Question About Oil/Fuel Residue in Exhaust

[Madman3756]

Hey Guys,

I had a question about a buildup of sooty residue in my exhaust pipe that I believe to be burnt oil, and was wondering if that normal for a turbo'd car. I happen to park in the same parking spot everyday and noticed that my exhaust had turned the curb black near where my exhaust usually sits over the period of 1-2 months and I asked a buddy of mine about it and he said it was normal for turbo'd cars to have some oil from the turbo leak into the intake system and get burned off as it goes through the engine. Is this something I should be worried about or is it a normal occurrence? This is the first turbo'd car I've owned so I figured I'd get the input of some people who knew more about the MSP then I do.

Thanks,
Madman

 

[turbomsp2003]

These cars run rich that's why theirs build up on your exhaust pipe

 

[Madman3756]

Ah alright, just wanted to make sure that it wasn't something I should worry about.

 

[Installshield 2]

if its the same spot every day, and you're starting the car cold there...it'll do that even if its not turbocharged...

MSP's do run rich under certain conditions...but also run very lean in others...but it seems more like your exhaust is just pointed at the same spot for a cold start...That will throw out a few pulses of only partially burned fuel, which will have lots of carbon deposits...and will appear black when it sticks to surfaces...don't worry about it, even brand new cars can do this depending on the exhaust layout...

If you get a chance...try to check and see if the black mark has any wet tar-like'ness to it...if its not dry soon after you start your car, chances are it has a little oil in it...that too isn't abnormal for a 9 year old car, so don't freak out...the valve seals/seats can drip a little oil onto the pistons when its parked, and won't fully seal again until the car is warmed up..this can begin happening on even low mileage cars, so as long as your in the acceptable oil usage range (~1000 miles/quart)...you have nothing to worry about any time soon.

 

[hornsfan10609]

Most likely it is condensation in the exhaust blowing out when you start. An aftermarket exhaust would make this much worse. I imagine there is some oil in the exhaust as well if you are noticing it on the ground, most likely from the turbo.

 

[Madman3756]

Thanks for all the input, the soot is mostly dry but has a little moistness to it so I suspect that I am having a little oil leaking into the exhaust but it doesn't seem to be to much oil so it should be fine.