khaug

My car has begun belching a puff of what appears to be oil smoke from the exhaust pipes when started from cold. The smoke immediately disappears and the car runs normally thereafter. This began around the 700-mile mark. The car now has just under 1100 miles and has consumed no oil or coolant so far. Oil & coolant temps and pressures are normal when it's warmed up.

I'm not too concerned, as my prior 911s ('71 "E" and '88 Carrera) have done this on occasion, despite being healthy. Still, it would be reassuring if others are experiencing this with their 997 GT3s.

What say you?

Carrera GT

Oil smoke is blue. And smells. And leaves residue on the exhaust (black) and around the tips. Oil tends to billow and plume and hang around long enough to be studied.
If the smoke is thinner and more white than blue, it's water. Water tends to disperse.
You can place a piece of white cardboard over each outlet, leaving enough room for air to escape, and see what's really being expelled.
Kind of cold around there still?
Short trips in the car?
Could well just be condensation in the exhaust from the creation of water during combustion.

As for "consumed no oil or coolant" that's a sort of "false negative" that can't be trusted because moisture and fuel can end up in the oil, compensating for lost oil volume. And the coolant system can fail take in or return fluid to the reservoir.

I haven't had any trouble or read of even one 997 GT3 engine problem, but it's still early days. At 1100 miles, you're getting into the range of a discretionary oil change and maybe a quick trip to the dealer for a trusted tech to at least observe what you're seeing and generally inspect the car, just in the driveway for a few seconds. They could also look up any fresh tech bulletins and generally put the onus on them to judge whether you go home in the GT3 or a loaner while they do warranty inspections. If it's a loaner, try to get a new Cayenne with PDCC -- that's a fun car!

khaug

It DEFINITELY isn't condensation - anyone living in a cold climate like Michigan is familiar with the "steam clouds' that waft from a freshly-started engine in cold weather. Alltogether unlike what my car is emitting.

The smoke is blue-white and hangs around without dissipating if I've started the engine with the garage door closed. As for smell, can't tell, as it's at the rear of the car and the cabin air intake is at the front. It's such a brief thing that I'd be very surprised to see an oily residue on the inside of the exhaust tips.

BTW, nice descriptions of possible "smoke" clouds. Thanks.

PS: The car will go to the dealer for an oil and transaxle lube change after the breakin period is over (2K miles). If it's still doing it then, I'll complain.

Carrera GT

Okeydoke. Don't get all hot under the collar ... : ) ... just trying to work through your description of the case ...

I'd say the sooner (now, not 2K miles) you raise the concern, the better your position. It sounds like you have oil in a cylinder that's getting partially burned and partially expelled on start-up. It flies through (and sticks to) the cats, then it gets roasted in about a minute (the cats light off to glowing red hot very quickly in the 997 GT3 configuration) and that would vaporise the oil. It's such a small amount, it won't show as a "consumption" of oil which would be occuring with every combustion cycle.

Oil can come into the combustion chamber through gaskets, rings and seals. If it's gaskets or seals, it happens pretty much all the time. If it's rings, it could be a matter of how the rings have been seated, where the given piston comes to rest and how long oil rests against the rings etc.

I'm still thinking it's nothing.

Let's check back at 60,000 miles and see if the compression is a bit low on one cylinder ... : )

ps. I thought my smoke descriptions were quite illustrative ... describing smoke for a 911 driver is like having words to describe snow for an Eskimo ... : )

Chris R.

This is a (more or less) common problem over on the cayman forum as well. It seems that sometimes after hard driving (cornering) some oil ends up sloshing into the intake tract and gets burned off under start up. No big deal it seems. Mantis racing has a oil pan extension that they say helps.

whakiewes

Our Audi RS4 is the exact same way. It smokes on cold startups...also goes through about 3qts/1500 miles or so! 15,500 miles.

Wes

Carrera GT

The Cayman problem isn't applicable to the GT3 engine.

mooty

you dont keep cars that long

Carrera GT

Yes, I do!

(Tahoe Supercharged 130K+ miles )
(Rangie 40K miles)
(Excursion forty thousand bio-diesel driven goodness miles)
(prius 35K+ smiles)

... all sitting outside rusting in the rain as we speak ...

elfer4s

I, too, have recently noticed the dense blue/white cloud of burnt engine oil at start-up of my 1,575 miles GT3. It only occurs after the car has sat overnight. It does not appear during subsequent engine starts. I'm not really worried about it. I've had a 2001 Boxster S which did it. But the 2003 Carrera 4S and the 2005 Carrera S did not.

Since we're discussing start-up observations, I'm going to describe another one which causes me greater concern. I've only recently started to hear valve lifter clatter at start-up. After the lifters refill, the tap-tap-tapping noise goes away. The noise lasts for about 5-10 seconds.

Perhaps the lubricant which has drained from the lifters finds it's way into the combustion chamber where it is burned-off at start-up?

Have any other 997 GT3/RS owners encountered that noise at engine start-up?

Carl

Schmidts Cat

My GT3 has "clatter/rattle" at start up (350mi now) Almost sounds like the LWFW. I never wait around to see how long it lasts, just take it easy untill warm.

Jewels

My 993tt used to do this...My new GT-3 is also (1,100miles) doing the same thing..If it is not idled for a short time before toun off...next start you get a puff of blue. TT never lost any oil between changes (4k). And having just changed the oil in the GT-3 it did not either in its first 1k.

Sidebar: I found it to be just too wierd ,for the first time in my life (56years old,been changing oil since I was 12) I changed oil on a engine that was void of a dipstick or site glass.

gweedo911

With 3k miles, mine smokes upon startup since day 1 but has not used any oil.

Chris R.

Oh, and why is that?

If you are going to say that the GT3 is a dry sump then let me stop you right there and let me tell you that I have seen numerous dry sump cars (GT2, TT and a 996 GT3) do the same thing at startup.
Since so many cars are doing it, it would surprise me that there are as many different reasons as to why.

Chris Rouleau

whakiewes

Whenever we took the Audi in, for the some-odd third time for a loss of oil, the explaination went as such; The extremely close tolerances of the engine, combined with the very thin 0W40 oil, allowed oil to seep past cold gaskets which was burnt off upon starting. This explains why it only occurs for a few seconds then disappears.

I would assume the 3.6L GT3 engine suffers some of the same issues. Like the RS4, it has a high hp/liter ratio of what, 115hp/liter. The RS4 is 100hp/liter. The engine is built to turn 8400rpms daily, and to do so requires some/many consequences. You give up perfect running, no hiccups, clean as a whistle engine, for a 415hp, 8400rpm, monster!

Wes