Weird smoking issue

[OlderNWiser]

I have a 08 MSP3, with about 15k on it. I have had it for 3 weeks. I was idling in a parking lot waiting for a space. The auto AC was on, ambient temp about 82. I noticed a large amount of gray/white exhaust smoke coming from thye rear of the car. No warning lights or strange engine behavior. When I got in to the space, nothing seemed abnormal. Been driving fine for the rest of the day.

Any thoughts?

 

[MSMS3]

I have a 08 MSP3, with about 15k on it. I have had it for 3 weeks. I was idling in a parking lot waiting for a space. The auto AC was on, ambient temp about 82. I noticed a large amount of gray/white exhaust smoke coming from thye rear of the car. No warning lights or strange engine behavior. When I got in to the space, nothing seemed abnormal. Been driving fine for the rest of the day.

Any thoughts?

Welcome to the forum. I'm assuming by MSP3 you mean Mazdaspeed 3. You hit the jackpot with your question. One of the most frequently asked questions and one of the most hotly debated.

Just do a search using terms together like "exhaust" and "smoke"

When you get through, you will probably be totally confused, because there are many possible reasons for this, some of which are very benign, some very serious. I have my own opinion, but as soon as I express it, there will be others with opposing points of view.

Suffice it to say that the issue is common, hotly debated, multifactorial, easy for some to resolve, impossible for others using the same "fixes."

Is the car stock or has it been modded? This makes a difference in the possible causes and the possible solutions.

If stock, you are still in warranty. There is a dealer technical service bulletin on this issue which begins with a change to a different weight oil and ends with a replacement of the turbocharger due to alleged turbo seal leak.

Search, read, form your own opinion. There are lots of views on the subject here, but they are not uniform.

 

[chief_wiggum]

Welcome to the forum. I'm assuming by MSP3 you mean Mazdaspeed 3. You hit the jackpot with your question. One of the most frequently asked questions and one of the most hotly debated.

Just do a search using terms together like "exhaust" and "smoke"

When you get through, you will probably be totally confused, because there are many possible reasons for this, some of which are very benign, some very serious. I have my own opinion, but as soon as I express it, there will be others with opposing points of view.

Suffice it to say that the issue is common, hotly debated, multifactorial, easy for some to resolve, impossible for others using the same "fixes."

Is the car stock or has it been modded? This makes a difference in the possible causes and the possible solutions.

If stock, you are still in warranty. There is a dealer technical service bulletin on this issue which begins with a change to a different weight oil and ends with a replacement of the turbocharger due to alleged turbo seal leak.

Search, read, form your own opinion. There are lots of views on the subject here, but they are not uniform.

+1; also recommend going to youtube where you'll see more then a few MS3 smoking videos. Compare yours to what's posted to see if it's the same type of thing. sounds like you bought the car used -- any idea on the history or what mods are on there? I'm guessing it has at least an aftermarket downpipe and midpipe?

 

[MSMS3]

And perhaps begin your search on this forum here, although there are many threads on this issue:

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123748052

 

[OlderNWiser]

Thanks for the replies. Yes, I am the second owner of a Mazdaspeed3. As far as I know, it is bone stock. I should have mentioned that. I've been under the hood and can't find any obvious mods. CarFax was clean, it came from Orange County CA.

I should have searched before I posted, I know. I've been on forums for my other cars. I'll certainly look around here and on YouTube.
From the first reading I've done, it appears that our cars don't come with synthetic oil when new?

I'm due the 15k service, and will add this to the list at that visit.

Thanks.
Larry