When i start my car and let it idle, black/white smoke comes out of the exhaust then after about 4 minutes only white smoke comes out of my exhaust even though it is warmed up. Only after driving it goes away. Can any1 identify this problem?

(heres some info that might help)
chipped p28
leaking intake cam seal
no cat converter
low idle (sometimes)

 

nobody? Also smoke was coming from my engine bay this morning but may be from the small leak from my exhaust weld i did

 

when you start it it might be running a little to rich because of the chipped p28 and the cause of the white smoke might be from the not having a cat converter (mine does the same and I dont have a cat converter), unless you have other problems with the car, these parts might be the cause,

 

thanks.

 

seems like your burning oil man

 

if he was burning oil it would have a blueish color. that sound more like water. if it goes away after the car warms up then it could just condinsation in the exhust.

 

does the smoke have a smell to it?if it does what does it smell like? oil burning, gas burning........

 

it smells like gas burning, but i think its cuz i dont have a cat converter

 

Is the car consuming any coolant?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by AutoEng2002Si &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Is the car consuming any coolant?</TD></TR></TABLE>

nope, coolant stays at the same level. It always happens when the car is cold that the white/black smoke (only a little black smoke) comes out, even in the day time but when it warms up it only spews a little white smoke but only occasionaly

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JDMtype Eg6 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

nope, coolant stays at the same level. It always happens when the car is cold that the white/black smoke (only a little black smoke) comes out, even in the day time but when it warms up it only spews a little white smoke but only occasionaly</TD></TR></TABLE>

I am assuming you checked the level in the radiator and not just in the overflow reservoir. The fact that you have no cat should make this even easier to diagnose but is also going to exagerate the problem. The color of the smoke is a strong indicator of what it is composed of.

Black smoke = rich fuel mixture (the black color coming from free carbon or 'soot')

White smoke = Water/Coolant (the white color coming from the fact that it is steam)

Blue-ish smoke = Oil (the oil is not really being burnt, it is being, for lack of a better word, fried before it exits the exhaust). Blue smoke on acceleration indicates poor ring sealing and blue smoke on deceleration indicates leaky valve seals or excessive valve guide clearance.

Make sure the 'white' smoke you are seeing does not actually have a bluish tinge to it.

How thick is this smoke? Is it light and dissipates quickly after leaving the exhaust pipe? What is the temperature outside? When does it happen? Only when the car is idling or is it only when the car is moving?

Any info you can give will help.

 

I'm running a b16 w/ no cat either and I get the same white smoke coming outta the exhaust pipe during idle and driving. It's a light smoke that quickly dissapears right after leaving the cannister and i usually notice it on cold days but I've been told that it's "normal" because theres no cat there. I'm running a chipped pr3 and i'm not losing coolant or burning oil so any more info on this would help.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by AutoEng2002Si &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

I am assuming you checked the level in the radiator and not just in the overflow reservoir..</TD></TR></TABLE>

Black smoke = rich fuel mixture (the black color coming from free carbon or 'soot')

White smoke = Water/Coolant (the white color coming from the fact that it is steam)

Blue-ish smoke = Oil (the oil is not really being burnt, it is being, for lack of a better word, fried before it exits the exhaust). Blue smoke on acceleration indicates poor ring sealing and blue smoke on deceleration indicates leaky valve seals or excessive valve guide clearance.

Make sure the 'white' smoke you are seeing does not actually have a bluish tinge to it.

How thick is this smoke? Is it light and dissipates quickly after leaving the exhaust pipe? What is the temperature outside? When does it happen? Only when the car is idling or is it only when the car is moving?

Any info you can give will help.[/QUOTE]

Yea i checked the coolant level in the radiator and overflow box.. Also the smoke i see is pure white thick smoke that sits in the air in the morning, and thin white smoke that dissapears quickly during the day.. Also this only happens during idle,
thanks for the info on this thread.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JDMtype Eg6 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Yea i checked the coolant level in the radiator and overflow box.. Also the smoke i see is pure white thick smoke that sits in the air in the morning, and thin white smoke that dissapears quickly during the day.. Also this only happens during idle,
thanks for the info on this thread.</TD></TR></TABLE>

How cold is it in the morning where you live right now? What's the humidity like? White smoke always indicates steam but whether or not it is normal water vapor I have no idea. For every gallon of gasoline you burn you produce more that a gallon of water. I believe richer mixtures will produce more water than leaner ones but I didn't check my chemistry on that so I am not positive. The fact that you have no cat may be making a normal condition exagerated. It's been a long time since I've worked on a street car without a cat and even when I did they never produced voluminous amounts of white smoke unless it was really cold.

Did you check for 'mayonaise' under the oil filler cap or on the dipstick? Is there any other potential way that water could be getting into the engine? How does the car run other than that? What are all the mods you have on your car?

No prob on the help.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by AutoEng2002Si &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Did you check for 'mayonaise' under the oil filler cap or on the dipstick? Is there any other potential way that water could be getting into the engine? How does the car run other than that? What are all the mods you have on your car?

No prob on the help.</TD></TR></TABLE>

i live in southeast san diego by skyline and paradise hills. Climate is good and mornings are about 47 degrees (not so bad). Also my oil is fine and there isnt any sighn milky substance in it. Car runs fine besides the "jerkyness" it gets when i let go of the gas sometimes. This morning it was spewing out a little white smoke at idle but looked normal. my only concern is the white mixed with black smoke comming out on certain days. This happens on and off but so far it practically goes away when the motor heats up now.

mods: 92 b16a sir2

 

mods:b16a sir2, p28 chipped ecu, itr camshafts, blox IM, dc header, 2.25" piping, b&m fpr.

 

hah sorry for posting 3 times. i also forgot to mention that my intake cam seal is leaking..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JDMtype Eg6 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">mods:b16a sir2, p28 chipped ecu, itr camshafts, blox IM, dc header, 2.25" piping, b&m fpr. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Ok two questions for you...

First, the chipped P28... chippped with what program exactly?

Second, is your B&M FPR set correctly?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JDM_Ej &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

First, the chipped P28... chippped with what program exactly?

Second, is your B&M FPR set correctly?</TD></TR></TABLE>

The thing is i dont know what my ecu is chipped with, i bought it for a cheap price because this guy was selling it and i needed it. it says atmel on the chip and vtec kicks in at 5500 and also no rev limilter . As for my fpr it is set at 50 psi at the moment beacause at 45 it seems like its lacking its potential

 

i now have another bigger addition to my problems. This week i ran at a 1/8 track 4 times and after bringing my car home my car idles low at about 500 rpm and lights dim out but when i rev it up lights get brighter. Also idles like the timing is off.

 

Your lights are dimming because the battery voltage is dropping when the idle drops. The alternator can not keep up with the electrical needs of the vehicle at that low speed. As far as why it is idling so low, I can't tell you since I am not there. You mentioned the timing feels like it may be off - definately check it. Did you say you felt the timing is off because the power of the car is off overall or just because the idle is low? If it is just because the idle is low then you may have another problem like a vacuum leak or something. If the car is now down on power I would seriously consider getting it fixed before driving the car further so you damage it.

As always, as much info as possible, no matter how meaningless you may think it is will help others help you out.

-Scott

 

yea the car is definately down on power, and the timing seems off beacause when it idles it sounds like it loses energy and gains it back over and over again.

 

Does the distributor look like it has moved? I think something serious has gone on and you would be wise to stop driving the car until you figure out what it is or you're going to damage the car. Check your coolant level again. Does the engine still run smooth or does it seem like it is misfiring? Pulls the plugs first of all. If any of them looks different than the rest you know something is going on in that cylinder. Have you replaced igniton parts lately? (cap, rotor, wires, etc.) You should probably do a compression test. If you don't have one specific cylinder that is low, check your cam timing. If compression is normal (anything from 150 - 200 PSI). Then the problem is elsewhere. If you need help troubleshooting, let me know. I'm waiting for surgery for a spine injury and can't work much so I get bored. That's why I've been on checking out HT so much lately.

-Scott

-Scott

 

yea the distributor is moved more towards the firewall (counterclockwise). Coolant level is fine. And the engine does feel like its misfiring now, and sometimes boggs at low rpms 2k-3k. Going to pull my plugs tommorow and still needa get a compression tester. I needa drive this car everyday because its my daily driver, but i will try to minimize driving. Also i might bring it to a shop soon to try and diagnose the problem. Does recommend a certain shop in san diego? thanks.

 

This is just my opinion but do whatever you want. Since you car has been smoking so much lately and you don't know what it is and now it has this problem I wouldn't risk driving it at all. Get it to a shop and get it diagnosed. If you have something like a blown head gasket you could make a relatively small repair turn into a complete engine replacement.

There's got to be a Kragens or Pep Boys in San Diego or El Cajon or whereever, I'm not sure I've only been to that area once, that has a leak-down tester. At least pull the plugs and see which cylinder it is. You really risk damaging the engine driving it while it is misfiring.

But its your car. I know it sucks having only one car where public transportation doesn't exist. At least that's how it is up in northern California.