uh oh... blue smoke.

[PopolZ]

Nope not kidding... it started right after I had my downpipes were installed. I didn't think it was my car when I saw a huge cloud that day but now I'm sure of it At that point I had never went passed 1/4 throttle.

Doesn't smoke when cold, only hot and most of the time I see the smoke when I come to a stop for 2-3 seconds then it stops. No smoke on idle. That's the observation I have for now.

I know they had problem to reconnect one of the o2 sensor. Is it possible they've kinked an oil return line? I'm kind of lost here.

 

[PopolZ]

Put the car up on ramps and took off the belly pan since that thing has me so worried I can't sleep (work nights) and well my kinked return line took a nose dive when I saw them massively oversized hoses.

I'll have to kiss the warranty goodbye and get b**t f****d at the dealership :'(

 

[4DRHTRD]

What happenned, something to broken during the install?

 

[PopolZ]

I have no idea...

When I drove home after the install all was ok (about a mile or so). Drove to the grocery store and on my way back (about 4 miles) there was a huge cloud of blue smoke (sitting idle in traffic, lots of wind). I didn't think it was my car at that time but since then I've seen intermittent blue smoke coming out of my exhaust.

So when it started I hadn't pushed the engine with the new pipes.

 

[SHOdded]

Catless or catted downpipes?  Maybe the problem was pre-existing but "covered up" by the OEM cats?  All 4 O2s hooked up?  Wonder how the turbos play into this ...

 

[PopolZ]

Catless + 3rd cat delete done all at the same time

 

[SHO Rod]

Are you absolutely certain it's blue and not gray smoke (from a rich mixture)?  Are you certain it's not just machining oil burning off the new exhaust (since it sounds like it's getting to be less noticeable)?

-Rod

 

[PopolZ]

Yes it is blue and I didn't think about the machining oil. I'll drive it like I stole it on my drive home this morning and see how it goes. Anyways I have to send my car to the dealership for a TSB and oil change Thursday morning.

edit: nope... it ain't machining oil... kept the revs up for the 10 miles drives home and did quick accelerations on all the lights. When I got home I saw a bit of smoke. Started to play with the throttle and above 2200-2400 rpm there's a constant stream of smoke.

edit2: on the video the smoke isn't as blue as it is.

[youtube]nnH_w0G8Abo[/youtube]

 

[SHO Rod]

You're right, in the video that exhaust does not look very blue.  The volume is enough that it would not be machining oil, but I'm also thinking at that rate you'd start to see a level drop if it's engine oil (or coolant). 

What is the temperature currently where you live?

-Rod

 

[bnoon]

Sounds very near to what the Mazdaspeed crowd had when going totally catless. Once the exhaust pressure is removed, the oil pressure and crankcase pressures overpower the chra seals and you get smoke pushed out the exhaust side of the turbos. Not cool. I'm hoping for you that you find something else wrong though. Good luck!

 

[4DRHTRD]

Looks like lots and lots of Mazda guys with non-cat DP end up with smoking turbos. Up until this point only one guy on this platform that we know of had non-cat downpipes on his car, now that more are doing it we'll see what happens.

Check to see what Ford is going to charge, depending what happens in the next week or so I might have my take-off stockers to sell that aren't having any issues with smoke. I'll need a pair back though for the next set of upgrades I need to test, I'll only charge you whatever Turbos Direct is going to charge me for the repair process since mine wouldn't need to be repaired.

 

[PopolZ]

You're right, in the video that exhaust does not look very blue.  The volume is enough that it would not be machining oil, but I'm also thinking at that rate you'd start to see a level drop if it's engine oil (or coolant). 

What is the temperature currently where you live?

-Rod

This morning when I got home it was 51° now it's 82°.

Anyways this morning was the first morning I didn't see smoke or had a strong oil smell on my way home. If it's only blowing smoke in neutral at 2000+ rpm it will stay as it is. I'll get my oil changed, coolant topped off and I'll keep an eye on it.

I still have my factory parts as well. If I can get some free time I can put them back on.

 

[EcoBrick Bob]

BPD on SHO Forum has catless downpipes and a full custom exhaust.... all from Kirk at NESHO  (Boston Area)  BPD lives in Lockport, IL.  I'll e-mail him, but I've seen his car and he definitely didn't have issues that I could see.

I'm wondering if this is related to the oiling system for one or both turbos. 

 

[PopolZ]

Couldn't smell any burning oil today as well. Oil level and prestone didn't move.
I also had a friend of mine to follow me this morning. no smoking while driving.

 

[SHOdded]

Your friend could keep up with you? 

No ... more ... smoking :beer:  Only tires from now on!

 

[EcoBrick Bob]

I got a response back from BPD.  Just noticed this same thing when backing into his garage in bright sunlight.  Very slight... Was surprised I e-mailed him on this just after he noticed it.  He has been talking with others and from what he reported, it very well could be Turbo seals. There has been a bulletin on this, and BPD had both his replaced. Less back pressure could easily affect how well the seals work. 

He did say that Darrelli has new bigger volume turbos in his SHO, which have much better HD seals and he has had no seal leaks in months of driving. Guess I need to call Darrelli... We talk every so often. Not sure if Darrelli has Livernois catted or catless down pipes. His car has been the one most of Livernois mods have been tested on.  His radiator came from Torrie, and possibly the 3 bar MAP, as he got it early on, after I did. 

Note- Flex radiator not an issue like the one on the SHO. The early years SHO seemed to have over-heating issues when driven hard,
requiring a larger radiator. I have made as many as 10 1/4 mi runs in one hour and have never had an issue.  Also no smelly tranny like I can get with my G8, even though it has a second tranny cooler. 

 

[4DRHTRD]

I talked to Turbos Direct, I'll have my upgraded turbos 5/15 according to them, I should be able to talk about their option for a turbo upgrade as well.

 

[EcoBrick Bob]

Do you know who modded the Livernois turbos in Detroit area?
Wondering what theirs produce versus Turbo Direct, and if there are other differences.

 

[4DRHTRD]

Do you know who modded the Livernois turbos in Detroit area?
Wondering what theirs produce versus Turbo Direct, and if there are other differences.

Tial does it for Livernois, I exchanged emails with them but they said I had to go through Livernois. What's funny is the turbo upgrade isn't listed on their website and no information about it. One of the guys told me about it via PM.

 

[PopolZ]

I've had my oil change done and in a little over 500 miles there's no noticeable oil missing on the dip stick. Prestone level also doesn't change. I still get an occasional oil smell and a bit of smoke but nothing major.