Looking at some zeds to buy in WA this weekend. One that I have my eye on (you know who you are) is not being driven at present but standing for long periods unused. On start up it blows white smoke from the exhaust. Quite big clouds of white smoke but I couldnt smell burning or oil. This kept on all the time while idling, but DID clean up and stop after a brief run. Is this just from standing? I know with Zed's my wallet is going to have to remain open, but at the same time I'm not going to jump in and buy a zed that might have obviouse issues from day 1. Really keen on this car but want to be sure. Your thoughts appreciated (and no offence to the owner i hope in asking here... I totolly believe the car has been loved coz the bugger wont budge on price )
Is it steam or smoke? Sounds like it's just condensation in the exhaust. As it heats up it starts to steam, probably nothing to worry about. But get it checked out just to be safe.
More description of smoke needed. Is it just water condensation clearing from the exhaust like happens after a cold morning/night? I find that bigger exhuasts have this more than smaller or standard exhausts.
you sure you couldnt smell anything? even just an odur? sounds like leaking turbo seals presuming you know the difference between condensation and smoke
more details It was rigfht from start. No warm up time at all really. Like within seconds the smoke was there. Quite thick white smoke (it was night time so street lights refelecting off moisture could have made it look worse) I honestly couldn't smell anything at all. Andf i stuck my nose in it haha Has nice thick after market exhausts I think with hi flow cats. Going back on Saterday to have a good look in the day light with 2 clued in mates (one of which is a zedder from on here) I guess one of my main reasons for asking is my mates Zed sits for weeks on end and comes out on special occasions. Never seen it blow smoke. Will check with him.
Orite How bad is the smoke?, if its billowing out then obviously something wrong, but what happens with mine and a couple of other members is, when u start her up, cold, then white smoke does appear, i though it was "normal", maybe not....
maybe... maybe not... condensation is normal as water is one of the products of combustion.... condensation appears as steam, and normally appears after about 10-20 seconds of engine running.... It starts fairly light, and can then get quite large with large pumes of smoke billowing out the back. It is odorless, except for the normal smell of exhaust fumes. After the engine has warmed up, along with the exhaust pipes, the steam will disapear... However, large volumes of white smoke which appears immediately after starting the car does not sound like condensation to me.... Cheers
would "other problems" result in smoke that goes away though? ok when i look again on sat I will take more note of how long the smoke takes to start, and again, see if i can smell anything. I will of course also be checking the obvoiuse things in the engine bay etc. BUT...... if it were another issue, be it heads, gaskets, seals, whatever...... Would the smoke then STOP after a few minutes of driving? Wouldn't the smoke persist while driving if it where one of those issues? Just thinking as i go here. Really want this car to be ok to buy
Other white smoke possibles. Other sources of white smoke can be where a vacuum line sucks up fluid. I have seen white smoke from brake fluid and auto trans. fluid. On a TT include clutch fluid. Where a master cylinder allows fluid to leak to the booster, the vacuum can draw the fluid up to be burned in the engine and produce white smoke.
But, this would REALLY smell. So if no smell, should be ok. Mine looked like heaps of white smoke was coming out last night, as I hadn't run it for a couple of weeks (and battery was dead ) but it cleared up quickly and didn't smell.
Sounds like the very begining of an turbo seal on the exhaust side. Sitting there unused it will drip oil into the exhaust and when you fire it up it will start smoking immediately until the oil burns away. A tiny bit of oil can cause a shit load of smoke, especially coupled with condensation. Not so noticable when the car is driven regularly. For example, mine is diven only on the weekend, so sits for 5 days at a time, when I start it I get the condensation about 20-30seconds later, and thats with a twin 3" turbo back exhaust. It's gone within 2 minutes of driving. Then again, my black one developed the same symptoms as you describe and 6 months down the track it was chuffing at traffic lights...quite embarressing really.
Leaking valve stem seals maybe? Oil sitting on top of the engine seeping down into the cylinders through the stem seals while it isn't running would burn off on start up and then go away.
that would be blue, turbo seals are white andymac would be spot on in this case i think, condensation takes time to form.. if the smoke was instant and the amount he described, definatly sounds turbo seal related.
It's not that turbo seals show up as white smoke, it's just that It's so often mixed with condensation that it's alot harder to distinguish between them unless you shine a torche through it or similar.
Smell is always the best indicator of oil vs water. Engine oil will smell pretty much the same wheter it drips onto your exhaust from a valve cover, our out your exhaust from a valve stell oil seal, turbo or worn rings. It's quite distinctive.
When i was looking at imports fresh off the docks, the smoke that came out on start up was more bluey / blacky. As per Andy Mac's post on oil residue build up. White smoke well... as most of the guys said, on cold (moist) days there's the condensation, and alot more than most cars because there's more 'exhaust' area to clear out if you know what i mean. But the difference between the white smokes i believe is, condensation smoke is thinner and more 'whispy' where as the broke engine white smoke after seeing my mates collapsing RB24 engine is more billowy or 'cloud like.'
