So I'm pretty sure my turbos are leaking a bit of oil and the seals have degraded as there's some blue smoke occasionally out of the back of the car, especially at startup. I've got an extra pair of K16's that i might have rebuilt but I wanted to ask about my options.

1) Have K16's rebuilt
2) Install brand new K24's (X50)

If i go with the K24 route, will i need to reflash my ECU? I'm somewhat worried about this as I'll need to pass smog at some point and I'd like to retain the ability to go back to "stock." Are there other advantages to going the K24 route? I'm thinking that the bigger turbos will run cooler and improve the life and performance of the engine.

Any advice? I'm not that interested in making HUGE power. 500 bhp is good enough for me.

 

Contact RL member and frequent expert forum contributor Kevin.
Follow his advice

 

The more I read the more I am convinced it's normal at startup for a puff of blue. I noticed if you run the car for a minute or so before shutting down, it seems to keep the blue smoke from happening at startup. From what i have read, these dry sump engines have residual that does not get returned, and being a flat six, oil has a tendancy to migrate into the cylinders. Running it for a short period helps in scavanging the residual.

 

Thanks for responding Kevin. That's pretty interesting... I guess i've been burning a liter or so of oil every 1300 miles or so. I do notice a bit of oil in the intake lines (the ones going to the throttle body from the turbos). So you don't think this is much of a problem or worth doing? You don't think that a good rebuild on the turbos would cut down on this?

 

They all occasionally puff oil smoke on cold start. Even the non-turbo cars. This is normal. Unless you are burning more than about a qt. of oil per 700 miles or cannot develop boost.........don't sweat the turbos. Worst case I'm wrong and you blow some oil out of the pipes..........no harm, no foul. Suggest you save your time and money.
MK19

 

I agree with MK19 at this point. Doesn't sound all that much out of wack! Just my 2 cents! Keep an eye on the oil useage.

 

quart of oil every 700 miles is this normal? my old 964 didn't burn any oil

 

Don't listen to these guys ^

https://rennlist.com/forums/996-turb...otorwerks.html

 

I get the puff of smoke about once every 10 cold starts. No measurable oil useage in the 2500 miles since the last oil change.

 

I seem to be getting a lot of comments that the puff of blue smoke is normal.
Thanks guys!

 

Oil useage on mine is 1 graduatrion in 2000miles hardly anything to worry about.

 

Hey SSST, what oil are you using? I'm using 0w40, and the consensus is that that's a big reason for my high oil consumption.

 

What is normal oil consumption? Normal is what you get from your car's engine.

You owned a 964 that apparently didn't use any oil, though how that could be is beyond me. All engines use some oil. However, in some cases the drop in oil level is offset by the accumulation of unburned gas and water.

Let us just say your 964's oil consumption was quite low.

Anyhow, for someone else normal for his car and the way he drives it can be 700 miles per quart. Admittedly this level of oil consumption is at the high end of what Porsche considers acceptable. Porsche IIRC allows an engine can use 1 quart approx. every 600 miles and still fall into the acceptable range.

Best advice I can offer to minimize oil consumption is to run the right oil for your region and climatic conditions and avoid overfilling the engine with oil.

Avoid excessive idling of the engine -- like prolonged warmups and letting the engine idle uneccessarily at other times -- and high rpm usage and change the oil at a reasonable mileage interval.

The oil consumption will be what it will be.

Sincerely,

Macster.

 

I switched to M1 TDT 5-40 on my last oil change. It's too early to draw a definite conclusion, but it does appear my oil consumption is down. The motor is also a lot quieter than it was on the M1 0-40.

Don't want to start another oil debate, but that's my early experience since the switch.

 

It depends if you are in or out of warranty.
PAG still goes with 1qt per 600 miles (1km) as being the lower limit of "normal"