Re: Smoking 5KCSTQ ??

[steveb@newkla.kla.com (Steven Buchholz)]

My $0.02 on the original post and following thread ...

Symptoms - white smoke with oil filler cap installed and pressure released
when cap was removed.  Engine runs with cap removed.

The way that Audi chose to perform "PCV" the engine should stall when the
filler cap is removed.  The fact that the engine didn't stall combined with
the fact that there was a pressure build-up in the valve cover area when 
sealed would lead me to believe that you have a blocked hose that feeds 
gasses in the valve cover to the intake.  There is a labrynth of hoses that
attach to the back of the valve cover and attach to the intake tract ...
look for a blockage.  What may be happening is that the high pressure in 
the valve cover is forcing oil past the valve guides and into the engine.
I usually consider oil smoke to be blue, but some may call it white.  Truly
white smoke would indicate a water leak into the cylinders (like a blown 
head gasket).  You should be able to tell what is going on by pulling the
spark plugs (if you can't tell by smelling the exhaust).  If it is oil, the
plugs will be oil fouled.  If water is getting into the cylinder the spark
plug will look very clean.  You need to check all 5 plugs ...

Misinformation correction: You will *not* dump oil out of the engine of 
the 5k when the filler cap is removed.  There is a cover over the cam that 
keeps the cam from spraying oil through the open hole.  The worst thing 
that should happen would be the venting of oil fumes.  Oh that my '78 Fox 
had the same cover at one point years ago ...

I am not recommending that you should run your engine with the oil filler 
cap removed for long periods, but it shouldn't hurt for the purposes of 
the test.

Bob 
s_buchho@kla.com
San Jose, CA (USA)