs down into one or more cylinders where upon a cold start the oil gets burned but incompletely and thus the smoke. Overfilling make this worse as it increases the production of vapor.
You can use the dipstick if you want. I hardly ever use the one in my 2002 Boxster. When I change the oil I count the number of empty bottles to ensure I have enough oil in the engine. When I have the oil changed the tech observes the amount of oil delivered by reading the display on the oil dispensing gun at the service bay.
You want to check the oil level before you head out. Remember it might read a bit down from max but once the oil is up to temperature this can change to reading of full or even over full. Roughly my Boxster's oil level varies by two segments from when measured cold to when measured hot.
You want to check the oil level before you head out. Remember it might read a bit down from max but once the oil is up to temperature this can change to reading of full or even over full. Roughly my Boxster's oil level varies by two segments from when measured cold to when measured hot.
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