Pile of soot in my driveway behind my car after idling

[hellotbone]

If I leave the ol 95 TSI AWD idling in the driveway it will leave a pile of soot any idea's???


Mods include

DeJontool intake
DeJontool upper IC from BOV to throttle body
K&N FIPK
3" Exhaust cat back
Manual Boost Riser

 

[red91tsiawd]

cat or no cat?

 

[hellotbone]

Cat

 

[kilurv8]

My car does the same thing. It always has. My piston tops, head, exhaust manifold, turbine housing and exhaust all look fine. I just chaulk it up to moisture in the exhaust.

 

[Agent Ezzard]

Same here... A mix of water and carbon deposits.

 

[McGruffAWD]

as far as i know..everyone that has some sort of exhaust mod has this same thing happen to them. Its almost the same as the common dsm lifter tick. everyone has it.

 

[nine5raptor]

I really noticed it after the test pipe, but my garage door has a black circle on it too

 

[hellotbone]

Thanks guys a nice releif! I was thinking I was having more problems!

 

[doug]

Isn't this also a sign of running rich? Or does that matter?

 

[DSMJim]

Turbo cars from the factory are tuned at 12:1 AFR which is rich for a factory tuned car. Being rich leaves carbon deposits on everything through the exhaust. When you start your car and it heats up because the exhaust is getting hot and the air is cooler the moisture in the air becomes condensation inside the exahust system. The physical force of air blowing out the exhaust system makes that condensation roll across all that carbon and turn into black carbon/water which spills out on the ground behind your tail pipe.

Absolutly nothing to worry about.

 

[hellotbone]

Jim what an answer! Thats the kind of thing I was looking for!

 

[out there]

i've noticed this build-up of soot after leaving a car running for a while with all of my cars in the past. in fact, snow makes it even more obvious. although... after setting the knock sensor thing on my afc2, i noticed plenty of carbon on the garage floor

 

[airbrat]

My buddy came over and fixed my idle problem that I had since my head swap. My car now idles the way that its supposed to but now I notice alot of water (condensation?) being blown from my exhaust. Anybody what could be causing this? Should I be concerned?

 

[GTM]

Originally posted by airbrat
...
I notice alot of water (condensation?) being blown from my exhaust. Anybody what could be causing this? Should I be concerned?

If you are not having to add water then it's normal. How long was the car down, we are now in winder months and the weather is colder so you may have not seen anything if it's been down for a couple months. Condensation is normal, 97% of the by-product of gasoline combustion is water. Take a look at what other cars are doing. You can always do another compression check to make sure everything is ok there. Watch the water level!

Cheers,
GTM

 

[Coldandafraid]

(relatively) clean water out the exhaust is the sign of a healthy engine...

 

[Onnipotente]

White smoke comes out the exhaust at idle even after the engine is warmed up. Also, the stock boost gauge reads about a quarter of the way up even at idle. I went to a couple of mechanics and have gotten responses like I need a valve job ($900), I need a new distributor, and one said my turbo is old and leaking. Who is right and what should I do? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[1993eclipseGS]

caused by water evaporating in the exhaust stream. Occasional puffs [are] usually from condensation in the exhaust pipes (especially in humid areas) or a water balloon up your stove-pipe. Continual white smoke [is usually due to] a warped head/head gasket and coolant entering your combustion chambers. If you're really unlucky, might be from a cracked head.

Some people have reported that high boost levels may promote white smoke, for some reason. Turning the boost down some cures the problem. This might be related to worn out seals on the turbo, which can leak oil into the exhaust. A bad brake booster can potentially let brake fluid into the vacuum line, which also produces white smoke.

 

[Defiant]

I went to a couple of mechanics and have gotten responses like I need a valve job ($900), I need a new distributor, and one said my turbo is old and leaking.

Ask the brainless sonofabitch to show you where your distributor is.

 

[Onnipotente]

so then do you think the valve job is a waste of money? should i try to replace the head gasket before anything else?

 

[Ryan86]

My GSX has been sitting for about 4 days since I was vacationing. When I arrived home today, I replaced my Magnacores with the stock wires b/c my car just didn't feel "right" whether boosting or not. Right afterwards, I started her up (for the first time since I got home) for a test drive and let it idle for a couple minutes to warm up. Before I got in, I glanced towards the rear and saw some oil spitting out. Uh oh. My initial thought was that my turbo is shot. But after taking a drive, it had no problem spooling, pulled better than ever, and wasn't smoking at all. When I came home, no more oil was spitting out.

Then I went to school...when I got out of my classes about 5 hours later, I started her up....and there was still no oil spitting out. Maybe (hopefully) it only did this that one time because its been sitting for a few days and I just changed my wires? Theres also a very thin film of oil around the inlet of the turbo (valve cover tube isn't connected to intake).

I really hope there's no problem with my big28...or I just wasted $400 two months ago. The seller seemed to be really trusting too...

 

[janes5150]

i dont think its oil.looks like carbon build up and the condensation from it being so frigging cold the last couple weeks.i bet if you first start it in the morning and put your hand up to the exhaust youll getit on your hands.it will feel gritty.

 

[95TSiNewbie]

My car does that too... its not oil... Its condensation (spelling) in the exhaust mixing witht eh carbon build up (as stated by Janes). Doesnt hurt anything... may make your giant tip a lil dirty

 

[Ryan86]

Thanks guys... I'm so relieved now. I get so paranoid when my car does anything different b/c my old Talon used to break almost daily

 

[2gForMe]

yea my car did that when i started for the first time in a few weeks, what everyone else said it right, i got real scared too!

 

[Defiant]

^ ^ ^ Agreed.

4 days is nothing to a car. Four months hardly matter, unless the gas happens to go bad- and even that isn't likely to happen.

You probably never noticed this before because the weather's been a lot colder than usual.

My car was from Discovery Bay. Avoid the nearby Mitsubishi dealers like the plague.