Porsche Smoke on Startup Troubleshooting Guide

[@HokieD1993]

I bought a cheap 987.1 Boxster S as a track car. My AOS was bad when i bought the car so it was the first thing I changed. Mine still sends out a puff of smoke the morning after I've been driving hard and that's it. No more smoke after that initial puff or when driving it. Thanks for your videos, they help a ton!

[@HelpMeDIY]

+Hokie D you’re welcome! 🍻

[@HokieD1993]

@@HelpMeDIY I'm in NC also, Charlotte area. I am going to CMP in October and want to go to VIR with it at some point. What advice do you have for 987 track days? I'll do the usual prep, brake fluid, etc

[@HelpMeDIY]

@@HokieD1993 right on! I was GOING to go to CMP until this… have to postpone the track until it gets rebuilt I’m afraid. My advice is do the standard safety, check and fluid changes like you stated, and then take it as is for a couple events. Then you can start upgrading if you’re really into it, which I assume you will be, and that will really let you feel the differences in the upgrades so you will appreciate them.

[@deanparker7867]

I originally found your channel because I bought a 2006 cayman s with 48,000 miles on it last year and I was thoroughly worried about how to maintain the engine. I was hoping with each video you made that you would not declare you needed a rebuild on your 2006 987 Cayman S. This video bums me out, lol. Right now, I sometimes get a little puff of white smoke at startup and normal oil consumption at 54000 miles. Car feels like a million bucks when it pulls and when I turn. Since purchase... Ultimate AOS New Fuel Injectors New Water Pump Numeric Racing Short Shifter DSC PASM Controller Wavetrac LSD IPD Plenum New Spark Plugs Soul Performance Exhaust Softronic ECU Tune FVD Brombacher Oil Pan Stainless steel brake lines GT3 Master Brake Cylinder Girodisc 2 piece rotors Driven DT40 oil only Out of all that the Numeric shifter and the DSC controller are like pure magic when it comes to driving canyon roads. Simply amazing. I am still on Raby's elective engine notification list so the engine itself will eventually be a 3.8 when I pull the trigger. Looking forward to your future videos on this build!

[@HelpMeDIY]

+Dean Parker what’s a DSC controller? Guess I need to research… love the numeric shifter! I gotta catch up to your build 😁🍻

[@deanparker7867]

@@HelpMeDIY I answered this twice before but my reply was deleted twice for some reason. Must be some youtube rule I am not aware of. Let's try again. The controller is from a company called dscsport and it requires a fully working PASM in porsche or similar system in other cars. For example, I have a 2009 Nissan GTR and they make a controller for it. I have not yet installed that one on the GTR. The controller for the 987.1 (for cars with PASM only) comes with a brand new accelerometer that the controller uses in addition to its own motion sensors to adjust your damping in realtime based on how you are actually driving the car... down hill, uphill, off/on camber etc. It is difficult to describe how it changes the driving experience. The car feels flatter in corners and rotates around you in a way that makes it feel like you are sitting in a zero-g massage chair. Do a search to see people reviewing it on track. There are some videos on youtube.

[@HelpMeDIY]

@@deanparker7867 wow sounds awesome! Maybe you put a link in the comments before? KZbin doesn’t like that.

[@aboyandhisdog]

I too feel like I was seeing steam, not smoke. But I'm sure you know the difference! A head gasket would still be a pretty involved job, but easier than a rebuild.

[@HelpMeDIY]

+Tom Fitch I hope to find an obvious issue when I get it out!

[@joe-serioushoward6201]

I was thinking AOS right off the bat. I have installed the Ultimate AOS after having my intake full of oil twice in seven years. 👍👍.

[@HelpMeDIY]

+Joe-serious Howard nice! 🍻

[@phil702x]

Did fuel trims show rich? Did you smell the exhaust? Are you losing oil? Did you check for more vac leaks? Looked like you were running rich, maybe due to vac leak. You can spray carb cleaner to find them. Bore scoring is accompanied by an engine tick. Love the idea of 3.8 swap, but confirm it’s a failing engine first.

[@HelpMeDIY]

+Phil 702 yeah, you can see it in my fuel trim video. Got all the vacuum leaks addressed

[@ShipBobbin]

Hey, just a heads up, the link you posted to the Fuel Injector install doesn't actually go to that video. Anyway, thanks for all the great videos, I reference them all the time. I also have a 987.1 that I track and I'm excited to see that engine rebuild. I probably have one of those in my future as well!

[@HelpMeDIY]

Fixed, thanks!

[@KCMedia33]

How long have you noticed this condition? That is 100% steam/water vapor exiting the exhaust. You can clearly see at the end of the video it takes a few seconds for it to heat up enough to start evaporating. Head gasket failures are rare but could also be a cracked head. Does this happen during cold start only or all the time? Before removing the engine for a full rebuild I would suggest at a minimum a block test to see if combustion is entering the coolant system. Have you taken it out on a long drive since you noticed this condition? What if a big storm sent a bunch of water up the exhaust pipes? I would investigate a little further before pulling it. Good luck with it!

[@HelpMeDIY]

+Bill Mohr Super Pool that video is actually the only time I’ve seen it last like that, so you’re probably right. Every cold start it will actually smoke and fill the garage temporarily and you will smell like exhaust for a long time if you are nearby! Goes away once warmed up

[@Jonathan-qz9kd]

Mine does that like steam will be like that for about 2 mins if you drive it when stop it’s gone think it’s just condensation build up especially if it’s steam and not blue mine always has water around the exhaust also when it’s steaming

[@KCMedia33]

@@HelpMeDIYIt’s water vapor in the exhaust system removing itself via stream. AOS failure will smoke all the time. Your car is fine. Send it

[@HelpMeDIY]

@@KCMedia33 Nope, it was bore scored pretty badly. Currently undergoing a rebuild. Check out those videos to see for yourself exactly what the issue was.

[@KCMedia33]

@@HelpMeDIY Just checked your videos and while you had some scored cylinders the video above pumping out steam at idle had nothing to do with your scoring concerns. There are levels to bore scoring and while your engine had scoring it was not to the level where the piston was slapping inside the bore from excessive wear resulting from total failure of the piston skirt liner totally failing resulting in aluminum on aluminum contact. You may have saw some oil consumption but what you showed in the video above was certainly not oil burning off. Oil burning does not dissipate like steam. With proper oil change intervals and the right oil that engine could have kept going for many miles. You’re tear down and build with Raby while informative is not the exception to the rule when it comes to the average Porsche ownership experience.

[@davem7139]

My 2023 718 has white smoke out of the exhaust at start up (and for about 10 seconds) when it sits overnight. It has done it since I bought it with 7 miles on it and it has 1200 now.

[@HelpMeDIY]

+Dave M still breaking in the piston rings and engine

[@robertmontgomery7158]

How about a compression test? A leak down test? Oil consumption? Coolant consumption? The plugs show any evidence of oil fouling?

[@HelpMeDIY]

+Robert Montgomery didn’t do compression or leak down. Do have oil consumption, no coolant consumption. Plugs can be seen in my plug change video 🍻

[@pjay3028]

Interesting. What code is the CEL throwing up?

[@HelpMeDIY]

+p jay i’ve had a couple… They are documented in the other videos, but I can’t remember them off the top of my head right now

[@ThatCaymanGuy]

ok, well i just fell down a rabbit hole reading about fuel trim. are you sure its smoke and not steam? maybe its the head gasket? taking a little whiff of the exhaust can tell you alot about what's going on with your engine. Than again, I'm not a professional mechanic.

[@HelpMeDIY]

+Dave P. 😂 sorry about that!

[@davidshaw164]

If there’s smoke from having too much fuel / running rich, wouldn’t the smoke be black (or rather… not white)?

[@HelpMeDIY]

+David Shaw hopefully somebody with experience on that can chime in and answer

[@DanDan-hj2pp]

All so if the cats are done you will get smoke on start up from running rich on cold start and will put up engine light happened to me after 997 rebuild

[@johnmorgan7262]

Wow. So did you just really want to rebuild another?

[@HelpMeDIY]

+John Morgan haha didn’t WANT to…

[@jimmccarthy6015]

Excited about engine project and increasing to 3.8, however sorry for the circumstances around you deciding to do this:(.

[@HelpMeDIY]

+Jim McCarthy thanks Jim! 🍻

[@ricardocYT]

mine does a little if it’s been sitting for couple weeks

[@HelpMeDIY]

+Turtlehug yeah mine can sit a few hours and still do it.

[@ricardocYT]

@@HelpMeDIY what do you think might cause my smoke? just oil settling at the bottom?

[@HelpMeDIY]

@@ricardocYT oil getting past the pistons and burning during combustion

[@ricardocYT]

@@HelpMeDIY uh oh haha

[@alanteague521]

Oh no, another rebuild. Sorry to hear this. If you need help, let me know.

[@HelpMeDIY]

+Alan Teague thanks brother!

[@K1dPhresh1]

Ouch!!

[@HelpMeDIY]

+K1dPhresh1 yeah…

[@K1dPhresh1]

@@HelpMeDIY getting those reps in, huh? At least you know exactly what you have in front of you right now.

[@HelpMeDIY]

@@K1dPhresh1 haha true!!

[@dongtr00]

I think it is only from a short drive. Very short

[@JoakimPorscheCaymanS]

AOS......or borescore....Had same problem with my 987.1 S..... but got my AOS-problem solved by "Levin Racing" here in Sweden since they know all about the problem with Porsche OEM-AOS buildt in construction fault. Now works brilliant with their modification. No smoke, no bore score in sight. Porsche still sell them OEM I guess....zzzz.

[@HelpMeDIY]

+@JoakimPorscheCaymanS glad you got yours sorted for now. What I learned is the 987.1 S is going to bore score eventually 😞

[@JoakimPorscheCaymanS]

@@HelpMeDIY Some say they all do.....at certain time.....but well well...I will get another backup AOS from Levin-Racing-modified. They know their sh-t from Porsche-racing. Will be my backup....and later bore score I guess....hahaha.

[@HelpMeDIY]

@@JoakimPorscheCaymanS hahaha fingers crossed!

[@frankoch600]

Only porsche has bullshit engine design, why an air oil separator?, never it all my vehicle owhership have I seen or heard of the crap a porsche engine has, a total piece of crap.

[@HelpMeDIY]

+@frankoch600 but how do you feel about it? 😆