zetec69

iTrader: (12)

Hi, need some advice on curing my car from bellowing smoke/steam.

Pics below show the car idling after a good warm up.

Basically the engine was taken straight from my old car and never caused any issues before. It was freshened up cosmetically with a few new parts as listed below. I've built my new car up with this lump to find its now smoking. At first I put it down to the cold weather and condensation but then realised it wasn't going away and could be something else. Car is stage 1, has cone filter, mongoose exhaust, chip, yellows and -31 actuator

New parts fitted/work since removing from old car...

Head bolts
Complete gasket set inc Group A Head gasket
Mobil 1 Motorsport 10w 60 Oil
INA lifters
Valve seats, guides & head skim at SCS
Cleaned bailey breather system, connected to cam cover, kidney box, block under exhaust manifold & vent to atmosphere
2 bar map sensor (used, as the port on the old one snapped off)
Billet fuel rail and braided line from filter to rail
Fuel filter
Ford alternator
Cambelt, tensioner and auxillary belts
Crank sensor
Billet crank pulley
071C spark plugs gapped to 0.6mm
Rotor arm
Billet weber fuel regulator

I have cancelled an mot I had booked for tomorrow due to the smoke. Was looking to get it legal then head straight to a tuner and get it set up. Car runs fine but the smoke just isn't clearing leading me to think it is something more than just condensation. There is no smoke when it is first started from cold for a few minutes. Had a mate follow me on a private road this evening and it was marginally better but just the same once back and left to idle. Car does not overheat, takes a while to get hot, fan kicks in as it should.

Would appreciate peoples thoughts, I have a new coolant temp sensor arriving tomorrow to try out - failing that I can only think of possibly phase sensor??

Cheers

Brad

CZWRTH NZ

Hey mate, cossie is lookin good!
I can see what you have done to the engine. First up sensors are not going to cause the engine to smoke. It seems pretty simple to me, if it is only white smoke/steam comming from the exhaust. The problem is water, has the car used any water in the cooling system since you have done the work on the engine? If it is not using water from the cooling system then the headgasket has sealed properly. So the only other way steam comes from the exhaust is if there is alot of water in the exhaust, rain or alot of sitting around idling. So take the car for a decent drive at least half an hour get it up to temp and give a good boost, the steam should stop after this time. If it continues to steam/smoke from the exaust water from the cooling system is getting into the combustion side of the engine and comming out the exhaust meaning a failed headgasket.
kev

zetec69

iTrader: (12)

Hi mate, many thanks for the response.

Car has not lost any coolant from what I can tell plus it was doing this a few weeks back before i took the head back off and got the head work done. I fitted it all back up with another new gasket & bolts. I knew the valve guides weren't great so made the decision to remove the head and get it done while I was waiting for my paintwork to be finished. I think that kind of rules the head gasket out - i hope.

I'm certain it is water as you say. Sometimes get a drip from the tail pipe and bumper gets condensated a bit.

The car has not been outside for more than 5 mins in the last year so rain can't be the cause but it has idled a fair bit recently.

I guess and hope it must just be a load of water in the exhaust system but can't drive it around for any length of time until it has an mot - as much as I'd like to!

May remove the exhaust and see if anything pours out.

Thanks

Brad

botters

iTrader: (2)

did you clean and tap and blow out the threads for the headbolts? if you didnt there is a very good chance you have cracked the block
also how flat was the block? did you use a multi layer steel gasket as im pretty sure the block needs skimming to fit these

zetec69

iTrader: (12)

Yeah cleaned the threads out thoroughly so I wouldn't have thought that would be the issue but you never know, I just don't fancy taking the head off again until I've looked at other things first. Block looked fine although I did not measure how flat it was. I fitted a Victor Reinz Group A gasket from Matt Lewis.

Thanks

Brad

zetec69

iTrader: (12)

Also note I had compression ranging from 135 - 150 across the cylinders when cold.

zetec69

iTrader: (12)

No signs of water in the oil - dipstick shows perfectly good engine oil as does oil cap.

No signs of oil in coolant either.

Turbo to intercooler pipe is dry and free from oil too.

botters

iTrader: (2)

could it be overfuelling? that can cause a whitey greyish smoke too?

zetec69

iTrader: (12)

Yeah quite possible, wondered if the new fuel reg, lines, rail etc had something to do with it. I changed the plugs again this week as the last set were black with carbon deposits which may back up the fueling theory.

botters

iTrader: (2)

my old 3 door would smoke a bit like that when it was in storage was stored at my garage that i run as a business so was started and drove out then back in at night every day so would flood all the time, i had 6 sets of plugs for it in my tool box lol
your new fuel reg could be causing it, have you checked the fuel pressure since fitting it? you might be better trailering it for a set up prior to getting it mot'd as it may not pass on emmisions. i would hate for the extra fuel to cause borewash and require a rebuild!!

zetec69

iTrader: (12)

Well, had the entire exhaust off today. Lots of water in it so I emptied it, dried it out with heat gun and refitted. Guess what.. Still smoking!

Also fitted new air and coolant sensors as I had them. Put another 20 litres of super unleaded in as fuel was getting low. Wonder if the fuel tank could be covered in condensation inside? Took car for a spin up the private track, let it idle for a bit, 2k for a minute then 3k for a minute. Still have the same symptoms. No smoke when first started (cold or warm engine) then white smoke/steam after a few minutes. I noted the smoke is only really at idle, if revs are held above 1500rpm the smoke stops.

Took new plugs out again and they are black like the last set after 2 days, mainly carbon with light oil on a couple.

Still no coolant loss and oil still clean. No mayo on oil cap but I did notice mayo starting in the flame trap when checking breather pipes still clean again.

Cancelled the mot today due to this issue but I've rebooked for tomorrow morning. 5 mile drive there which may help a little. We will see what happens!

Cossiemainful

iTrader: (1)

As above but would say grey smoke is rather more air than fuel (also lean mixture). Black smoke is overrich mixture. A wideband lambda gauge is a must to prevent engine failures (unfortunately the fewest have this kind of gauge installed):

• lean mixture = high heat load, a hole in a piston can be the result
• overrich mixture = cylinder wall and components will wear faster cause the fuel flushes the oil away

Would check the points above before driving it hard.

mattman1234

is there any oil in the inlet plenum,or inlet ports ?

mgtkr1

having same issues on my mfi rst. cleaned breather/pipes using no oil or water but getting a fair bit of steam with an oily smell after 5 mins of idling from cold. did you get to the bottom of it? my turbo is a year old, doesn't smoke on/off boost but have traces of oil in the boost pipes. nothing to write home about though. im thinking the oil has maybe began condensating and just seeping past the turbo seals(hot side) as its cooling down.

martysmartie

iTrader: (1)

It looks like condensation, which is normal.

I assume the old engine was knackered when you got the car? I am not surprised having seen the way this car is treated in a video on the internet!

Stainless exhausts are prone to condensation.

Martin

mgtkr1

could oily smell be exsagerated by the steam/condensation. mine definitely has a wiff. even filled up with v power and done a 40mile run today! started after an hour of been parked up and its still doing it. drive half a mile stop have a look and its completely disappeared??? annoying bastard thing

mgtkr1

its oil weeping through the turbo. boost hoses had a puddle and I suspect the ic has a good amount aswell. ill clean tomorrow. thing is theres no excess play in the turbo. car is an mfi cvh with no dv (coz I hate them) at 1 bar. running on 10w40, I may try some mobil 1 motorsport as I think the oil is finding its way past the turbo when it gets hot. I may even try a mocal oil cooler with a thermostat

theheap

To the OP. It's either condensation or over fuelling. Go and get it mot'd and they will tell you if it's rich.
If you have slung all those go faster bits to your engine it probably is/will run rich until it's mapped? And your black plugs tell you it's rich. Then again it will probably run rich on idle with those attachments and lean out on full boost.