white smoke from wheel well after long drive? HUH?
 

I went to reno over the weekend in my FD. This is nothing unusual. I ran cruise control most of the way there. when I arrived at the parking garage, my water temp was only at 85. Of course by the time i made it to the top floor it was at 95. That is not a big deal. The thing is, I sat for a few mintues to cool the turbos and then turned the car off. When I turned the car off clouds of white smoke came from under the drivers side wheel well. I checked the exhaust the best I could and found nothing from the exhaust. My engine temps were not that hot (verified by powerfc). There was enough smoke coming from the wheel well to make it a little cloudy near my car. This lasted for a minute or so and then dissapeared. Ok, so I lose another 5 grand at the casino and come back to my car in a few hours. I drove home (its 3-4 hours each way), on the way home I it major traffic on 80 near emeryville, so it was like a 5 hour drive home. My car did not smoke when parked it at home and its been fine since.

any ideas? I can say that I spilled some oil in the engine bay the night before, but my engine did not smoke at all. I can also say I made 2 stops at the rest stops on the way and did not have this issue at all. Any ideas?

David

brakes got wet? they'll steam, and maybe crack, but not smoke.

there wasnt any water :(

or maybe the oil that you spilled worked it's way onto something that gets really hot... it may have just sat there not cooking, 'cause the motor never got hot enough? Also, keep in mind that a motor gets hotter when you shut it off. I hope it wasn't a cooling line or leaky turbo oil feed or something..

i had the same problem but it was on the passenger side.look at ur cat it might have oil over it if so it is a leaky turbo.this was my prob.the oil leaked onto the cat and it would smoke.

This sounds like exactly what I am experiening...does this mean a turbo replacement or just gasket or ??? I dunno actually...for now I have just been watching my oil levels...

replacing or rebuilt

yesterday after my lunch break I open my hood and small amounts of white smoke with the same smell as before came out the passenger side near where the oil filler cap is. its in the exact spot I spilled the oil.

To make a long story short, I did not use a funnel to add oil. and I spillled alot. I am sure that was the problem. I looks to have all burned off now.

David

Do you mean the drivers side?

zero banger this is what i had too.evertime i got done driving,there would be smoke coming from the turbos.

Im sorry I meant drivers side. I don't get smoke from my turbos. The smoke has dissapeared as of now. It was comming from near the oil filter area. I spilled about 1/4 quart in that area on friday night and went to bed. I assumed that most of it would have dripped off the car. So then I drove to reno and got smoke from my drivers side wheel. At the time I did not connect the two, but it did smell like oil. I started to think that the oil got onto the dp and leaked under the car somehow. Yesterday my car smoked again after lunch, but this time near the oil fiter area where I spilled the oil, but it was only a little smoke. I has not done it since. I will get an oil change today and then I will clean my engine.

My turbos have 148K orignal miles and pull very strong at 12 PSI. I have no problems with them.

David

David, cmon man....... we know your really didn't lose 5 grand in reno. That is money that could have went to the single turbo upgrade, and replace those tired 140,000 mile twins. Besides, do turbos even work after 100,000 miles????

Just a thought, do you have the greddy elbow? The hose that goes to the stock elbow dangles when you install the greddy. Once in a while this will spew oil if you don't have a filter on it......

Some of us actually like the twins. And yes, turbos can last a very long time ... if properly taken care of. But 5 G's ?!?! :eek:

I'd be more pissed about losing 5 grand gambling than a little oil smoke coming from the engine bay. Here, I got an idea ... next time you feel like throwing away 5 large, donate it to Don-needs-a-racecar fund ... at least it will go to a worthy cause. :D

The Biggest Little City In The World took ya for 5 large eh?

I would check your cat, my brother had smoke comming out of his wheel well as well as the engine compartment depending on which way the wind was blowing and it was because oil keep getting on/into his cat. His turbos arnt leaking and there was no oil leak, at least none that we could have find but still... check you brake fluid level as well as your coolant levels.

Good luck