strudel

Took the '04 Boxster to Laguna last Fri. for a track event. On the start of the second lap (exiting turn 2) the car started billowing white smoke, the check engine light came on. After a couple hundred yards it went away and the light went off. The temp was 190, oil pressure was fine, no miss shifts or hitting the rev. limiter. We parked it for the rest of the day. At the end of the day, started it, billowed white smoke again, with a little blue smoke around the exhaust. Started it a few min. later and everything was fine, and has been for the past week. Took it to the dealer. They said the problem was 2 quarts too much oil. They did a recent service on it, including an oil change. I checked the oil level at the track and it read fine. Any ideas what would cause the white smoke?

sasilverbullet

Bring it to another dealer, the problem is most likely the oil separator. DO NOT drive it anymore, major engine damage can result.

strudel

Can you be more specific?

sbelles

I had a similar event happen to me at Summit Point this spring and it was caused by overfill. It's not all that evident on the dipstick if it's overfilled. Mine occured coming out of turn 9 which is a fairly fast right hander.

Brian P

And we got the video somewhere...

PetreTG

Is it possible that enough gasoline entered the oil pan to bring the level up high enough to cause the problem ???

I know whenever I drive for longer periods of time the oil level will go from mid gauge to the top of the gauge then opnce given sufficient time (Overnight) it returns to normal levels . I assume this is gas blow by entering the crankcase and was told this is fairly normal.

strudel

Since the smoke was white/grey I thought it was a water/coolant problem. Not sure what bearing a high oil level (if it was high) would have. If the oil gauge isn't accurate, and the dip stick isn't accurate how do you know what the oil level really is?

originalmotorhead

In your owners manual, it will tell you that when the motor is hot(extended use), the oil level will read slightly higher due to expansion of the oil.

You shouldn't get that much blow by on a newer car and unless you had a leaky fuel injector, there should not be gas entering your crankcase.

I had a 71vw bug that had a leaky carb and it would fill the crankcase in a weeks time. Turned out to be a malfunctioning fuel shut off needle.

You wouldn't want to run the car if you feared there was a large amount of gas in there because you could score your bearings or starve the oul pump. The gas is thinner than the 15z50 oil in your motor and it wouldn't lubricate or pump as well.

My experience has always been that white smoke was a cooling leak and oil produced blue smoke, black smoe was too rich of a carb setting.


If it was overly hot that day.... Maybe you could let it idle for 10-15 minutes and let the fan cycle a few times and then drive it down the road at a fast pace and see what happens.


Tom
00 guards red boxster
Columbus, Ohio

Tool Pants

I can't deal with the smoke color issue. If a vapor separator goes out you will get a cloud of smoke all the time and foul your plugs - it does not come and go. The separator has changed designs over the years and you car will have the newest design.

If you are a quart or more overfilled then you will get smoke as the oil is sucked into the intake. I have no answer about how you checked the level. Since you have a 2004, did the car have the factory fill or had the oil been changed since you got the car.

If it is coolant then just check the tank and see what it looks like.

strudel

A service was done by the dealer a couple of months ago, about 1000 mi.

Tool Pants

I just noticed you are in the Bay Area. Come by to one of our work on cars days in San Jose. If you do not have the trip computer I would like to do one on a 2004. We have done a hundred oil changes over the years, and we do not overfill. Our local events are here. http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showforum=41

I buy the overfill story. There is no reason to lie to you since if there was something wrong the dealer gets paid for warranty work. Just don't tell them you were on the track.

Your issue is documented in the computer and it sounds like the car is fine now. If something happens in the future then you are protected. Enjoy your car. Jeff

strudel

Hi Jeff,
Thanks for the help.
One of your guys bought a modified Boxster muffler from me some time ago and said he was going to install it at one of the "work on cars day." I'll come down to one of your events.
I'm going to do some research on the "don't tell them you were on the track" story. It seems to conflict with the PCA Club's goal of getting people to track their cars at D.E. events.
We have a fair number of new 996's , TT, GT3's attend our (PCA-GGR) track events, but very little turn out from the Boxster crowd.
'03 Boxster (not '04)
'74 RSR clone track car
'73 targa w/3.2 (for sale)
'73 S coupe
'68 v.w. crewcab w/2.4 & 5 speed

Tool Pants

If you use Rector they get mixed reviews. I have been Boxstering for 5 years. You never tell them you were on a track - any excuse to void your powertrain warranty. But if you do not have track tires a good mechanic can tell what you have been up to just by looking at your tires.

I wonder if it was Doug - he has bought several modified mufflers but his is concerned about noise so none have been installed.

See you at a work on cars days. We let the 996, turbo, and GT2 owners show up as well. Just takes me a while to figure out their backwards engines.

originalmotorhead

Hey Guys,
I know most of you are out on the west coast but if anyone over here on east side, specifically central ohio, wants to get together and work on the cars that would be awsome. I just installed a 2 post lift in my garage this past week so I'm looking to do some tinkering on cars. I figured I would install my own lift and do all my work myself vs paying mr overpriced dealer...

Tom
Columbus, Ohiio
'00 guards red boxster