Drcevin

O.K. I'm a Newbie and i've looked at this forum and found a couple of mentions about a Boxster smoking at startup, but nothing definite. I want to thank you guys for taking the time to help a newbie.......did i mention that I LOVE THIS CAR, and as soon as I can get my wife out of it I will be driving it again! I'm sure you seasoned guys have heard this question a hunderd times but:

Is a boxster SUPPOSED to smoke at startup?

I bought a '98 with 15k miles about 4 months ago and never noticed it. When i went to start it up last week i could see a small cloud of whiteish colored smoke at start up only. I took it to the dealer and they said it was the "oil seperator" (what the heck does that do anyway?) and if they replaced that it would fix the problem. Well of course that didn't change a thing and it smoked at start up when i went to pick it up, so i left it there. I am now awating the next diagnosis and of course the bill that goes with it. SO, WHAT SHOULD I DO?? HELP A ROOKIE OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

smshirk

Mine smokes at start up commensurate with how long it has been since last started. If I don't drive it for a week it smokes for a several minutes at idle, but stops within about 200 feet after starting to move. If you aren't using or leaking oil and it stops after you get moving, i wouldn't worry about it.

deliriousga

If it only smokes for a minute only at start-up, go pick it up, kick the dealer's mechanic in the rear-end and don't pay for any more diagnostics. It's normal and the dealer's mechanics should know that. Like smshirk said, it should be proportionate to how long it sits. The more time between starts, the longer it will smoke at start-up.

vegasgolf98

The smoking has to do with the car being run hot. The ems then runs the fuel lean. When you start up for a minute the ems thinks it needs to keep the fuel lean and the you should smell gas around the tailpipe. The car will correct itself after a minute or so. Don't worry about it unless it is smoking for a while or in all types of weather.

83sweet928

I noticed that if I turn the switch on (but do not start it) for about 20 sec mine does not smoke at all, even if I do not drive it for a day or 2. Maybe the engine needs to do a system check of the air temp and OXy levels.

Macster

A Boxster not driven for a day or two or even more will not smoke at every start up. Certainly the engine needs to sit a while unused after running if it wants to have a chance to smoke upon the next start.

I've started my Boxster's engine many many times after just a few seconds to a few minutes after shutting it off and I can't recall it ever smoking upon this quick of a restart after a shut down. I have shut the engine off at work and 8 or so hours later upon starting the engine have seen it smoke. Not very often. More often, but probably because it is the most common case, the engine will smoke upon startup the next morning after I shut it off after arriving home in the evening. The car sits unused for nearly 12 hours maybe a bit longer. Even then the engine smokes maybe only once every 50 to 100 starts. Many days the engine is started at least 2 times and sometimes 4 or more times, so the 50 starts represents up to 25 days or as little as around 2 weeks. But 2 weeks between smoking is very very rare.

Might add I almost always wait at least 5 seconds with the key on before starting the engine cause I almost always check the oil level. However, I never wait longer than that. If the oil level reading timer indicates more than 5 seconds are necessary to wait for a reading I just start the engine.

If everything is working properly the engine controller has everything it needs to properly fuel and spark the car by the time you move the key from on to start.

I could possibly envision a situation in which perhaps a coolant sensor was faulty and provided no reading or an invalid reading upon first receiving power and after some time (the 20 seconds you mention) corrects itself and provides the Ecu with more accurate temperature info.

The problem with this is if the sensor provides warmer than actual temperature the Ecu will not provide enough fuel for the cold engine and the engine will run rough and show signs of improper fueling.

So the failure would I believe require the coolant sensor provide a colder temperature than actual so the engine's air fuel mixture is overly rich at startup. The engine is less sensitive to this overly rich mixture -- up to a point -- and will not react nearly as bad as it would if the fueling too lean.

The overly rich mixture could result in the engine emitting some smoke but it might not have the same color/tint as if the smoking was from oil. The difference between the two clouds of smoke would not be that obvious.

If you tell me the smoke smells strongly of gasoline... Trouble is even if everything working ok a cold engine's exhaust fumes will have a strong smell of gasoline even if the coolant sensor supplies accurate temp data from the outset.

Sincerely,

Macster.

cpcca

Every flat six Porsche I've owned has smoked at start-up after sitting. As long as it doesn't continue to smoke don't worry about it. Unless you had evidence of water and oil mixing, the mechanic sold you an oil separator you didn't need.

Macster

Not everyone has a history with flat 6 engines. My 02 Boxster was my first flat engine experience.

Even though a flat engine, at least Porsche flat 6's, may be more prone to smoking upon startup not all smoking upon startup events are benign. For some owners -- granted just a few -- it is the early signs of a more serious problem that when dealt with promptly and correctly can keep this serious problem froming turning into engine replacement serious.

I believe it is better someone ask and get some guidance as to what's normal and what may not be normal so he can take the proper steps to head off more serious problems rather than just assume all smoking is normal for this style of engine.

Sincerely,

Macster.

budmanv24

If i park on a slope mine definitely farts out a little plume of smoke on startup.