I just now started noticing it but everything i let the car idle for a while smoke starts coming out the bottom of the car. I cant track it down because the air blows it everywhere and it makes it hard to track.


Seems like its coming out of the Catalyst coverter but im not sure?

Could this be caused by a bad water pump not floing enough water through the system at idle?? or my cat is going to crap?
Thanks
Saul V

 

is kind of white/transparent smoke

 

does it also come out from the sides of the hood?

 

one day on a long trip (270 miles) I had smoke coming from drivers side rear wheel well. It happen after I parked when I arrived at my destination. It never happen again, been about a year.

 

What was it? Did you find out? I sometimes smell something burning when I park my car after a spirited drive.

 

You could have an oil leak that is leaking oil on to your subframe and cooking off.

 

who, me or ZB?

 

I had no oil leak...oh but I remember now that before the trip I put a qt of oil in the car and spilled half of it down the filler neck.

 

SCHMO!!!!!

 

I might have the same problem... I get some smoke occasionally after some spirited driving. Also, I get a little smoke out of the rear of the drivers side engine compartment. I usually get a bit of a burning oil smell after 20-30 minutes of driving.

I have noticed one of the small hoses in back of the engine has some oil... I'm still diagnosing though. Any further comments would be appreciated.

Hoping it's not the turbo.

Victor

 

Well if the smoke is coming from behind the driver's side, it may not be your turbos. Let's hope that it's not. Try spraying down that hose you said had oil on it with some carb cleaner/brake cleaner or silicon spray. Once clean, go out for another drive and if it's still there, takes some pics and put them up on this thread. I'm sure there are a good number of folks that would be able to help you out.

 

mine seems to come out from the cat area, its only out of that area and nowhere else.

It also happens only after i let the car idle for a more than 3-5 minutes like if im waiting at a busy drive through or something.

Any help>??

 

I have that problem, too - I think I have a leak somewhere. It all started after I went to a Quick Oil Change place.

 

Since you didn't post any of your mods...I'll assume you have a down-pipe... Oil leaking from the rear turbo can get on this area and appear like the smoke is coming from the cat.

Because of the undertray and transmission shield it seems that any spilled oil in the engine bay eventually finds its way to the tailshaft area. There's a pipe from your air pump to the cat that runs down the and along the transmission. It feeds air to the cat and inserts into the side. The insertion area gets pretty hot, enough to cook-off any oil spray; especially after a highway run...

Of course, when folks miss the oil fill neck you get a mess down the drivers side engine area especially around the spark plug wires and starter motor area. Also... the cross-member under the engine is hollow so any spilled or leaking fluids will collect there to. It’ll leak out later after you've parked your car, especially on an incline... nose-high....

Another problem area is the power steering pump. There's a short hydraulic hose (about 3" long) in the underside that connects the translucent fluid reservoir to the main P/S pump metal housing. Anyway, this hose is secured by wire clamps which, over time tend to dig into the hose causing it to seep fluid...

There's an oil sending switch ( it's the large round gray colored can that sits just below your oil filter and gas lines on the drivers side. It can also develop a leak I suppose, but I've not had that happen. but it's worth checking....

Now, if that's not bad enough, the 13B's are notorious for oil leaks at the motor mounts and along the rear oil pan rail....

There drivers side oil pan has an "oil-level" sensor and opposite it is the oil drain plug… Make sure you have the correct copper crush gasket on the oil plug. If it's missing, replace it! The Oil level sensor should'nt leak, but hey it's worth checking!

The best thing you could do is go buy some Gunk or Gumout Engine degreaser/cleaner and treat your engine bay to a good bath.... At least this way you'd be able see where your leaking from and how bad. s

BTW, the engine harness on these cars are well made, so don't worry about getting it wet... Just cover your air filters... if there exposed, and spray the **** out of it.


Good luck

Rich

 

I might add, that if your doing spirited driving it could be the crappy PCV system, christian ( railgun here on the forum) had this problem when the pvc system doesnt work correctly OIL goes everywhere. IT could be hitting hot spots and smoking a storm

This will happen mostly on hard right turns. Thus the reason for aftermarket oil catch cans.

 

have same problem. notice it stop lights. also notice the cat looks pretty oily and ugly. kinda embarassing, almost as embarassing as my paint!!

 

Thanks buddy. These are amazing tips. I will look into and i know for a fact this will help others.
Later
Saul V

 

I know how you feel... My paint is scratched and the exterior is dented (previous owners were retarded). The front is so chipped and faded it looks like I have 100000 bugs splattered on there that never wash away. Then, I love it when I'm sitting at a red light on a busy day, and all of a sudden you smell that smell, look out your window, see the smoke, and you just feel stupid.

 

5 words.

WELCOME TO THE ROTARY WORLD

 

OK, here's an update on symptoms with my car... I drove it to work today (60 miles one way) and when I pulled into the parking lot and let it idle for 2 minutes it let out to solid stream of smoke (oil). The smoke came out from under the drivers side directly under the mirror. It came out on two sperate occasions about 1 minute apart.

I'll do the recommended test on Sat

Thanks,

Victor

 

sorry to bring this old thread back guys but I need to know what is causing it and how to fix it, it comes out from the cracks between my headlights (when they are up) and sometimes from the sides of my hood. It smells like burning oil ofcourse.

-Gene

 

In my case it was my turbos/oil pan leaking oil and it would run down down toward the midpipe and whenever i was standing still it would heat up and it would start burning that oil residue.

Check for cracks or oil leaks in yoru turbos and your oil pan.

If its coming from the head lights, it more likely to be the oil coolers are leaking coolant, It does it one mine only when is raining though because of the condensation of the cold water from the road spraying against the hot oil coolers. But if it does it in dry weather, then its a leak!

 

Mine does this as well. It is oil burning off the exhaust, usually the converter. Mine is a small leak on the turbo return lines and a big leak from the front cover...

 

I think mine only has one oil cooler, but I believe its more from the oil burning off from where the turbo is located and its just coming through the hood and which ever area has a crack to release the smoke.

As for the oil pan I know it isn't that much of a leak that it would make it smoke, but I do know there is a small leak on my turbo that makes it smoke perhaps on the return line or feed.... Its coming from right under my intake pipes.

 

blinker fluid