ravaz

iTrader: (1)

Just want to start this off by saying I'm not pointing fingers or blaming/bad mouthing anyone, just stating what happened when I was driving my car today and what happend. Not going to turn this into what we saw in another thread, just need some help and suggestions until I can contact my installer tomorrow.

I got my car back from my installer yesterday, Tuesday Sept 2nd, drove 300 miles home, flawless, nothing wrong. Now, my car has had some weird vibrations when I picked it up, I thought it was the supercharger at low rpm's, or the headers vibrating, I don't know for sure. Anyway, tonight we are on the highway, just cruising, doing 70, a car in my lane going slow so I go aroud him and accelerate, I don't go WOT or anything, but I give it a good push. Now, I'm going about 80/85, and all of a sudden, smoke everywhere. My friend with his WRX was with me, and we pulled over. So I shut the car down, look over it, and start it back up after we look over it, and now more smoke is coming out. At this point, I called a tow truck and they came and picked up the car and got me home.

Car is in the driveway, a little bit of light from my friends car and flash light, and my cousin on the phone talking me through some steps, trying to figure out what is up. We start the car up again, smoke, and a little hesitant on starting, it starts but it's a little weak, no oil anywhere, not even in the intake pipe, we took it off and looked, and it was clean. Not sure what is up. ATI is closed, my installer is closed now, so really can't do anything else until the morning. My cousin thinks, and hope's that it is only the head gasket, but he isn't here and can't tell me for sure. I guess I'll find out tomorrow. Oh, the smoke was sorta bluish when we pulled over, it was light out, I think it was white, but it's too dark out now to tell. I'm not pissed or anything, I mean this shitt happens. I'm not going to bad mouth anyone or anything, just going to try to get it resolved ASAP. I was going to the track on Sunday too

Bill

silverscooby

I hope everything gets resolved man. I'm sure your installer and ATI can help you out.

Let me know if I can help.

Eric1h

damn dude, that sucks, let me know if you want me to come over and look at it for you, ill be back in town late on thurs. sorry to hear about that. but the engine smoking alot, especially from the exhaut is NEVER A GOOD THING! call me if you want some help.

Dr Bonz

iTrader: (1)

Please keep us posted. I have a Procharger too as you know and I am VERY interested in what you find.

I hope all is well.

ravaz

iTrader: (1)

Thanks Eric, I'll let you know what happens, but I will take you up on that offer, trust me I checked, and it looks to be coming from the area where the headers are, I couldn't really see, but that's where it looked to be. I'm getting more pissed now

sands

iTrader: (3)

Take a sparkplug out and see if there is oil on it.

Do a google on blue smoke, here is one of the results:

Blue Smoke: Blue smoke is caused by engine oil entering the cylinder area and being burned along with the fuel air mixture. As with the white smoke, just a small drop of oil leaking into the cylinder can produce blue smoke out the tailpipe. Blue smoke is more likely in older or higher mileage vehicles than newer cars with fewer miles.

How did the engine oil get inside the cylinder in the first place? The car has many seals, gaskets, and O-rings that are designed to keep the engine oil from entering the cylinder, and one of them has failed. If too much oil leaks into the cylinder and fouls the spark plug, it will cause a misfire (engine miss) in that cylinder, and the spark plug will have to be replaced or cleaned of the oil. Using thicker weight engine oil or an oil additive designed to reduce oil leaks might help reduce the amount of oil leaking into the cylinder.

Eric1h

hind-sight is 20/20, but thats why i always do my own work!! numerous nitrous installs and a few turbo/twin turbo custom installs with no problems. Ok, i'm not making you feel any better, i'll shut up. but call me if you need help, PM if you need my # again. I guess i wont be as upset i cant make it to the meeting tommorow night, im stuck in HOTlanta, GA ughhh

Blue smoke is OIL, either from a busted ring or piston
White smoke is generally a head gasket or water in the engine somehow.
check for Water or "foam" on your dipstick.

is the smoke comng from your exhaust tips or inside the engine bay?

Beau

iTrader: (4)

Hi, first post, just have something to add here.

Check the bolded part in that quote. So the smoke is coming from the tailpipes AND by around the headers? Sounds like a head gasket that got blown to shyte somehow. Did you hear any ping/knock/detonation when this happened? Odd that it would let go under mild acceleration.

ravaz

iTrader: (1)

It's coming out of one of the exhausts, not both. I think the right side, and when i have the car on, i can see smoke coming out from under the car by the O2 sensor area. I think the smoke is white, i'll have to check tomorrow when it's light out.

Chebosto

iTrader: (43)

knocking on the Z sounds like a can of vitamins when you shake it...

did you hear anything like that? perhaps this is the rumbling you are referring to?

smoke definately means something gave way and is now burning inside the car... defintately pull the plugs... if they're melted then you know you might have blown something..

good luck man. keep your head up.

ravaz

iTrader: (1)

Well, I was in the car when they said that the smoke is coming out of the exhaust, I didn't see it for sure, it could have been just coming out of the engine and making its way back there, but I did see it coming from under the car, had my head under there, but didn't see it coming out of the exhaust at that time.

ravaz

iTrader: (1)

Oh, and as for any pinging or anything, I didn't hear any ever. I only felt/heard vibration on like take off, at very very low rpm's, thats about it.

zland

When I read this, I just felt so bad for you. I think all of us can relate to what you must be feeling.

Well, the good news if there can be any is this happen right away after the install thus it has to be something your installer has got to resolve. I hope you have an installer with integrity.

ravaz

iTrader: (1)

I hope so, and I'm confident that he will take care of me. I'm losing sleep over this, glad I have vacation this week.

Thanks to everyone for the help and their opinions, right now I'm still a bit shocked, and lost, so I don't know where to begin. I guess best place is, hit up my installer and see what he says and thinks, hopefully it will be positive.

Loren04G35

White smoke is only from 1 thing: water. White smoke in the exhaust only can come out of the exhaust if you have a cracked head or blown head gasket. Very few cars crack heads easily, so this is almost always a head gasket.It is very important that you are correct on the color of smoke. Next, how was the car driving? You don't always hear detonation, but you can feel it. I've put dime size holes in the sides of 2 pistons without ever hearing the detonation. If feels like a loss of power and the engine is dragging as you go into it; then it is detonating. Hopefully you only had high octane in the tank. Next, how did your installer set the fuel? If it wasn't set rich under boost and you detonated, a blown head gasket is the likely result. This would of course be their fault for the tuning. I am just hoping for you that this isn't the case. If the smoke is not coming from inside the exhaust, then it could be other things. It would still be water realated, but it could be a radiator hose that is loose(possibly from the install). Again, your installer would be responsible. I hope it works out for the better.

ravaz

iTrader: (1)

Driving, it drove ok I think. Like I said, I didn't really hear anything, but I did feel something, felt like a strong vibration or shaking. I described the feeling to my installer and he said it's just how the Supercharger is at low RPM's. I'm 99.9% sure it's white smoke. I was running 93 in my car, I always do. I don't know what my AF was at, my installer never gave me that sheet with my dyno sheets, I asked for it but forgot to get it when I left.

I'll tell you this, right now, if I start my car and put it in gear and move it a little, it shakes alot, and when I try to start it, you can tell something is wrong because it kinda hesitates like there is a loss of power or something like that.

Wicked4u2c

iTrader: (6)

Dude, it really sounds like you possibly lifted your head under boost and the gasket gave way... Good luck with your car bro...

ravaz

iTrader: (1)

OK, so say it's a new gasket I need. How much $$ do you think we are talking about here? I know it's about 12 hours labor in a 300zx, don't know with the 350z. I'm sure not many have replaced them yet on this car

Wicked4u2c

iTrader: (6)

it could become very costly the gasket alone will probably go for $200.00 if not maybe more? Labor will be a beyotch, just pray to god its not blue smoke cause that means your engine bye bye!

KONVERTER

iTrader: (2)

take the procharger off...

return engine / intake / up to the cats to stock...

take to dealer make it their problem...

hehe