[s-cars] bad turbo??

[Azeem Elahi]

Hey Michael,
   I'll try to describe the smoking history a little better.  I first
noticed the smoking after the roadtrip from Chicago to Baltimore last week.
I had the car idling for a while at a parking lot while I was using
wireless, and my friends noticed the cloud of smoke behind me.  I shutoff
the car and checked the oil and noticed it was a little low so I topped it
up with the Castrol 20w50 the previous owner suggested I continue using (for
the summer).  In the morning, the smoke had apparently disappeared, and I
thought perhaps that was the end of it until I realized the smoke had
returned once rush-hour traffic hit.
    I still decided to make the drive to NY because despite the smoke the
car still drove perfectly (at least I think it does).  But in the week I've
been here, I have certainly noticed it's gotten much worse (the smoke).  The
smoke was most noticeable in traffic when the car was just sitting in
traffic.  As soon as I'd make it onto the freeway, the smoke seemed to
disappear, and only returned after several minutes back in traffic.  So to
anwer your question, the smoke is not constant, it really only occurs when
the car has warmed up and idling.  Now, however, I would say it's much worse
such that the cloud of smoke causing a pretty huge cloud large enough to
draw attention from ANY bystander or vehicle pass-by.
    Welcome to this morning, and I drove the 15 miles north out of Manhattan
without any smoking issue until I made it to Mt Vernon when the smoking
started up.  I think performance has now suffered as well, as I'm not as
confident as before about going high into boost territory.  The car is
chipped (MTM+1), but I don't have a boost gauge.  I realize I need this
issue sorted out ASAP, so let me know what you think about it.  Thanks again
for trying to help out.

-Azeem
(stranded in NYC)


On 10/8/07, Michael Bess <mlbess at optonline.net> wrote:
>
>  Azeem:
>
>  I never had a "smoking" problem with my S6, either before or after to RS2
> install.  I had such a problem on my old '83 UrQuattro (10 valve turbo).  In
> that case smoking was definitely white (oil), generally only visible during
> startup.  That turned out to be the seals in the turbo (but unfortunately we
> did valve stem seals first, which didn't cure the problem).
>
>  Is the smoking a constant thing or just under certain conditions?  Car
> cold or fully warmed up?  At idle or under strong acceleration?   Diagnosing
> this is just like medicine; get all the symptoms and then the list might be
> able to help you out.  Once you have all the details, I have found the guys
> at Last Chance to be honest and fair.  Get the list of symptoms first and
> then shoot them out to me and the list for an opinion.
>
>  I just when out to you Audiworld post and read the trail.  Sounds like
> valve stem seals to me since it is an idle thing after a harder run when the
> oil in the top end needs to return to the pan.  You state all is OK with
> reaching boost.  I assume you are completely stock.  Do you have a boost
> gauge and see what boost you reach?  Is the car running smoothly or lumpy
> which may be an indication of uneven compression (worn rings).  Is the oil
> drain line from the turbo back to the pan clear and allowing free flow?
>
>  Diagnosing may require a compression test and a top end inspection.
>
>
>
> Try to put everything into a list post and wait for some feedback before
> your next moves.
>
>
>
> METALS MARKETING & TECHNOLOGY
>
>
>
> Michael Bess
>
> President
>
>
>