Dammit all to hell... need help.

[Cp1]

ok so just finished putting the car all back together with all new gaskets etc. and it looks awesome anyway it was running great boosted fine until...

I decided to take it on a road trip out of necessity. now it has started to burn oil slightly when i start it but when it gets up to temp it starts to burn quite a bit still at idle.

It boosts fine still drives great and somewhat goes away while driving (i had a friend follow me to see if it was all the time) and it doesnt smoke while driving or boosting.

So im thinking that my turbos might be leaking a bit cause after checking my plugs they look fine. has anyone else experienced this? what do you guys think?

[Spindoctor]

Is this a fresh build...not sure what was done to it. How slight is the oil consumption, can you quantify it? It's obviously enough for you to have noticed a difference, but what has changed? Does it smoke on start-up/high RPM or do you have to top it off more often than usual?

[David Jerome]

ok so just finished putting the car all back together with all new gaskets etc. and it looks awesome anyway it was running great boosted fine until...

I decided to take it on a road trip out of necessity. now it has started to burn oil slightly when i start it but when it gets up to temp it starts to burn quite a bit still at idle.

It boosts fine still drives great and somewhat goes away while driving (i had a friend follow me to see if it was all the time) and it doesnt smoke while driving or boosting.

So im thinking that my turbos might be leaking a bit cause after checking my plugs they look fine. has anyone else experienced this? what do you guys think?


Sounds like a bad PCV if you still have one. I had a car do this exact same thing, would only smoke at idle and when you let off the throttle after getting into boost. Deleted the PCV and the problem went away. If you still have you PCV just remove you oil filler cap and drive the car and see if the smoke goes away, that will let you know if it is the PCV or not.

[Brent]

Sounds like a bad PCV if you still have one. I had a car do this exact same thing, would only smoke at idle and when you let off the throttle after getting into boost. Deleted the PCV and the problem went away. If you still have you PCV just remove you oil filler cap and drive the car and see if the smoke goes away, that will let you know if it is the PCV or not.


I laughed to myself a little when I read this because I was just thinking of all the countless hours we have spent troubleshooting problems on the FD's we have boought and sold over the years(I remember when you were troubleshooting the PCV one). I've had enough frustration with the few a year that I flip, I can only imagine how bad it gets sometimes for you with all the cars you have. I guess we are suckers for punishment... haha.

[Cp1]

the pcv valve was eliminated when i did the simplification i have just a "dump tube" coming from the nipple on the oil filler neck for breathing. in any case this seems to be an irregular occurance.

I started it yesterday and there was a noticeable amount of smoke then drove it over maybe only 100 meters away let it idle while i checked the tire pressure and it was fine no smoking. (the car hadnt warmed up completely yet) then i drove it home but when i stopped at a long light only at idle i could see a waft of it in my mirrors as soon as i started moving it went away.

then on the way home i did a nice third gear pull just near my house then took it home, where i let it idle while i opened the garage to let it cool down somewhat and there was no smoking whatsoever. brought it in turned it off. so it seems to me that this is almost the strangest damn case ive had with this car. i thought possibly it could have been oil injectors or turbo seals.

Btw cars operating temp is 85 (aka 185 F)
and has never gone over that and oil pressure is where it should be

Just dont know.

To answer spindoctors question if you rev it while moving even slowly like say in first gear there is nothing, but if you tap the gas while it is already smoking in idle in neutral it will emit a much larger "puff" except if you hold it down it will clear up an go clean again. its this thats getting me. let off the gas and when it goes back to idle when fully warm it smokes.

[JDK]

I agree with the other posters, sounds like a crank case venting problem. I would put the PVC back on, I'm not sure why you would remove it in the first place...Is/was there a reason?

[cewrx7r1]

I would put the PVC back on, I'm not sure why you would remove it in the first place...Is/was there a reason?

The reason to remove the PCV valve is very resaonable if you "understand" theory of it or not having it.

It is there to draw seal blow-by back into the intake and burn it to reduce emmissions. But this causes oil with combustion residues to coat the #1 turbo and complete intake track into the engine.

Removing it keeps the intake track clean and may give a little more power depending and the amount of blow-by.

I did this on my single turbo setup without any problems. I have both nipples on the oil filler neck going to a catch can and then to atmosphere.

[David Jerome]

I agree with the other posters, sounds like a crank case venting problem. I would put the PVC back on, I'm not sure why you would remove it in the first place...Is/was there a reason?

I deleted them on almost every car I buy and sell, Mazda actually deleted its PCV setup in 95 and just routed it to the primary turbo and not back into the manifold. Like Chuck said though, this isnt a perfect fix either.

[David Jerome]

I laughed to myself a little when I read this because I was just thinking of all the countless hours we have spent troubleshooting problems on the FD's we have boought and sold over the years(I remember when you were troubleshooting the PCV one). I've had enough frustration with the few a year that I flip, I can only imagine how bad it gets sometimes for you with all the cars you have. I guess we are suckers for punishment... haha.

:) I have to be a glutton for punishment because nothing else could describe why I put so much effort into keeping these cars on the road. Most dont appreciate it but there are still a few rotorheads left that want to see more rotaries on the road.

[Cp1]

so how common is it that the factory twins start leaking oil and thus burning it? as far as i am aware these are the original turbos and now have 63,000miles on them. aside from oil staining is there any other tell tale signs of turbo leaking?