Hi guys

I have lots of whitish grey smoke at idle. The engine was rebuilt years ago but has been sitting for a long while. I changed the oil filter cam belt etc etc and it could probably do with being set up but it drives fine.

Just this bloddy smoke. I know the valve stem seals get said a lot but would that not create blue smoke.

Hope you can help as its doing my brain in....

It only smokes at idle.

 

sounds stupid, but is it not just the fact thats it's soooo feckin freezin at the moment and you can see all the exhaust fumes?

 

was gonna say similar thing as above, does it clear after the car has warmed up to full operating temp ????.

dave.

 

Condensation.

 

Thansk for the replys guys..

I thought the same but once its warm it goes away then ill be sitting at lights or just sitting on idle and it will come back for like 20 minutes then go for 20 then come back.

Its so annoying and it cant be much because the car runs so well...

Thanks again

 

id have thought its condensation. If you would have said another colour of smoke then id suggest different.

 

it reminds me of the time when a friend of mine steam cleaned his engine, just after he put a new head on, he left the exhaust manifold just hanging there and it collected water. When he fired it up and it warmed up it was like a fucking kettle boiling off, shooting plumes and plumes of steam out the exhaust, there was nothing he could do except drive it off, took about a week... the shame of it was so funny though.

 

PMSL!!!
He was lucky he didnt get water in the cylinders, break a rod and bend the crank!!!

 

yeah but the funniest thing was, I told him to park it on a hill and try and see if it runs out and he said "bollocks its the head thats letting in water" he bought another head and dropped a bollock with the cost. Eventually he bit the bullet and just drove round everywhere looking like a red arrow.
Nah mate it was on a normally aspirated engine, god it would have gone wrong if he was on boost.

 

the water would need to be in the inlet for that to happen and it would hydraulic and push the bore out into the water jacket break the piston where it holds the little end and bend a valve

 

What car is it the prob on ?? if its a cosworth i had the same prob on an old saff i had it was the map sencer

 

It would just have to be in the cylinder above the piston, all he needed was an open exhuast valve to let it in! LOL
Water doesnt compress like AF mix as i'm sure you know!
Something has to give and in my case it was the rod and crank!! Which left me with a hole in the side of the block and a big puddle of oil on the road!!

 

i cant see how the water would get back up the manifold and down the port on the head ??

 

must have been a sad moment.

 

The manifold was off!!! and he was using a pressure washer!!

It wasnt my RS so it was actually quite funny! lol

 

If the car is fitted with a stainless exhaust then it could just be condensation. These tend to make the problem worse in cold weather.

 

Yes guys it is an rs turbo escort and it has a stainless exhaust.

I tend to agree with the condensation but the only thing that was puzzling me is why it goes away and then comes back even when i have not restarted the car

could be siiting at the side of the road ticking over and it will be there. then go completely and then 10 minutes later be back

Thanks for all the replys guys. maybe i will just have to put up with the problem, I can just see the people coing to look at it wondering why its smoking though...

 

hmmm...well it could be your head gasket then?! Do a compression test.

 

I have an identical problem on my '78 3.0 Capri, it didn't smoke at idle before the stainless steel exhaust was fitted.
A few hard revs after sitting on idle and no more smoke. Frustrating smoking away at the lights though.

 

Could be breather system if its on efi or a cracked head

 

It's a weber 38dgas carburettor.
The car runs sweet with lots of power. I guess whatever us causing it will only get worse. Will post any changes / faults / diagnosis.

 

no smoke when driving, smoke when at idle?


Turbo oil seals....

remedy: Put vacuum on the breather system.