So I just purchased this 7 and it did have a slight ticking that sounded to me like a small exhaust leak. It was raining and I was pulling out of a parking lot and to avoid the chick who stopped for no reason I stepped on the brake, my foot slipped on the clutch and I stalled out.

After this the car would barely start, had no power and would stop running as soon as I quit giving it gas. Let it sit overnight and it starts and idles normal but the ticking is a lot louder now and way more smoke on startup than previously. Drove it around the complex and it was hesitating when I would let of the clutch and still felt weak. I would also get a shudder at idle that I originally thought was the exhaust hanger I'm missing but now I'm thinking it was something more. I'm thinking exhaust leak and a coolant seal, any thoughts?

 

First thing to check is the MAP sensor. It's a small plastic rectangular box (labeled boost sensor) mounted on the LH side of the firewall near the brake booster. Your sudden stop may have caused the vacuum hose from the manifold to it (bottom of the sensor) to pop off. Your car will run like crap with lots of smoke, no power, if that happened. That is a fairly common experience.

 

Check your MAP sensor as DaveW has suggested, also check your plug wires. If one of them has come off you will get a loud ticking sound as the spark jumps to ground in your engine bay as well as lots of smoke since the fuel is not being burned properly.

 

MAP is fine but it looks like the control release valve is spitting some oil. Maybe a exhaust leak pre-turbo gone really bad?

 

have you seen any loss of coolant? IIRC the coolant level sensor is pretty sensitive so if you even have a slight loss of coolant it would ring, chances are if your seeing smoke but no loss of coolant it is because your plugs are fouled out and cant burn the gas properly, or your map is unplugged, and then it just goes crazy.

 

yea you dont want the plugs looking like this

thats what happen when you dont change your plugs for a year and a half

 

Lol, that reminds me I need to change my plugs. I've having the ticking sound at idle only and that would probably make sense.

ha reading FTW

 

Chris here in fact helped me with the spark plug wire issue. :-)

 

stick your arm down by the spark plugs with the engine running, if you get zapped then you have a spark leak.

you are now the weakest link! to ground...

 

stick your finger in the alternator pulley, if it sucks it through without lopping it off, it means you need to tighten your belt.

 

Vacuum line going to wastegate solenoid was cracked probably causing some of my issues. Going to pull the plugs later today and see if they're as bad as those.

 

hahahaha

 

Absolute 0 compression reading from the rear rotor.

 

running on one rotor ? dammm