Oil droplets from exhaust.

[RUSSELLM]

The last couple of days, I've noticed my car has left a couple of black streaks on my drive, not the tyre type.

On closer inspection, I can see droplets of oil spitting out.

It stops after a couple of minutes.

On Friday I had a second hand exhaust fitted which had been left out & may have retained some liquids.

Could it be anything more serious or am I getting paranoid ?

[mark.rowe]

When I first start mine up from cold it runs a bit rough and I get a few oil droplets coming from the exts, only noticed when I went to put something in the boot whist it was running and ended up with nice black marks on my jeans!

It only lasts a few mins though, and clears once it starts to warm up. Don't think its anything serious to worry about.
Oil comsumption seams ok (at least I think) I use about 1/2 ltr every 1000 miles.

[Julian64]

My old lancia monte carlo used to do this. Terrible piston slap and oil spitting out the back until it warmed up. Then nice and snug.

[Podie]

Is it actually oil…? - or is it condensation from a cold exhaust with a nice helping of carbon…?

[redleicester]

Mine does much the same Russell, and the chaps at Horizon were adamant "they all do that..." - it's mostly water and carbon, hence the way it goes away after a while when the system has warmed through.

[RUSSELLM]

Many thanks, mind now at rest.

I think I'm turning into vehicular hypochondriac

[angusfaldo]

You should sleep easy at night. As the others have said its most likely condensation mixed with some carbon.

Here's what my decatted, debaffled (de-bleedin-everything) Griff did to my garage door

[trooperiziz]

Mine used to do that a lot. Replaced the lambda sensors and it no longer does it...

[gazzab]

My 4.5 use to have a white sheet against the wall in the garage behind the exhausts and (post rebuild) there was never any oil out the back over a year or more of almost daily use.