White Smoke / Car Is Smoking White [Merged 7-9]

[Apeximprt2nr]

Alright guys, well I just finished my 14B install in my 95 GSX. All is well besides some minor oil leaks on the return line and the SS feed line at the filter housing. There was also a VERY minor coolant leak from the front banjo bolt on the turbo. I tightened it a tad and I think i went away. Now the turbo is spooling really late because I think there may be a leak before the turbo.
Now on to the problems.

1. The turbo does not smoke at all besides at WOT sometimes it blows out whiteish grey smoke. I'm trying to think of where it could be burning coolant. It never did this before the turbo install.

2. There was some white smoke the past 2 days at the manifold. I'm thinking its the shitload of PB Blaster that I sprayed all over the car but I'm not sure.

3. There's a smell coming from my engine that I can smell if I pop my hood and it becomes more noticeable when I'm driving and really get on it. It smells like burning plastic sort of, with a mix of burning rubber. The lower heat shield is not on the car because it's a pain to get on and I haven't put it back on because I haven't had time. Nothing is touching anything hot so I 'm confused...The only possible thing is maybe I pout on a new 4 ply exhaust mani. gasket as well as antiseize on most of the bolts and the turbo-mani. bolts.

Any help? Thanks.

 

[AlaskanDsm]

Also, just wondering, but would a bad turbo have anything to do with this? i dont think the wastegate on my turbo works, my boost gauge reads 18psi, and when i do the boost control bypass, ive hit the max my 30psi gauge will go with no seeming of stopping

WTF

Not sure whats going on here. How do you have your boost gauge hooked up? I would verify that it is hooked up properly.

Also, the stock wastegate is normally set to about 8-12 PSi. If you bypass the boost controller, I would expect that you are running a hose from the wastegate to the j-pipe and are running from wastegate pressure.

If the wastegate wasn't working you would either have 2 issues all the time:
1) You would never/barely build boost
2) wastegate is welded shut/stuck and NEVER opens causing boost to always be 100%

There is a possibility that the turbo is the reason for your coolant loss. If the turbo housing has a crack internally where the coolant passage is, then this could be a possibility but unlikely. I am aiming more towards the HG issue. But we won't know more until the compression check is done.

 

[Zefal151]

Well as for the boost gauge, i followed the VFAQ boost gauge install directions, which is what i did on my last 2g, and it worked fine then. I am using stock t25 turbo, so no j-pipe installed. But yes, same concept of re-routing. Since i took all the pipes off and did the thermostat fix, im certainly not boosting like i used to, but before it, it seemed as if i was boosting too much. Not sure on that one. When i try and move the rod to the wastegate with a prybar, it doesnt want to move at all, seems like its stuck. Might take the intake off to see if the fins spin smoothly, but just picked up a compression tester and a vac tester, and will have my laptop with me to make updates on here

-- Update 1

Just checked oil again, noticed that its been gradually going down and now im at bare minimum, just drove around a bit but shouldnt be that low still...

coolant level seems to be perfect, really need to flush though, has a milky water consistancy possibly due to only having water in it prior and rusting

 

[Zefal151]

So when doing a vacuum test with an actual vacuum tester and not that cheap boost gauge i bought, im fluctuating between 13-14, every 4 seconds it goes up to 14 then drops back to 13, and now im starting to think im heavily burning oil and not coolant because the sweet smell is no longer there and more of a burning smell

--Edit 1

Following the Haynes manual, it says to press gas to hit 2500rpm, it should go to 0, then drop to 5 more then idle, and smoothly go back to idle numbers.

After multiple tests, it goes to 0 like its suposed to, but drops a total of 10 to 23/24, and then slowly goes back to the 13/14 idle

Also noticed that with the every 4 seconds vac increase of 1, theres also a sputter of air coming out of the exhaust at every 4 seconds.

The idle of the car sits at 750'ish, and at the 4 seconds goes up to 8

 

[AlaskanDsm]

Well I am glad to know that you aren't boosting 30 PSI on a T-25 haha.

 

[morelock]

hahaha is that even possible

 

[Zefal151]

Yeah, glad im not boosting 30, but still makes me wonder why my boost gauge reads 20 when im driving... think i might need to buy a better one then the 35 buck Sunpro from Auto Zone

 

[AlaskanDsm]

This sir sounds like an excellent plan. Were you able to get the results of a compression test yet?

 

[Zefal151]

I have the compression tester, but actually dont know how to properly do the compression test, was reading and its saying that i have to disconnect a bunch of stuff, but i thought there was an easier way

-- Edit 1

Just pulled out first spark plug (going left to right)

Plug threads were wet, not sure if i used to much anti seize, but doubt that, tip was really white, and the plug smelled really burnt

 

[Sandman817]

seems like a similar problem i had with my autometer boost gauge. One day all the readings were off by aprox. 10psi/inHg. I Even pulled a vacuum on it with a hand pump and compared values with the pump gauge and teh boost gauge. I noticed that one of the threaded rods that come out of the back of the gauge was loose and was contacting the gauge and causing the readings to be off. I know this isn't directly related to yoru problem but it may fix any problem you are having with your current boost gauge

 

[AlaskanDsm]

haha, when I do my compression tests, I do one of 2 things, pull all the spark plug wires, or even easier, just unplug the CAS. Remove 1 spark plug, have someone (or if by yourself) turn car over until pressure building stops (or about 7-10 seconds). Check the number and clear the gauge. replace the spark plug and repeat for each cylinder. Try to keep the time that your turn the engine over the same for each cylinder. Then report the numbers.

 

[JusMX141]

Ive noticed that i have White Smoke coming from my exhaust at idle.

Smoke that worsens while idling then clears up while driving is generally exhaust valve seals. Switch to a heavier oil or use an oil additive like Lucas Oil Stabilizer and see if your problem goes away.

 

[Zefal151]

Pic of Plug

 

[Zefal151]

OK going from Right to Left - 10 Second Starts

Piston 1 - 155
Piston 1 - 157?
Piston 1 - 157?

Piston 2 - 137?
Piston 2 - 140
Piston 2 - 137

Piston 3 - 145
Piston 3 - 147
Piston 3 - 145

Piston 4 - 145
Piston 4 - 145
Piston 4 - 143?

 

[Zefal151]

So I swapped out the platinum spark plugs with the coppers, but with that compression, makes me wonder

 

[AlaskanDsm]

I believe that the service limit on the cars is 125 but there is quite the gap in pressure between the first and second pistons that you tested.

 

[ktgurl87]

Also... from what I've read before... these cars do not much care for platinum plugs. NGK BPR6ES seems to be the general consensus gapped at .028.

 

[olddsmer]

You have some bad valve seals. If the turbo was bad, you would have lots of very black smoke and your oil level would get really low, really fast. Check your valve stem seals.

Regards
Greg

 

[Zefal151]

Yeah, the auto zone didnt have NGKs so i picked up the Autolite equivenlant, they are all at .028 right now, and already car runs a lot smoother with the new plugs, but im still worried about that compression, cause ive read where a lot of people are up around 200, and im sitting at 145ish, seems a little low

 

[AlaskanDsm]

Meh, its not that bad. Rebuilt new engines are the ones that sit closer to the 180/200 mark. I have about 20K on my engine and I sit at about ~170.

 

[Zefal151]

Ok I have almost 111111 on miles, and plan on fixing it up once I get a job, just trying to work out the kinks until then

 

[cliffkemp]

How long did the car overheat? You could've possible warped the head if it was for a long period of time.



If it was valve stem's he would be burning oil not coolant.

It could be both as the smoke is white and not blue. As many miles as he has on the car, the stem seals are likely failing along with other issues as well.

Yeah, the auto zone didnt have NGKs so i picked up the Autolite equivenlant, they are all at .028 right now, and already car runs a lot smoother with the new plugs, but im still worried about that compression, cause ive read where a lot of people are up around 200, and im sitting at 145ish, seems a little low

If I am not mistaken, the compression on a turbo car is going to be lower. Unless you dont have stock compression, the 8.5 will be around 160 or so. The NA with 9.6 will be around 175 to 180. The 1g is even lower with a 7.8 and will be even less compression. The 145 is a little on the low side and if the car has been run fairly hard, more than likely, it will be rings.

If you let it run too hot and under boost, could be a gasket issue due to it starting to fail or a warped head as another stated earlier. The white smoke is a valve stem issue or valve issue itself or a combo of both. Either way, it is not going to be an easy fix.

 

[Zefal151]

Yeah, when i bought the car, there wasnt a single aftermarket piece on it except the evo 8 BoV the dealership put on it. I dont drive it very hard, sometimes i get on it but otherwise fairly casual for California driving.

Im starting to think im burning oil and not coolant, since this is the first time ive ever been low towards an oil change. That and my plugs were a little too wet for comfort. And seeing as how my coolant hasnt dropped since the last i checked, and im already missing a quart of oil in 3k miles... makes me think oil instead since there is no real oil leak. I have the same drip ive has since ive bought it, which was never an issue to begin with and hasnt gotten worse, so only alternative is being burnt

 

[cliffkemp]

Yeah, when i bought the car, there wasnt a single aftermarket piece on it except the evo 8 BoV the dealership put on it. I dont drive it very hard, sometimes i get on it but otherwise fairly casual for California driving.

Im starting to think im burning oil and not coolant, since this is the first time ive ever been low towards an oil change. That and my plugs were a little too wet for comfort. And seeing as how my coolant hasnt dropped since the last i checked, and im already missing a quart of oil in 3k miles... makes me think oil instead since there is no real oil leak. I have the same drip ive has since ive bought it, which was never an issue to begin with and hasnt gotten worse, so only alternative is being burnt

that oil drip may be coming from the oil sending unit and can get worse quickly. I have had this happen to another car i owned. make sure that you are not leaking at the oil pan, sending unit, cam sensor, or any other places you can think of. With that many miles and all stock, for the most par, you may be getting leaks that are somewhat new and with it being turboed, that pressure can cause lots of things. Also, you will always loose some coolant over time anyway but, there is more coolant to lose before you get low in the engine compared to oil of course. Just make sure to check everywhere on your engine for a leak. I would even check the valve cover for a leak too. Under boost, it can get rid of a lot of oil in a short time.

 

[AlaskanDsm]

Funny enough, I thought the leak I had wasn't bad until I fixed an exhaust leak today with my downpipe. Looks like my dipstick tube is leaking at the block and its a good sized leak while driving and a no leak at idle not moving. Time for a new one!

 

[Zefal151]

Well i ran on it yesterday, running a lot smoother, checked the dipstick, still a quart low, but swinging by walmart to grab some royal purple... when i was idling, looked like i had a chimney, nice puff when stepped on gas and then thinned out. Went to the exhaust, and felt really oily against my hand, as well as smelled like i was doing an oil change... so im figuring im burning my oil... checked under the car and the hood, not a single drip, hmm