I need yer help honda-tech peeps! I have a '99 civic si wit a recently installed FMAX turbo kit. I haven't yet tuned my car on a dyno due to a worn stock clutch. After upgrading my clutch to an ACT XTSS kit, my idle is low. And I noticed white smoke coming out of my intake manifold . We opened up my oil cap and a good amount of white smoke came out. What could that mean?? There's no knocking of some sort. Some possible reasons we came up with is: 1. Worn piston ring, 2. broken valve or control arm. What could it be?? Pls get back and let me know what you think.

 

Possibly broken ring or bad head gasket. Your next task should be to do a compressionand leakdown test.
Is this mystery smoke coming out of the manifold and valvae cover while it is running or after it is shut off?

 

it's coming out while it's running. I heard about doing a compression test. My check engine light blinks for awhile and then stays on. No code is being displayed when checked. Is it fixable if my pistons and cylinders are in good shape?? Jus RPL my head gasket or piston rings right?? I'm very limited on ends because I just bought the turbo kit. So if I RPL and upgrade my gasket or rings, I can keep my stock internals?? Cuz I have no endz to upgrade everything inside . Get back asap. Thx foe da help

 

Unitl you tear it donw and find out the actual problem there is no telling how bad it is. I wish you luck though, I know how it is to blow all your cash on a project and then turn around and have it **** on you.

 

i'm gonna go with it being the ringlands itself. I had the same problem on my si a while back. Pull the dipstick when the motor is running and see if white smoke comes from there. If it does smoke, it has something to do with your bottom end.

 

If I remember right, we did check the oil and no smoke was coming out from there. I think some oil is getting into the head. Would could be the possiblities: ONLY the head gasket and piston rings right. That's it right. Any other possibilities??

 

the head and the crankcase share oil and airspace so that is not an accurate diagnosis procedure. Im telling you, compression and leakdown are your next steps. Tese two things will tell you alot about what is going on.

 

do u smell fuel in ur oil?
do u see black specs in ur coolant when ur car is running?
have u done a compression test yet?
do 2 of them....first w/o oil....then once w/ a tablespoon of oil in the cylinder...if it goes up w/ oil...then it's ur rings.
if u see oil or black specs in the coolant...then it's ur headgasket.

this is called blowby....the smoke u see coming out of ur valve cover..... and this is why i'm in the process of pulling my engine.