Puff of smoke on hard accel (07 MS3 with CAI) .... normal?

[bast525]

'07 MS3, 7000 miles, only mod is the MS CAI. I've just started to notice this, and hope its not the turbo seals.

If I've been driving normally, and then suddenly punch it, I often will see a puff of smoke from the exhaust.

however, if I slow down, and accel again immediately after seeing the smoke, it won't smoke again, until I drive normally for another length of time (several minutes at least). Like it 'builds up' while driving normally and all comes out at once when I push it. Once it clears out I can keep doing hard pulls and not see any more.

I've never seen any smoke at idle, and there are times I've let it idle for 10-15 minutes.

Is just excess fuel from running so rich?

My engine doesn't seem to burn ANY oil. I got my first oil change at 1000 miles, than another at 6000. I did not have to add ONE DROP of oil in 5k miles, it never budged from the full mark on the dipstick, and I check every other week.

Should I worry?

 

[Powerslave]

prob just excess fuel escaping when you floor it..

 

[driver311]

Running rich. Every speed that I know does it.

 

[enganear]

Color is everything. Fuel smoke is black, oil smoke is light blue, coolant is white.

A little oil makes a lot of smoke.
-enganear

 

[sleeper3]

black smoke = no big deal

any other color and you might have a problem.

 

[sleeper3]

if you don't have an a/f gauge, you can kind of tell your mixture by looking at your tail pipe. as long as it's coated in black soot you're fine. if it's starting to turn gray, you might want to get it tuned. the only reason I bring that up is that you have the mazdaspeed cold air intake and that leans out your fuel and air mixture.

 

[chacon101]

I have the exact same setup and it has happened to me twice. BIG ass cloud of smoke too. Otherwise, the car is running tip top.

I bet it looks sorta cool from behind because when I saw the smoke, I was nailing it and taking off while at cruising speed on the highway.

 

[LENNY127]

most turbo cars running decent boost always blast a nice puff of black smoke, just cleaning out the lungs thats all.

 

[MS3077]

most turbo cars running decent boost always blast a nice puff of black smoke, just cleaning out the lungs thats all.

lol

 

[SSMS3]

These cars smoke, stock or modded
FWIW, my car puffs the same amount of smoke at WOT stock as it does with the MS CAI or that + the ETS TMIC. I'd hoped it would lean out a bit and help the issue