'01 V40 – Smokin' like James Bond

v40ATL · Post by **v40ATL** » 06 Feb 2013, 18:47

First time user, and wanting to not let go of the '01 V40 so hopefully finding some guidance. Engine has about 139K on it, new timing belt about 35k ago. Driving back from the store the other day, I had noticed some smoke and wondered where it was coming from, then realized that it was coming from me!!!

Thick, white smoke and smelly. More on the oily smell but thick, and playfully coming out of the tailpipe after I turned the car off almost like it was animated. First thought was the turbo.

Check engine light was off. Just passed emissions. No loss of power. Sometimes takes 2-3 seconds to start but nothing major. Noticed it seemed to be using a bit of oil but not too much.

Lifted the hood a few days later, and noticed oil on the bottom left corner of the plastic cover, just to the left of the oil cap, like something might be leaking. Inside the oil cap was kind of brown-ish.

Maybe just a seal, or a hose? Want to look into it as much as possible before having a garage look at it. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

slimflex2 · Post by **slimflex2** » 06 Feb 2013, 19:19

you sound funny,lol. what color was the smoke?

v40ATL · Post by **v40ATL** » 07 Feb 2013, 06:29

It was a pretty thick, white smoke with maybe a bit of light gray. It was pretty soupy though. That's why I figured it was the turbo since no signs of leaks under the car, so assuming engine was making it's way into the oil.

Maybe a turbo rebuild?

slimflex2 · Post by **slimflex2** » 07 Feb 2013, 06:48

check the coolant and make sure there is no oil in it. white smoke most likely indicates an head gasket problem. not to scare you but to my knowledge a white smoke indicates a bad head gasket. blue smoke indicates that your engine is burning oil. has your car ever over heated?

fn42 · Post by **fn42** » 07 Feb 2013, 07:19

if you're not extremely low on coolant then white smoke = oil burned in the exhaust. I would bet it's the turbo

v40ATL · Post by **v40ATL** » 07 Feb 2013, 08:42

What's the best way to check the coolant for oil? And, don't ever recall it overheating. Gauge never indicated it. It peaked once awhile back due to a return hose but it was fixed immediately.

fn42 · Post by **fn42** » 07 Feb 2013, 10:45

v40ATL wrote:What's the best way to check the coolant for oil? And, don't ever recall it overheating. Gauge never indicated it. It peaked once awhile back due to a return hose but it was fixed immediately.

dunk a paper towel in your overflow bottle and wipe it on the ground, when it evaporates you should not be able to see any residue. If there is residue it most likely means oil

but it would take quite a lot of coolant to make that much smoke, so if it was a bad head gasket you would probably be very low on coolant (unless you have been filling it up)

v40ATL · Post by **v40ATL** » 07 Feb 2013, 16:38

Don't think there is anything in the overflow bottle :-/

slimflex2 · Post by **slimflex2** » 07 Feb 2013, 21:57

whats not in the overflow bottle? oil or coolant?

v40ATL · Post by **v40ATL** » 11 Feb 2013, 07:20

Coolant, though I will double check when the rain stops.