Parnelli

I've owned my '97 Turbo for almost 3 years and have NEVER had a bit of smoke at start-up.

Today I started my car (haven't driven it for about 10 days) and it is smoking a lot out of the left tail pipe.

Nothing has been done to the car mechanically in months. The oil was last changed a few months ago and it has been running fine ever since. I also had Fister D's put on it at the same time but, again, it's been running fine the last few months.

Why the sudden smoke today just 'out of the blue' ? Can I drive it?

BTW, I am NOT a mechanic and know NOTHING about working on these cars

ca993twin

You may have to jack up the car to get a close look at your oil filters. They need to say "Porsche", not "Mahle". IMHO.

Parnelli

even if they are not the correct filters, why smoke now? Why wouldn't they have been smoking all along? It's been months since last oil change and the car has been driven dozens of times since then

ca993twin

The Mahle filters lack the proper valve to prevent oil from seeping back into the turbos. The problem occurs after sitting for awhile.

Parnelli

Would I hurt the car if I drove it 4 miles to the mechanic?

Andreas Langhoff (2nd reg)

I had the same sympton and that is why I came up with the modified turbo oil return lines.

https://rennlist.com/forums/993-turb...ochargers.html

It solves also the Mahle Filter problem.

Best regards
Andreas

ca993twin

Its really hard to say with certainty. The oil in the turbo will get into the intercooler, and as a result, once the problem is corrected, the oil must be drained from the hoses and intercooler. There is another post just below with a similar situation, and a link to a thread about the results of driving with an oil-soaked turbo.

Parnelli

Here is something weird. I just noticed some oil on the garage floor under the RIGHT tailpipe.....note that the LEFT tailpipe is the one that is smoking. Does that make any sense?

No HTwo O

Yes, because the exhaust chris-crosses. The driver's side exhaust tip exhausts the passanger's side tubo. And visa-versa.

No HTwo O

I may press my indy shop about the whole Mahle filter issues, because I am pretty sure this is what he puts on my Turbo.

But, I also have Kevin's oil line check valves. In the past 2-1/2 years, over 26,000 miles, and 5 oil changes, I HAVE NEVER HAD A PUFF OF SMOKE ON START-UP or during a drive.

Parnelli

No HT-

will you post your findings when u check with your indy? I'd be interested in knowing what he says. What do you suggest I do? You seem to know these cars quite well. THx

Texas993

I have a theory - and I think Kevin shared it with me. These problems creep up in the spring, when the weather warms up. Could it be that since our cars hold so much oil, the oil expands enough due to the outdoor temps to make it over full? Whereas, in the winter, it was just right?

I understand that when the engine is warm, all of that goes out the window. But the combination of warmer out door temps, oil expansion, and car sitting for a while could cause the oil to seep into the turbos.

Ever notice that the turbo leak problems start in the spring? Mine did last year. Just a thought.

Parnelli

Mine has never leaked in the Spring time....before today (this is my 3rd Spring owning it)

badabing

When I experienced my smoking issue due to Mahle filter installation the car ran fine at first also. I drove it on a handful of occassions before putting it away for the season.

On the first startup after hibernation is when I got the smoke show out of the passenger tailpipe.

I recommend picking up some filters from the dealer and flatbedding the car to your shop of choice. Avoid running the engine at all if possible.

I know nothing about the construction of these filters except that those wiser than me state that there is a faulty valve of some kind that invariably fails. I guess the timing of that failure can vary.

After changing the filters and hopefully correcting the issue, the areas where the oil infiltrated will have to be cleaned out.

Texas993

But did you have the oil changed during the winter?