For all of us out there with smoke bombs, I found a little trick you can do when at a stop to help prevent the cloud. Just hold your RPM around 1000-1200 and presto! No smoke, well at least for me and a few friends. It can be a pain, but until something else comes along.................
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Smoking turbo help
- Thread starter fgafd2007
- Start date
smakdown61
Member
Or buy rotella 5w-40 synthetic
why don't you take it in and get it replaced under warranty?
Logic has no place on the innanets!
why don't you take it in and get it replaced under warranty?
i am waiting for a response to this saying that he has 41,000 miles so the warranty is up (boom07)
john blutarski
Member
- :
- 2004 Subaru WRX STI
If this is already your second turbo and they both smoked, it makes you wonder if its not the seals but instead its something to do with the PCV system.
If this is already your second turbo and they both smoked, it makes you wonder if its not the seals but instead its something to do with the PCV system.
Probably just a fundamental flaw with these turbos.
Probably just a fundamental flaw with these turbos.
Or perhaps a fundamental flaw with the PCV valve system. I temporarily hooked up a catch can and second PCV valve between the existing PCV valve and the intake manifold. Second valve is on the manifold side. What little smoking I had - - - disappeared.
Turbo engines, even those which have cats (I'm catless), are notorious for pushing crankcase fumes back into the intake when under boost because the plastic PCV valve was never designed to handle highly boosted back pressure coming out of the intake manifold. This system permits venting of the crankcase only when there is vacuum present.
I'm going to hook this up with permanent lines and a mounting bracket and drive it a while and see what the long term holds.
I'm not at all convinced that this is a turo seal issue.
There's an old saying when searching for automotive problems. Look first at the obvious and the simple. In this case, the PCV valve seems to be the first, best and easiest place to look and clearly the easiest and cheapest to fix.
It seems to me far more likely that the extra few drops of oil and water getting into the exhaust, producing the blueish-whiteish smoke is coming from the crankcase through the PCV valve than from turbo oil seals.
I was wondering the same thing the other day. How many guys have put multiple replacements on these cars and dealt with the smoking issue VS ones that fixed it in one trip. Of course it could be a matter of time and oil buildup someplace, possibly in the TMIC or intake manifold. Perhaps the turbo swap reveals a mess and they clean it up before installing the new one, then it takes several thousands of miles to buildup again. How long have you had your replacement turbo?
I plan to install a catch can and PCV setup on my MS3 as soon as possible after I take delivery. It will be the first mod I make to the car.
I plan to install a catch can and PCV setup on my MS3 as soon as possible after I take delivery. It will be the first mod I make to the car.
john blutarski
Member
- :
- 2004 Subaru WRX STI
I just can't believe Mazda keeps replacing the same turbo with the same turbo. I've read threads where guys are on their second and third smoking turbos replaced under warranty.
I'm thinking they already have a stock of the current turbo and it's the most cost effective solution for them. They are banking on it fixing the problem long enough to take the customer through the warranty period. If this is truly their strategy, it's not putting enough weight on the damage to their reputation in the market place. Won't be long before Joe Public thinking of buying a performance Mazda with a turbo will know about this issue and reconsider. I also think speed owners will need to look to the aftermarket eventually for a solid solution.
So if a turbo was replaced and the PCV valve was not and the smoking goes away (my case), wouldn't that weaken the case that it's the PCV valve?
Perhaps. I guess the converse question would be true. If the turbo is replaced and it still smokes (according to several reports here) does that mean that both turbos were bad, or could it mean that something else is causing the problem? Or if the new turbo is not smoking, will it stay that way, or will the smoke return?
Frankly, I don't know and admit that. I do know that this MS3 is the fourth turbo car I've owned over the years. Two Saabs and a Volvo before this. I put downpipes on all of them and removed the cats and they all "smoked," especially when going WOT after sitting at idle for a short time. Those were Garrett turbos and there were no turbo seal problems, yet they smoked coming off idle to WOT.
This is why I'm reluctant to jump to the expensive conclusion that turbo seals are defective when a much more logical and cheaper to fix cause should be considered, a poorly designed PCV system that does not work well when confronted with huge positive intake pressure rather than the intake vacuum found in normally aspirated engines.
The catch can with second PCV valve seems like an inexpensive and for me, effective, solution. I'm looking for an even better catch can design for a permanent solution and am considering this:
http://www.conceptualpolymer.com/new_page_1.htm
The link to the technical "white paper" at that site is worth reading.
Last edited:
New Posts and Comments
- Replies
- 1
- Views
- 23K
- Replies
- 52
- Views
- 10K
