WTF car is blowing smoke out the exhaust!?!?!

**Shermanator86** · 05-25-2012, 04:24 AM

Ok so I put on my headers and ory last weekend and drove the car around 110 mi after they were on and apart from a leak and rattle or to no issues, the car has sat since tuesday and I've been driving my little beater since. Well last night I took the camaro to get dinner and as I'm sitting in the drive through it starts idling rough and chugs some blueish white smoke out the tail pipes then it goes away. It did this a few times and as I was leaving it did it again as I was waiting to pull on to the road, as soon as I was on the road the where no issues at stoplights and it didn't seem to be down on power or anything. So is this something to do with the pcv system or do I have bigger problems? I'm not to familiar on how the pcv works so any help would be great.

**Shermanator86** · 05-25-2012, 04:27 AM

Oh and also after about 2,300 mi after my last oil change I had to add about a quart to the engine but I had just chalked that up to my aggressive driving at the track and engine braking a lot on the street. Seem this may be related now though.

**Spaz** · 05-25-2012, 05:08 AM

are the headers coated??? could still be the oils burning off of them...

**0rion** · 05-25-2012, 05:16 AM

make sure your headers haven't melted an O2 wire.

**tdevil55** · 05-25-2012, 05:29 AM

Black smoke is oil or some carbon burning, white would be like water or coolant, I would say check the o2s to be safe, without a tune sometimes you can burn them. Also could be an early sign of the piston rings going, oil seeping by and burning. Keep an eye on the oil pressure and levels, also check the plugs from time to time, they can tell you the story of what is going on in your combustion chamber.

**Shermanator86** · 05-25-2012, 05:33 AM

Originally Posted by Spaz

are the headers coated??? could still be the oils burning off of them...

They are stainless, and it did burn off all that last weekend after the install, this smells like engine oil burning and is pretty think but its intermittent

Originally Posted by 0rion

make sure your headers haven't melted an O2 wire.

Are you saying make sure its not smoke from the wire burning or that the burnt wire would cause the engine to smoke?

I'll have to check that

**Spaz** · 05-25-2012, 05:38 AM

did you use any 02 sensor silicon???

**Smittro** · 05-25-2012, 05:57 AM

Blue smoke from the exhaust is oil..

Black smoke is poor combustion usually attributed to poor air fuel ratio.

Heavy fog like white smoke is usually coolant.

Not the same as the thin light smoke you see on a cold or cool weather start up.

**Shermanator86** · 05-25-2012, 06:56 AM

I'll try to take a video of it tonight if it will do it again, its not a sure thing it will happen every time

**SteveC** · 05-26-2012, 05:01 AM

Originally Posted by Smittro

Blue smoke from the exhaust is oil..

Black smoke is poor combustion usually attributed to poor air fuel ratio.

Heavy fog like white smoke is usually coolant.

Not the same as the thin light smoke you see on a cold or cool weather start up.

+1 on that, if in fact the blue white smoke is coming "out of the tailpipe" opposed to under the vehicle, your engine is burning oil, vice leaking oil and having it burned by hot componenets.

SteveC

**az gt eater** · 05-27-2012, 01:25 PM

PCV system. You simply need a catch can. I had the same problem with mine after headers. I replaced the PCV system, and cleaned everything. From the lid to the plugs. And replaced O2's. Got a catch can, but didn't put it on yet. Everything is fine till I drive it aggresively. Then, smoke and oil again. It has to do with you changing the air flow INSIDE the engine by making it work harder. Therefore, it is pushing more oil charged air through the intake, getting into the combustion chambers. Put on a catch can, and keep an eye on the oil level. You are going to go through alot more oil now that you added headers. The catch can won't , and can't change that fact. It will catch the majority of it, though. You will need to check and drain the can often. All depends on how aggressively you drive.

**Lunatikgixxer** · 05-27-2012, 11:57 PM

Originally Posted by Shermanator86

They are stainless, and it did burn off all that last weekend after the install, this smells like engine oil burning and is pretty think but its intermittent

Are you saying make sure its not smoke from the wire burning or that the burnt wire would cause the engine to smoke?

I'll have to check that

Ok.. When you put headers on did you get extensions for the two O2 sensors? If you didnt then you probably dont even have the O2s plugged in which would probably be your problem. You could check to see if the headers burnt through one of the wires but i really doubt that would happen.. If thats not the case then you probably just simply need a tune from the headers. Usually people get tunes after they put headers and a y pipe on... I know i did, and i noticed a hell of a difference after the tune. If that might be the case just get a tune from frost youll love it. Oh yeah and get a damn catch can anyways. The stock PCV is trash

**Shermanator86** · 05-29-2012, 04:47 AM

Thanks for all the replies guys, I ordered a catch can so we'll see how that goes. Drove the car a few time this weekend and didn't have it happen once, but I'm getting my dd's oil leaking ass in to shape this week so I can drive it while I send the camaro's pcm out to frost.