i have owned my 300zx for over a year now and have sometimes come# on here to look around but this is the first time i have posted.

 

i drove a bit less than 200 miles up to yorkshire on monday and the car was fine. i let it cool down before the end of my journey. When i went to the car in the morning which was parked in a multi-story it was ok and i made my way down to the exit. While i was looking for my ticket by the ticket machine i looked round at the car and loads of smoke was billowing out of the drivers side exhaust.

 

That had never happened before and i needed to get to a meeting so i carried on my short journey hoping it would clear up. It didnt really and i also noticed when idling there was a little smoke coming out of the corner of the bonnet also on the drivers side. The smoke from the exhaust got worse with the more load.

 

I got to the meeting and went back to the car at the end of the day hoping it would be fine hoping it was just condensate in the system as it was raining heavily on my way up. It was fine to start with but after about 5-10mins the smoke started again. I stopped by the road and tried to look under the car to see if i could see anything. I felt some oil under the drivers side of the car. I started again so i could go somewhere safer to have a look and there was no smoke to start with again but after a few minutes and more load it started. same as before from the drivers side exhaust (which i will now refer just as left exhaust) and the same area from the engine bay.

 

I found somewhere to stop safely and jacked up the car and took the drivers side wheel off. i could see alot of black oil from around that area of the engine but could not see where the leak was from.

 

I started the car to try and make it smoke again so i could see where the leak was from but even after 10-15 mins of idling with the occasional bit of throttle i couldnt make it smoke or leak.

 

Hopeing again that the problem solved itself i put the wheel back on and tried to drive it again. It seemed fine for a little bit but when it started to be put under load (50mph or so) the smoke started. i pulled over and called out the breakdown recovery. I said it was an oil leak.

 

A very helpful RAC man turned up and gave it a look over. He noticed the oil level was a little high and i told him it may have been that way for a while, maybe 400-500 miles or so. He said the symptoms sound like oil being dragged into the breathers but said it would of happened before. He ruled out the rear crank seal because it was not dumping out oil. We had it idling again and occasional revving but it would smoke.

 

He suggested i get it towed to a local place and they would have a look at it so i did that and got the train home.

 

I called the garage it was taken to today and they said they couldnt find any oil leaks only the very slighest leak on the turbo feed but nothing that could cause a problem. They said they had it running and couldnt see a leak or smoke then. I told him to take it for a drive to see if it repeated it and he said he would do it tomorrow and have another look. i also told him it might be the oil in the breathers and he said he would also look at that.

 

Although all along i have been thinking it is oil leaking the smoke was not that 'blue' and was more grey. I guess this means it could be a coolant leak. From reading on here i know that a head gasket problem on these cars is very serious so i am hoping it is not that. I did not think of checking the radiator or overflow level but the car wasnt overheating at any point. also there was definitly alot of oil around the underneath of the engine.

 

I hope someone can help me and i can in turn pass the information onto the mechanic.

 

Many thanks,

Stevie

did the smoke linger in the air or did i dissapate quickly?

hard to say really. The comment from the girl i was with when it first happened in the multistorey was, "you have made the air go all foggy" but that was an enclosed space with no breeze and probably the highest amount of smoke.

bit of a long shot here but if i where you id drop the oil to correct lvl and see if problem persists.high oil lvl can cause all sorts of problems but is unusual to get smoke from under bonnet and out of exhaust unless yer exhaust is knackerd and the smoke is working its way up that way.ahh just read yer post properly saying that turbo oil pipe is leakin that would explain smoke from under bonnet and sadly mabye smoke from exhaust it depends on there take of slight as the oil would burn off quickly and make it difficult to gauge WORST case scenairio knackerd tub

oh and get that coolent lvl checked BEFORE he drives it fingers crossed for ya mate

there is possibly a blow in the exhaust so it could be sneaking up that way. also the AIVs removed but thought i blocked the free pipe up well but i suppose it could be back flowing through there.

 

They did stress from the oil feed to the turbo as VERY slight. Could you explain a bit more about how the turbo would be knackered and how that would be diagnosed?

 

Thanks for the good wishes. Appreciated!

diagnosing a knackerd turbo unless yer holding it or its that knackerd its obvious is a difficult thing to do.however if yer getting heavy smoke out of one exhaust its either knackerd tub oil seals more noticble under load (mines done that for a year now and just gettin round to fixing it)also i belive that a knackerd pcv valve would cause the same symptoms but im no expert so dont take what i say as gospel.oh and if the oil feed pipe isnt supplying enough oil or its blocked tub would overheat and knacker seals alowing oil to pass them hence smoke.with regard to pcv valves do a search on here theres loads of info

oh and the standard seal on the tubs are crap.have you decatted

thanks Damo.

 

I am really worried i have a knackered turbo. Yes it is decatted and has been for a while. I have never had smoking problems before and thought i had let the turbos cool down well enough after a long motorway run where i was not really heavily booting it at any point and running the boost at 7psi most of the way and occasionally in areas where it was drier at 9psi but still not booting.

 

would the turbos (and only one side at that, but i suppose if there was a problem with the oil feed to that turbo - however slight - i could be the likely one to go first??) let go that suddenly and it first let go when it was only ideally a few minutes after start up? Damo, you say that you have a turbo seal that has gone but you are still driving around on it. I seem to have so much smoke with this problem that it would be embarassing driving about because it is puffing like a knackered old transit.

 

Looking back at the reciepts the PCVs were done recently so i would say that could be ruled out for now.

 

Any support for a simple oil drawn through the breathers!?!?

could be that simple like i say first thing to try would be a oil change back to correct lvl n try it

ok an update.

 

I have just had a call from the garage up in sheffield they say they have had another look and taken it for a run and havent seen anything apart from a slight "haze" from the left hand exhaust. What could that be? A slight oil leak on that side turbo or something?

 

I mentioned that it could be a coolant problem and they said they gave it a thorough inspection and put diagnostic equipment on it (i am assuming they wouldnt gave a consult kit but maybe emmision reading, compression or basic electrical diagnosis) but couldnt find any major problems.

 

They suggested i pick it up and take it to a turbo specialist because they think that is likely to be the problem if it still exists if it not was a simple oil overfilling problem that has now sorted itself out.

 

I am hoping that it has cleared itself up but i am dreading the drive back from sheffield incase it lets go again but i suppose that will be the ultimate test.

 

Really worried about the damage to my wallet if the turbo is damaged.

 

Although it is decat and can run at 14 psi with the boost controller i hardly ever run at that and it is running at 9psi 60% of the time and 7psi 40% of the time. I dont excessively boot it around and i am very fastidious about letting it warm up and cool down properly. The turbos were reconditioned about 70k ago and the oil is always good quality and changed after about 3k miles. Infact the oil is due for a change at the moment (and the can is ironically sitting in the boot of the car) so maybe that hasnt helped with what ever has happened.

 

I know the turbo seals can go at any time but surely i cant be that unlucky! Also wouldnt it be more expected that they would suddenly go when it was being booted and not at idle (when not even in boost)?

Also had white smoke comming from my exhaust when idleing from cold to warm. Didn't pay much attetion do it since I just replaced the exhaust and just thought it was because of that. result.. the engine need rebuild. After a wile I got white smoke from within the engine (just open the lock where you fill oil to check after warming it up a bit for white smoke) and also what might be water... No 100% sure though.. So looking for new engine now.

 

Whould also consider a compression test...

 

If you're lucky it's just the seals or the turbos. Worth checking the pcv to.

you will probably find the PCV valves in the inlet manifold are weak and where you went up in the multistory car park on such an angle it has caused oil to make its way into the breather system and your burning it off. Just use it for a week or so and keep an eye on it and see if it clears ?

 

failing that drop the exhaust manifolds and inspect the rear of the turbo !

i think the PCVs are fairly new Paul but what you are saying does ring true of what could of happened with the slopes in the multi-story and also sounds not too lifethreateningly serious or expensive!

 

I will see how it fairs on the way home next week but if it ends in calamity at some point are you guys fairly free at SWZ at the moment so i could get it towed out to you people for you to have a look?

 

Thanks for the help guys.

We are extremely busy at the moment but can fit you in if your desperate !

i will see how it goes on my journey down next week but have taken your number and will call if i find it all going wrong. should i ask for you directly when i call, Paul?

i will see how it goes on my journey down next week but have taken your number and will call if i find it all going wrong. should i ask for you directly when i call, Paul?

 

 

yes you can do as anna normally answers ! :)

just to let you know guys i pucked the car up yesterday from sheffield and it was fine all the way home. Reckon it must of been as PaulSWZ predicted with overfilled oil being sucked into the breathers with the upping and downing of the multistorey and it has now been all burnt off. Hope i havent caused any lasting damage though. It is decatt so havent coated the catalyst but im sure it cant have done any favours to the turbo if it has gone through that???

 

The guy at the garage said he could only find the small leak from the turbo oil feed pipe that would drop onto the exhaust to potentially cause smoke. But i guess as it is a very small leak which is why i havent noticed and smoke before or after this or any oil usage. He said the feed line was dead tricky to get to. He suggested if the oil feed to the turbo was restricted by this leak the smoking i had experienced could be down to the tub seals going because of oil starvation but i guess due to the incident free trip home this hasnt actually happened.

 

Any ideas which feed pipe could be the one leaking and is it possible to replace without lifting the engine?

 

Thanks guys.

oh and a big-up for the guys in sheffield who didnt charge me for the inspections or storing the car for a week. I felt it was my social obligation to give them a few cans for their troubles though. As a 100% southerner i have got to say the northern folk i have met are really friendly and generous people and there is a snowball in hells chance you would get that kind of service in london.

anyone got any thoughts if the oil going through my engine and turbos for a shortish period of time has caused lasting problems?

 

or any ideas on which turbo feed pipe could be the one leaking and how it can repaired?