I have a Mazda reman with 3mm apex seals with 23k on it and stock turbo's with 100k on them.

I started to notice light blue smoke coming out of the exhaust during idle SOMETIMES and during light acceleration such as traffic, leaving a stop sign,etc.

My guess is the turbo's are at their end but could it be the motor too? I smell a hot coolant smell sometimes and have noticed faint white smoke sometimes as well but not often. My temps on my PFC are awsome and it has never gone low (buzzer gone off, no leaks,etc.). If it just the turbo's, I'm ordering a T-78 next month so I guess I'm okay........opinions greatly appreciated!

 

I never knew you could buy a mazda reman with 3mm apex seals. How did you manage that?

HOw many miles are on the turbos? IT could easily be the turbos, as i've read those are the same symptoms. I would suggest doing a compression test to eliminate the possibility of apex seal failure.

Danny

 

its the coolant seals..had this problem on my car..your creating more heat within the engine because your pushing more boost..oviously thats why u got those 3mm seals..its going to affect the power but not too much..but eventually the seals are completly going to go..make sure your cooling system is up to par..upgrade intercooler, ast tank replacement, airpump removall-replaced w/ pullies, ecu upgrade, freeflowing exhaust and especailly radiator..good luck

 

if captkirk is correct your looking at an engine rebuild, sorry.

What has happened is, due to improper heat cycling either the o-ring seals themselves or the housings have become warped, letting coolant move freely between the pressurized cooling system and the combustion chambers. So, when coolant gets burned, it creates that white smoke and coolant smell you've noticed. What normally happens is that after the car is fully warmed up, it will go away, this is because the warped parts, more often than not, will match up and seal well enough at op temp. They'll stop doing this as well, and the white smoke period will become longer and longer on startup, until it won't go away. And then you're looking at $3,500 for an engine rebuild...

This is all ONLY if it is, in fact, the coolant seals.

Adam

 

Light blue smoke is oil being burnt. It is NOT coolant. Trust me...I went through blown coolant seals twice and you will only see white smoke if that is the case. More than likely your turbos and I wouldn't be too concerned. Run those babies to the ground if you have to before getting some new ones. I'm sure your still getting good boost.

 

Thanks for the replies........

I had the new engine taken apart and had the rotors milled to accept the 3mm, it didn't come with them.

I only have white smoke problem sometimes, could be moisture but the light blue is definite. Oil is my guess too. The coolant seals was a thought too but I've never had to add coolant, I have all the upgrades except my AST which is has no leaks/white spots around it and the coolant itself is clean in mixture. In anycase, I'll probably put the T-78 on and still see if it smokes and take it from there........

 

sounds like a plan....but you did say u smelled like a hot/burning coolant smell didnt cha?

 

Yeah, uh, that's what I was responding to. Anyway, if you want to know for sure if your coolant seals are leaking, have someone use a sniffer on the AST (when it's open of course) and see if there are any hydrocarbons present. If there are, all it really means is there is some gas in your cooling system, whether that is because of failing coolant seals or not is up to someone else.

 

Okay, Thanks!
BTW, I found out the coolant smell is froim when i changed my coolant awhile ago, it spilled over as I kept refilling it and i have residue in the engine bay.

 

Awesome, you won't need an engine rebuild after all... Now, about those oil-puking turbos ...

 

when i got to work this morning i had white smoke coming from here:


yesterday morning, oddly enough, I did my 4 or 5 day check on oil and coolant levels and everything was fine, but the overflow was low, I didn't pay mind. then last when I went out I got the coolant redlight upon starting her up so I filled her through the main coolant. I got it again when I was leaving the bar I was at and I refilled her again.
This morning, before I went to work I checked. No puddle or antifreeze residue, and the level was fine.
No indication of anything bad until I get to work, that 2nd fan didn't even kick in because it was cool today. When I get out of the car its smoking in the general vicinity where that arrow points to, I hear a drip sizzle, but I cant see anything . I return to the car put it on AUX and get the 2nd fan going, the smoke dissapears.

Could this be my turbos going? What and where is the coolant sealant that this thread is talking about?

 

Ok, coolant seals are between the cooling resevoirs and the combustion chambers, way inside your engine, it's not those. And, are you seeing/smelling smoke, or it's misleading friend steam? If it's steam, it's more than likely a small coolant leak that's dripping on a hot component... Maybe a hose is cracked or splitting, it's hard to tell. At this point, as long as your coolant level is stable, it probably won't hurt anything, but it shouldn't be too difficult to get in there and look around to see where the coolant is coming from/going.

 

It was certainly smoke, with some steam too, but the cloud lingered enough to bring my work buddy down with a fire extinguisher. It smelled sweet like coolant but also burning....plastic? I'll be taking a second look at lunch.
Thanks for the fast reply.

 

Meiogirl, there are several small coolant hoses in that are. The two going to the turbos are a real pain to get to, but are commomly problematic. YOu may just need to put a new clamp on one of those hoses, but if you can, you might as well replace the hoses.

 

cool, i will be looking for those- i hope that is the problem.