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Old 06-14-2001, 03:57 PM   #1
Hojai
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Post white smoke coming out from the exhaust!!!!!

My car has a lot of white smoke coming out from the exhaust. Would it be the problem of O-ring or head gasket?
how much does it cost to fix that?
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Old 06-14-2001, 04:38 PM   #2
fsjrex
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Unethical garages in Richmond do a great business "replacing head gaskets" because of white smoke out the exhaust. Yes, your car might be injured, but.... it is most likely water flashing off the exhaust. You live in a very wet, humid environment, have a look around next time you are driving on a rainy day, half of the cars on the road have steam coming out the exhaust. If a head gasket is blown, you will be losing coolant from the radiator/reservoir. For peace of mind, have a reputable mechanic pressure test the radiator. It should hold 15 psig. without leakage.
Regards,
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Old 06-14-2001, 07:56 PM   #3
littleblue
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I thought that type of problem (o-ring or head gasket) would cause blue smoke, but i don't really know what I'm talking about.
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Old 06-14-2001, 08:17 PM   #4
Hojai
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But this problem has last for a very long time and mine is a custom made turbo kit.
I can see a lot of smoke from the mirror while i am driving it and i can't even stay 1 more second smelling it.
So if it is a problem with the O-ring or the head gasket then how can i test it?
pressure test the radiator?
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Old 06-14-2001, 08:43 PM   #5
LVSUBARU
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Blue smoke is oil, and if it smells that bad I'm almost sure it's oil. If your turbo blows a seal you will suck in oil through the intake and burned through the exhaust. A blown head gasket will cause drivability problems, like power lose and over heating. You may want to make sure it is coming from your exhaust pipe and not from an oil leak blowing back. If you open your intake up downpipe from the turbo and wipe the inside with your finger and get oil, your turbo definitly blown. Hope this helps.

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Old 06-14-2001, 09:23 PM   #6
Andrew
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read up on my thread that i posted a couple days ago (in turbo forum). i am having the exact same problem. everyone suggests a compression test to see if its the internals. the general concern is that its blow-by which wont be very fun to fix...


on a side note, i took it to a import tuner place and the guy is pretty sure it is internal problems that could cost close to 2500 to fix, but that is unofficial as i havent done any compression testing to make sure.

he also found out that i burnt oil VERY VERY VERY fast. it never burnt this fast when i had the old oil pan on. CHECK YOUR OIL EVERY DAMN DAY!!! EVERY DAY!! In about 700miles I had burnt up 4 quarts.

Also, he looked at my coolant and it had some white in it, which he said meant that somehow oil is getting in there or something of that nature.
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Old 06-14-2001, 09:40 PM   #7
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Hojai,
I'm with LVSubaru on this. Looks like your turbo is shot. Depending on the severity of the leak, you may even see some oil on the outside of the turbo housing. Normally, white smokes can be isolated to just the turbo unit.


Andrew,
Blue smoke means engine oil from knackered piston rings and/or valve stem seals. You are burning obscene amount of oil. For your pocket sake, please get the compression test done and prepare to spend many thousands of dollars to get the engine fixed. Without the compression test results, you've got a blown engine! When they open your engine block, tell me if the pistons have fall to pieces after the rings come off. This may sound dramatic but I have seen this before .. the piston literally breaks up into lumps after the rings are removed. Scary stuff. Worse case it may cost you more than $2500 if you continue to drive the car and stuff up the bores. You'll then need a new block.
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Old 06-14-2001, 09:48 PM   #8
EddyRS
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Andrew,

If this does become a worst case.....I suggest you contact Subaru/Suzuki Dismantlers in Sacramento area. They have a EJ25 from a Forester there right now for about $1500.00. I was going to get it for my Turbo project, but now I'm getting a new clutch and flywheel.

This is the complete engine, So that would save you big buck if your old one is toast.

If they do not have it now....they get engines in all the time.

BUT.....lets deal one thing at a time. Get that compression test done. I still think it is your turbo that causing all the problems, but we have to check everything first.

Cheers

EddyL.
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Old 06-14-2001, 10:57 PM   #9
Conduit
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This may sound cheesy, but since I have had it happen on two turbo cars, here is a tip. Check the PCV valve. If it breaks, sometimes you can get extra oil trapped in the head, and it ends up getting burned. My Nissan had this happen, and replacing the PCV valve (believe me, this was the last thing I was considering) completely fixed it.

good luck and take care,
rob
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Old 06-14-2001, 11:41 PM   #10
Hojai
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Thanks for all of the suggestions you guys gave me.
I will bring my car to the mechanic and have a check on the turbo unite tomorrow.
Hope it's just a minor problem!!!
Thanks
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Old 06-15-2001, 12:02 AM   #11
Redline8k
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My friend had that same prob with his 97 GSR, it turns out it was just the oil return line comming from the turbo to the ol pan. It was dripping on to the exhaust and under hard driving conditions it would cloud the sky with white-ish blue smoke...
-nick
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Old 06-15-2001, 12:08 AM   #12
Hojai
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If it's really a problem with the turbo unit.
How i can fix that?
i dun think that would be the problem with the oil drain line to the turbo because i had changed a new one not so long ago
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Old 06-15-2001, 12:11 AM   #13
go go go
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As LVSUBARU says, take out the intake and see if there is any oil there, if there is oil in the intake, your turbo is probably blown.
In Andrew's case the headgasket might be blown. Milk-Chocolate coolant is not a good sign. You should take care of it ASAP before it gets real bad.
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Old 06-15-2001, 02:31 PM   #14
Hojai
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I looked at the oil level this morning and there is no oil stick onto the needle.....
Is that the oil ring broken?
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Old 06-15-2001, 04:03 PM   #15
Jan Shim
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Hojai,

If you have an oil breather tank (assuming correctly plumbed), it would help to identify if the oil is disappearing through the piston rings or turbocharger. Without an oil breather, if the condition of piston blow-by is excessive, you'll find a lot of oil along the intercooler pipe and even at the opening of the core when it connects to the throttle body. I've been running a oil breather for over a year and there isnt any trace of oil there.

On the TD04 and IHI turbos, lubricating oil is fed into the banjo fitting on top of the turbo (next to coolant pipe) then exits via the vertical pipe just before the up-pipe flange. If there was any leak outside of the turbo housing it's not difficult to see but smoke coming out of the exhaust seems to indicate an internal seal problem.

I'm guessing you dont know how long you've been driving with Low oil level? I check my oil everyday because i frequently redline my WRX. Oil starved EJ20 engine could see problems with connecting rod, bores and eventually rings. Oil consumption of approx 0.5L after 2000 kms is generally acceptable on engines that are driven hard all the time but if you are losing oil fairly quickly, I'd say get a compression test done NOW!
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