prob been here before but please bear with me...

on a cold morning starting my '89 C4 no emissions from the exhaust on immedite start up.

After two or three minutes there is at first a little, then plumes of white smoke (or steam?) from the exhaust.

After about three more minutes the smoke (steam?) is no more and there are no unsightly emissions from the exhaust.

Kinda pissses me off coz I've got a level crossing about a minute from my house so every morning I'm standing at it in clouds of smoke (steam?)

much to the amusement of the local school kids

please rennlist chaps - tell me its all normal!

 

I'm sure I could be corrected, but steam would be unlikely in an oil/air cooled engine.
Does it smell like burining oil?

That'd be my guess.
Why? I will wait and watch the smart folks answer that question.

Top end? Valve guides?

 

Condenstation in the exhaust? But it is a lot of smoke (steam?)

I bloody hope that it isn't the valve guides, as the top end was done April 2003!

doesn't smell of burning oil - at least i dont think so...

any other UK based chaps have the same?

 

I'm pretty sure I see some white smoke when the car is cold, but I've never timed it. To be honest, I thought most cars did this - I'm fairly sure my 3 year old crap ford focus does this as well. I think it's normal and is probably something to do with the temp. of the exhaust vs the ambient temp.

Actually - one additional comment. Although I think I do see smoke, I wouldn't use the term "plumes" so perhaps yours is more severe.

 

Hi Dave,

maybe 'plumes' is an exaggeration - I've been looking closely at every other car I see in the morning as a point of comparison - the only thing that confuses me is why it goes away after a couple of minutes....

bloody porsche paranoia!

oh, and the guys at chelsea carrera had it in a few weeks back and said all was fine - so I'm hopeing that its nothing to worry about...

 

I assume it's simply 'cos the exhaust gets hotter. Although this isn't the most technical answer in the world...........

 

When the motor burns a gallon of gas , a gallon of water is produced as a byproduct. With a cold motor you can see the water dripping out of the tailpipe but when the exhaust gets hot enough you dont see it !!

Tell the kids at the stop that you are driving a revolutionary steam driven Porsche !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I guess they will be impressed ( not ! )

Geoff

 

Well, that does sound a BIT more technical than my answer.....

 

A Basic Chemistry Course?
Chemistry is a part of everyones everyday life and little topics such as how condensation occures and disapates should not be a bewildering concept at this stage in our evolution.
Not trying to be meen, but we've passed the industrial age decades ago.

Sorry,
Duncan

 

I guess we all have skills in different areas. The one thing I learned at school, was that my skills were not in chemistry.

 

Hey, lets get really technical.
If you dont get that water burnt off and it hangs round in the muffler , the muffler rots from the inside !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2nd advanced chemistry lesson!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just joking ,

Geoff

 

If there's one chemistry related thing I know about exhaust, it's this:
blue smoke= burning oil= bad
white smoke= condensation= nothing to worry about
Brian

 

I'll trade you a basic spelling course...

 

Deel

Duncan

 

Hold mirror behind smoking / steeming exhaust pipe - examine. Piece of mind.