Smoke
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 19,031
Likes: 268
From: Bentonville, AR
If the valve guides were worn he'd hear noise. Also, the engine would smoke at other times.
Barring a leaking turbo based on the info provided by the OP the smoking is normal.
These horizontal engines smoke some upon startup.
Not because they are horizontal, but because the AOS sucks.
The AOS is not very good at removing the oil vapor from the crankcase fumes. This vapor that makes it past the AOS is carried to the intake where usually it is burned.
Occasionally though a slug of vapor makes it past the AOS and this puts some oil on the intake walls.
If the engine continues to run this is consumed without any drama.
But if this slug of vapor happens to occur shortly before the engine is shut off as the engine sits this oil then makes its way into the combustion chamber of one or more cylinders, or collects on top of closed intake valves.
Then upon engine start this oil is immediately ingested by the engine and incompletely burned and smoke is what one sees.
My Boxster engine is a more frequent smoker than my Turbo engine, because the two have different AOS's, with the Turbo's being apparently the better of the two but not as good as it could be.
Longer trips that get the engine up to temp, followed by a period of idling before shutting off the engine, coupled with the oil level not over full and with reasonably fresh (undiluted) oil keeps the smoking events down to the very infrequent level.
For both cars though as the 5K mile oil change threshold approaches the smoking events become more common. Not a lot more common but just a bit more.
Thread Starter
Three Wheelin'
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,779
Likes: 39
From: Doylestown, PA
Ok nothing today and also notice happens especially on a decline parking job. Bringing it in Wednesday for maint so will have them just pull and check turbos. Honestly from search here etc seems pretty normal. I mean talking puff then no more. And not always and not after hour or so. I mean sitting hours and on incline. Also check oil all the time. Used just shy or 1/2 quart in 1200 miles so not burning or leaking.
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Banned
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 6,522
Likes: 28
i read your oil consumption as significantly lower than average which i have pegged at approx 1qt per 1k miles, mixing spirited and city driving. perhaps your driving style leans toward the conservative, nothing wrong in that, if so. but i wouldn't be too keen on ANY puffs of oil smoke on startup if it were a regular event. i mean. once in a awhile? sure, ok maybe.
Rennlist Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 791
Likes: 1
From: Gig Harbor, WA
Only time mine smokes - and it does a great imitation of fog machine 100% of the time - is when I start the car to back it out of the garage to get it out of the way(run time ~15 sec), do whatever it needs to be done, then start the car to pull it back in. Puff the magic dragon every time.
Happened with my old and current TTs.
Never any other time with either
Happened with my old and current TTs.
Never any other time with either
