Black Smoke?!?!?!?! PLEASE HELP :-(

[TurboDreamzGST]

hey to start off i have a 97 gst....when im driving.....first gear will only reach about 5000 rpms before bogging out and beginning to putt.....than the rest of the gears only reach about 4000 rpms before they begin to bog out....for some reason once it reaches that rpms...the car will no longer accelerate until i shift to the next gear and a little bit before it reaches 4000 rpms it will begin to blow black smoke out of the exhaust up until i reach the 4000 rpms.....friends have told me that when i pass them or when they drive behind me and i hit the gas to take off....black smoke just pours out of the exhaust and i can say that when i try to take off i have very little pull....can anyone PLEASE help me and tell me what the problem could be because I am completely lost.....thanks to everyone who can help

 

[phillabaum03]

Check your intercooler piping. Make sure one of the hoses isnt off or lose.

 

[TurboDreamzGST]

i checked all the pipes going to and from the turbo/intercooler....nothing is disconnected there....i was hoping it would be an easy fix like that but sadly it isnt

 

[Whiplash]

Are your plugs covered in black soot?

 

[TurboDreamzGST]

actually they are covered in black soot....its weird because as soon as i changed the plugs and it started doing this....i took the plugs out and already they were covered in black soot and if i take them out and clean them.....drive around....later that night they are covered already....what does that mean?? because the plugs, wires and coil packs are brand new

 

[MrBoxx]

I'm gonna be known as the "Check-For-Shaft-Play Guy" from now on.

Pull off your intake and check your turbo for shaft play. Try to wiggle the compressor wheel up and down, side to side, in and out. If it wiggles, you need a new turbo. Pull off your lower intercooler hose; if there's oil in it, this confirms the problem. When a turbo blows, boost starts to go down, oil pours out of the turbo and gets in the cylinders and burns. Usually this creates gray/white smoke, but blue/gray smoke isn't unheard of.

If your plugs are covered in black soot, you're running rich. Do a boost leak test. This will serve two purposes: 1. You have to take your intake off anyway, so check your turbo when you do it. 2. Boost leaks can occur in many places; just because your intercooler hoses are connected doesn't mean they're not leaking.

 

[1993eclipseGS]

" My car blows black smoke, Is there a fix? "

"This is caused by uncombusted [unburned] fuel. Could be plugs, timing, clogged air filter, air/fuel mixture, wires, coil, etc. Start with the cheapest answer and work your way up."

 

[dub2gsx]

Boost leak test it!! Sounds like you have a good sized boost leak! My car is doing the same thing right now but I'm just waiting for some time to fix it!!

Brian

 

[andymoraitis]

1. Check for shaftplay as Eric mentioned.
2. Perform a correct boost leak test
3. Replace plugs and wires
4. New O2 sensor (upstream) if it hasn't been replaced.

The factory A/F ratio is naturally rich in these motors (9.5:1) and will blow black smoke under heavy acceleration. It'd be great if you could pull your plugs and take pictures of them so we can specifically see what kind of condition you have. When running your boost leak test, don't forget to check the injector seals as these can often be the source of numerous problems.

You may also want to have the car scanned for any trouble codes since your CEL may not be functioning properly and report what you find.

Andy

 

[TurboDreamzGST]

ok i have blown my turbo before and i know what that grayish white smoke looks like....it was terrible....i will check for the play in the turbo like you suggested but i dont think thats the problem here but it wont hurt to check anyway.....as for the soot....yes my plugs are covered.....so would that mean it would most likely be a boost leak because at this point i am only running about 6-9 psi at max.....im really hoping this is what it is because this has been going on for about 2 weeks now and we cant figure it out

 

[Speedboy2006]

check your mass air flow sensor when mine went out it oured black smoke had horrible acceleration, and foul plugs constantly