02_Z28_G

iTrader: (5)

i have an 02 z28 a4 and the once the car gets to operating temp it will begin to idle rough and white smoke begins to come out of the exhaust(oil being burnt). the car sounds like it's about to turn off until i go to take off and all of it clears and runs perfrectly fine even when i come to a complete stop again. but...give it a few minutes and everything starts again.

does anyone have any suggestions as to what may be going wrong or what i can check? this is my daily driver so i need to fix it ASAP

00pooterSS

iTrader: (40)

You sure its oil?

White smoke is coolant, gray smoke is oil, fuel is black.

So it kinda sounds more like a blown headgasket and sounds like coolant is being burned.

02_Z28_G

iTrader: (5)

not necessarily sure it's oil but a few ppl i know said i looks like oil problem. my oil pressure was dropping really bad reacently also but that's bc place i took it to for last oil change put in 5w30 so i did another oil change the other day myself and put 10w40.

also i just moved my car and noticed a few drops of fresh oil right below where the oil pan is...could it possibly be a bad oil pan gasket?

02_Z28_G

iTrader: (5)

also...i have yet to put my mods in a sig but i have pacesetter LT's, ORY, magnaflow catback and a MTI lid. i have yet to get it tuned...

i don't know if that helps anyone with helping me with a diagnosis but i figured i would put that out there incase it may

00pooterSS

iTrader: (40)

No man none of that really is related.

It sounds like have either damaged some rings in a cylinder and they are allowing oil blow by, or a bad headgasket allowing coolant to burn.

Definately check your coolant level, if you start to have an issue with coolant overflowing and boiling etc its probably a headgasket.

02_Z28_G

iTrader: (5)

ok will definately check that out this weekend. thank you for the input


anyone else who has any suggestions please throw them my way

SexyTransAm

iTrader: (6)

run some tests. that will tell u what it is. compression test and cooling system pressure tester

02_Z28_G

iTrader: (5)

update:
well since i haven't gotten the care tuned to delete the rear o2's i went to oreilly's and ran all of the codes on my car and it's saying the front 2 sensors have low voltage so i'm thinking i may need to replace those, of course not reading anything on the rear's, and it did also say a random multiple misfire so i may need new spark plugs as well. i cleared the codes and the car ran perfectly fine with no smoke coming from the exhaust

00pooterSS

iTrader: (40)

Your car needs to be diagnosed properly you starting to get away from the problem it sounds like. The smoke and misfire that comes along with it sounds like its possibly causing all those issues/codes.

What were the exact codes, if the codes are saying low voltage as in lack of switching indicating lean, that could mean the 02's are stuck lean so then the PCM would richen the mixture considerably causing it to run rich and misfire and smoke until you hit the gas, but it could also be a low voltage code having to do with the heater circuit etc in the 02 sensor which would have nothing to do with your issues. So really this thing needs diagnosed, not having parts thrown at it which is what you are fixing to do.


Again what are the codes?.... Exact code numbers and definitions

02_Z28_G

iTrader: (5)

i wasn't able to write them down yesterday when i read them but as soon as the light comes back on i will go read them again and write them down

just a question though...fuses wouldn't have anything to do with this correct?

00pooterSS

iTrader: (40)

Most likely no, but you never know. I have been a tech for many years and seen a lot of weird **** so for peace of mind it wouldn't hurt to check them all but I doubt you will find anything there.

Have you checked your mass air flow to make sure its clean? the wires in it should be shiny and not have any build up like dust on them. If your MAF is real dirty it could cause a rich condition that make the 02's read at a low voltage, because low voltage indicates lean, and if the fuel map is real out of whack it could load up on fuel at idle and misfire and smoke. But again I doubt this is the problem.

How fast are you going through oil? Is there any fluid mixing like oil in water or vice versa? (Although I will say I have seen more headgaskets that were bad that did not show fluid mixing than gasket that did allow fluid mixing) Was the water low?

If you are getting a P0300 random multiple misfire code then its something that is affecting multiple cylinders so we have to look at it from that angle. The multiple misfire code and low voltage codes to me are starting to sound like a fuel issue is why I brought up the mass air flow. But without the specific codes I am simply speculating, there is not near enough info here for me to diagnose the problem unfortunately

02_Z28_G

iTrader: (5)

i did look at the screen the other day when i was trying to figure out a belt problem and i saw the screen was dirty. i just kind of wiped it down but i'm not sure what to clean it with.

i do know that those kind of reading will throw things off and cause the computer to start compensating for different things thus maybe leading to my problems. i used to have a mustang and it idled like crap after i got home from spring break one year and turns out i just needed new o2 sensors.

00pooterSS

iTrader: (40)

Remove the screen, its one of the common free mods. Then clean the wires with MAF cleaner from the auto parts store. Carb cleaner works too. Avoid touching the wires they are very very easy to break. If you must spray cleaner on a Q tip and very very gently wipe the small wires clean. Then see how it runs.

Joshthree6three

I am new here but been a wrench head for a while. just picked up a 04 goat with 43k.

White smoke is never good. That is coolent being burnt. I wouldnt run the car with a bad headgasket, you have a chance to do some bad carnage with that. wraped head/hydrolock the motor although that would be pretty sever. If you have bad oil pressure that to me sounds like a bad oil pump or bad rod bearings. If you continue to run with poor/low oil pressure something will fail, that is a fact.

a good way to see how the motors running quickly is check a few plugs. they should be a tan color. white is lean black is rich. you want to see tan.

burning oil looks like a bluish smoke, might have a bad oil ring on one or more for your cylinders if thats the case.

Joshthree6three

burning oil causes detonation and detonation causes rodbearing failure in most cases if left unfixed.

jimbob

iTrader: (4)

Easy troubleshooting for head crack or bad head gasket..Take off your radiator cap when cold and run it until up to operating temp, if you see bubbles=bad. Check oil on your dip stick and see if it looks like a chocolate shake=bad. Ethyl glycol will kill oxy sensors in short order. If no water in oil or bubbles then looks for a clogged injector or two...normally this rich condition shows up as very rich smell and black out the tail pipe. You may well be chasing indicators of a fubared engine...

I know this is really simplfied...but will work well....If you want to get into compression or leak down testers...have at it...check these easy tells first...

One note...your engine could hydrolock if your gaskets or a cracked head lets in enough water in to the combustion chamber... so wait at your own risk...it also could hydro while your just idleing...

02_Z28_G

iTrader: (5)

the smoke was actually a white smoke with blueish tint...not just straight white.

02_Z28_G

iTrader: (5)

ok...so the codes have come back and i wrote them down so here they are....
p0131,0154,0160,0300,1133,1153

i realize 2 of them are because of my not having deleted the rear o2's yet and i've been reading that the 1133 and 1153 are ususally because of bad 02 sensor

00pooterSS

iTrader: (40)

Here use this for your code definitions
http://www.aboutautomobile.com/DTC



You really need a scanner for this so you can watch the 02's, you could induce propane from a handheld torch and watch the sensors go rich and verify weather they are capable of reading or not which what you really need to know, but we will start here

P0131 is a low voltage code, or lean. Did you check and clean the MAF yet??? This code is for sensor B1S1, that is the driver front sensor

Btw I found a pretty decent post where a guy was having a similar issue and 02 sensors did not fix the problem. Our cars have issues with the heaters failing but not usually the sensor itself that measures air/fuel ratio

http://www.obd-codes.com/forums/view...php?f=1&t=5822

But PO154 is no activity detected so the car is running so lean it stays lean at all times or the sensor is dead. And that is for sensor B2S1, that is the passenger side front 02

P0160 thats a code for no activity also but its for sensor B2S2, thats the passenger side behind the cat, the one you removed

P0300 That code is for random/multiple misfire, a fuel issue could cause that so you need to get the 02's straightened out first

PO1133 and P01153 are air/fuel mixture codes but dont remember the definitions for them, so in any case they still mean you are having a fuel mixture issue or sensor issue, like I said start with checking the MAF and go from there. Its possible its sensors but I would not replace them as the first step.

02_Z28_G

iTrader: (5)

yeah i knew the definitions to the codes i just didn't feel like typing them out haha

well the car is fixed...or at least i hope so...
changed out the o2 sensors, cleaned the MAF, and checked all of the plugs and wires to make sure they were snug.
turns out a few of the plugs were somewhat loose and i could freely twist/wiggle them while they were attached to the block.

so far everything has been running fine and i am having no issues...i just pray it stays that way