Smoke from under the heat shield?

[PanicTSi]

Hey everyone. So I have now had my TSi for about 2 weeks now, and earlier i was checking around under the hood just to make sure everything was still correct. And i noticed that after i drove my car for a little while, and was checking near my Heat shield, there was a little bit (less than a lit cigarette ) of smoke coming from under the heat shield. The previous owner also bolted on an additional piece of sheet metal below the heat shield for whatever reason, so it is hard to see where the smoke is coming from. So my question is, should i be worried about this bit of smoke?

Additional Info: The motor/turbo have around 30k miles on them, so they are fairly new.

Random Info: Pretty damn sure i just found a Manual Boost Controller dangling under the intake haha.

 

[Chicken Patty]

Hey everyone. So I have now had my TSi for about 2 weeks now, and earlier i was checking around under the hood just to make sure everything was still correct. And i noticed that after i drove my car for a little while, and was checking near my Heat shield, there was a little bit (less than a lit cigarette ) of smoke coming from under the heat shield. The previous owner also bolted on an additional piece of sheet metal below the heat shield for whatever reason, so it is hard to see where the smoke is coming from. So my question is, should i be worried about this bit of smoke?

Additional Info: The motor/turbo have around 30k miles on them, so they are fairly new.

Random Info: Pretty damn sure i just found a Manual Boost Controller dangling under the intake haha.

First off I'd be really worried about that random boost controller, you have a boost gauge of some sort? Make sure previous owner didn't get boost happy with it .

Now that I got that out of the way, this is really simple. Pull off your heatshield, it's pretty simple. This way you can see if it's something in there burning off, or if it's a oil leak or something.

 

[PanicTSi]

haha seriously! I was definitely not expecting to see that there. The PO was an older man, Didn't seem like he would have been into boosting it *Shrug*. But then again it does have a giant FMIC and K sport coilovers.

Thanks for the input man, I will definitely do that right now. And also, would it be fine to just leave the damn heat shield off? Thanks again!

 

[Chicken Patty]

haha seriously! I was definitely not expecting to see that there. The PO was an older man, Didn't seem like he would have been into boosting it *Shrug*. But then again it does have a giant FMIC and K sport coilovers.

Thanks for the input man, I will definitely do that right now. And also, would it be fine to just leave the damn heat shield off? Thanks again!

Well it has mods so either the old dude loved speed or the owner before him did, but I would just check to be sure.

As far as the heatshield, not really. Once you get a aftermarket manifold that is not a cast unit like the EVO III or something like that you'll have to get rid of it anyways so it's no big deal. I believe the stock heatshield has a clip for the o2 sensor wires to go clipped to, when you remove the heat shield make sure that doesn't stay on the manifold and get burnt! Other than that, go for it at least for a few days to monitor what's causing the car to smoke like that in the engine bay.

 

[PanicTSi]

Ok, so i just took the heat shield off, and I'm pretty glad i did. One of the bolts going from the manifold to the I'm assuming Flange? Was almost completely out. So i tightened that puppy down. As far as an oil leak, i couldn't see anything of that sort. So I guess I'll just keep an eye on it.

Also, you said I should check things out (since the PO could have up'd the boost) What would you recommend me checking? And I am pretty much a complete DSM n00b, so any help on keeping this baby up and running would be greatly appreciated man. Thanks once more!

-Mark

 

[fatalreaction]

well i'd check for anything that may be leaking onto the manifold at all, not just oil, antifreeze anything at all, look on top and bottom for anything on the mani also listen for cracks in the mani as well

 

[PanicTSi]

Thanks fatal. I will definitely do that tomorrow. I appreciate all input!

Also, is it common for Turbo DSM's to smell like warm oil?

 

[fatalreaction]

eh... to an extent, Every engine kinda has its own smell to it but im bettin you have an oil leak somewhere down there.

 

[PanicTSi]

Alright, well i will definitely keep an eye out for a leak! Thanks man.

 

[Chicken Patty]

yeah, smoke + warm oil = oil leak. Sometimes they are not easy to spot bro, especially if it's burning off because it's falling somewhere warm. It can be falling on your turbo/o2 housing/downpipe, millions of places that can cause it to smoke in that area, yet don't show. Take a careful look, and it can be any fluid as it was stated.

As far as boost, does the car have aftermarket boost gauge? The one on the dash is kinda crappy I know this is not related to your problem but it's always good to be able to monitor things like boost and air fuel ratios, know what I mean? Just to have peace of mind that the most important things are in check.

 

[PanicTSi]

Yeah, It definitely makes sense. I just haven't spotted it yet. But i will definitely get a good look tomorrow

And as for me having the gauges, I don't. The first things on my buy list are a REAL Boost gauge, A/F ratio gauge, and possibly Oil Temp. Just so i can have a good view of whats going on with my car.

Any other recommendations?

And once more, I thank you guys for the info. I know replying to some n00b probably isn't the most fun thing to do.

 

[turbotalon31]

Also you might want to check the manifold for cracks. 1g manifolds like to crack. Just an idea

 

[Aproductions]

I would take off the MBC and run stock boost until you get the real gauges. Just a thought.

 

[Chicken Patty]

Yeah, It definitely makes sense. I just haven't spotted it yet. But i will definitely get a good look tomorrow

And as for me having the gauges, I don't. The first things on my buy list are a REAL Boost gauge, A/F ratio gauge, and possibly Oil Temp. Just so i can have a good view of whats going on with my car.

Any other recommendations?

And once more, I thank you guys for the info. I know replying to some n00b probably isn't the most fun thing to do.

You seem to have nailed it as far as gauges.

I would take off the MBC and run stock boost until you get the real gauges. Just a thought.

Or close the boost controller all the way?

 

[vannaksgsx]

Pick up a Back-up Manual CD from ExtremePSI.com, or one of the vender sites. I THINK I got mine from extremepsi, now I can't find it on there.... You JUST bought this car, and if you plan on having it for a while- do the maintenance. The previous owner was an oldy, but you don't know what he did to the car- all he sees is dollar bills.

 

[Aproductions]

Or close the boost controller all the way?

yeah that too hahah, it doesn't really matter because its only 2 lines. It is like a 2minute job

 

[Chicken Patty]

I just thought it would be easier since he was saying he was a total noob with DSM's.

Now remember kids, eighty tighty, lefty loosy. Make sure you close it, not open it .

 

[fatalreaction]

boost boost boost boost boost BOOM.... oops.. in this case no boost> too much boost... just my 2 cents

 

[PanicTSi]

Wow. I went to sleep, and woke up to like 5 new posts. Yeah, I'm definitely going to take the MBC off, or close it. I believe it's running stock boost, but then again who the hell knows since i don't have a good boost gauge.

And I will check the mani for cracks

Thanks!

 

[fatalreaction]

yea no problem, and as far as replyin to a noob... thats what makes this all fun... the more guys we have out here tuning the better.... the only thing that sucks is that after a while a lot of guys run the same thing...

 

[PanicTSi]

For sure man. I'm just trying to learn all i can about my car. I know cars in general, however this is my FIRST AWD/Turbo car, and only my second turbocharged car all together.

 

[MITSUMURDOK]

Be sure to check over everything that you can very carefully. These are old cars and who knows what was or wasn't done before you got it. Start by cleaning any gunk from the engine bay, then you can find out where any leaks are coming from. Check the oil and coolant lines on the turbo and the valve cover gasket to start. While your at it, take off the upper timing cover and make sure everything under there is nice and dry. You can check the vfaq for reference or get yourself some kind of manual to help you out. Once you get all the maintenance done, then you can start having real fun....Happy Boosting

 

[Chicken Patty]

boost boost boost boost boost BOOM.... oops.. in this case no boost> too much boost... just my 2 cents

Agreed!

Be sure to check over everything that you can very carefully. These are old cars and who knows what was or wasn't done before you got it. Start by cleaning any gunk from the engine bay, then you can find out where any leaks are coming from. Check the oil and coolant lines on the turbo and the valve cover gasket to start. While your at it, take off the upper timing cover and make sure everything under there is nice and dry. You can check the vfaq for reference or get yourself some kind of manual to help you out. Once you get all the maintenance done, then you can start having real fun....Happy Boosting

Amen to that.

 

[westcoast]

I'm not sure if this was mentioned before.. but if it were me I would remove and inspect the exhaust manifold and gasket, replace the manifold to turbo gasket(these will cause smoking if bad) and replace the turbo bolts/manifold studs with new hardware. This will help you diagnose the source of your issue and clean up any "lurking" problems on the horizon.

 

[PanicTSi]

Thank you fellas for the info! I will definitely clean the engine bay (It's surprisingly clean already) as much as possible, and check the cam gear/timing belt make sure everything is up to par. And i will definitely take a look at my manifold/turbo to make sure there are no leaks via gaskets, or cracks in the mani.

Just throwing this out there, this is definitely the most helpful forum I have ever been a part of. And I have been on forums for almost all past cars. However you guys actually answer questions, and give great input on possible problems and maintenance. I definitely appreciate it!