Been reading posts on this topic but my problem seems a little bit different (or maybe I'm not understanding properly).
When the car first starts up, while its warming up, sometimes when it is idling, and sometimes when I floor it there tends to be a fair amount of smoke coming out of the exhaust. I know white smoke means coolant/head and blue smoke means oil...looks white to me but well more like whitish grey. Done all the advised tests to check for head gasket problems and everything looks good.
The second problem is that I'm going through oil more than I think I should. This is my first turbo'd car and I don't know much about them but I do know they tend to use up more oil than a naturally aspirated vehicle does. However, I feel as if I'm topping it up almost every day.
I've been told that it is probably the turbo...that the seals or gaskets or whatever are leaking I'm assuming into the turbo which then burns through the down pipe and exhaust. I'm installing a 3" down pipe and 3" cat-back and have been advised to check inside the original piping to see if there is any oil in it. If I have to replace my 14b, I don't mind...I just want to fix this problem.
Any advice is very helpful. Thanks!

 

What kind of car is this? Have you done a compression test?

 

Oh sorry. Its a 1998 Eclipse Spyder GST.
No I haven't done a compression test but after reading some advice you have given previously I decided to give that a try. Do you know what normal numbers should be?

 

On a turbo 2g's close to 170 to 180psi.

 

The factory compression rating is 178psi, and the service limit for that engine is 133psi. Personally I believe if you're in the 130's at all you need to rebuild the engine.

Source: http://www.jspecauto.com/files/jspec...chcenter9a.htm

 

You are having the same problem I've been dealing with lately, and still am somewhat, lol. They all say it's this or that when it comes to smoke color but they're half right but it is a lil different in this case with the turbo cars, especially when the smokes not constant and it goes away later like never happened to begin with and you're like WTF?

Alright, let me see what I can say to help you with. I never really had this problem with my car until...................WINTER!! Ahhhh, stupid cold weather. Anyway, whats happening to yours most likely, that i've been playing with is your Airflow sensor/Mass Airflow problem really and some other factors screwing with it too if your burning a lot of oil.

Most of us have to use the factory Mass AF sensor and put a K&N filter or totally stock, or whatever set-up you're using? When it gets cold, sensor's telling the computer to dump fuel to warm up the motor! Thus, in cold mornings, you smoke like a chimney until the temp gets up to normal. Now, I dont know what you're running for cooling. One Fan, 2? I'm running 2 now, one on the temp sense and one with a manual toggle originally. Now I just put em both on toggles, like it better that way I control. Anyway, I use to flip one fan on and think that would make smoke go but not soooo quickly. You gotta let the motor warm up. Once it gets up to temp, and you drive too, usually goes away. Lil embarressing til it does, people think you're cars a POS but you know it's not, lol. I've found that using the fan on the Header side seems to keep everything cool and smoke away. Idling to long at lights will come back somtimes briefly. So, check your setup for you Air cleaner etc. Make sure you're getting plenty of air, they need air to live.
Now the 2nd part, not so pleasant. Like I said, don't know how your set-up is but if you like most, I have like a flex-hose running from air cleaner set-up to turbo's "mouth". If you look in yours Im positive you'll find your turbo's "mouth" is spitting up oil, probably whole bunches in there. Now, part of the smoke problem is the car warming up, contributing, burning all that oil in your hose too that's really not suppose to be there. Your turbo runneth over, need to replace gasket, rebuild, turbo.

Least thats what I've found with mine. So.....hope it's helps. Remember, check your airway, make sure your Mass Air Flow's getting plenty of air. Watch your temp, and unfortunately, you need some gaskets at the least, hopefully not more, like replacing the turbo.

 

THANK YOU!! I'm much happier now lol...ya winter is definitely a bitch for the smoke but really...it was happening far before the winter. I bought the car in the summer and the guy had it sitting for like 3-5 months before I bought it. When I bought it was smokey but buddy told me that its because it was sitting for so long. My ex agreed. Anyway...its just bugging me...stressing me out. I don't know much about cars AT ALL but learning as I go here. After I bought the car I put a new air filter on and will be doing a new 3" downpipe/exhaust set up...maybe that'll help with air?? I don't know.

Yes. I always make sure to warm up my car and let it cool down as much as possible before turning it off...my ex was a psycho with caring for a turbo so I got this drilled into my head lol. Used to drive a V8 TransAm sooooo not used to high maintenance motors. I do notice a difference once the car warms up however there is constantly smoke. I understand that turbo vehicles are smokier than the average car but I guess I just don't know whats too much?? When I sit idling I notice a huge increase in smoke.

I have an extra new 14g (?) sitting at my house sooo really if I need a new turbo I'm not concerned. Can you "dumb it down" how I should check if theres too much oil in the turbo or surrounding area please?! I mean my cars running great (as far as I know) so I know the turbo isn't broken obviously.

I've been noticing lately a leak from the oil cap...maybe its leaking somewhere else...like getting into the exhaust which is burning the oil and creating more smoke than normal. Is this possible?

Sorry for the 50 million questions...I'm really trying to understand whats happening. I relied on my ex for this kind of advice so now I'm just trying to figure it all out for myself...

THANKS GUYS!!

 

Still sounds like your turbo maybe having issues. Theres an. Oil line feed to the turbo to keep it lubed and such. You seals may be bad and letting oil leak into the propellar of the turbo. Burning off that oil can make it smoke. But if was sitting for while still wouldnt still smoke by now. U replace all the sparkplugs after? Id throw the other turbo on and see what happens.

 

Yeah put on new spark plugs a while ago...did as much of a tune as I could on my own. When I take the car back out from hibernation maybe I will put the new turbo on.

Thanks for the help!

 

Sp many factors could cause it to smoke. Hard to say with not seeing car and motor? Like i said before your turbo seals could be leaking causing oil to seap from the oil line feed for lubrication into the propller side & burning off. Map sensor sendn computers mixed signals if u hav a lot of aftermarket goodies. Likd cold morning computer dumps more fuel to warm up the motor but smoke goes away when car is at running temp. Rings, plugs, blah blah hard to say. Cap leakn? Id say no biggy only would smoke in engine area when oil burns on the exhaust or headers.