My local indy shop did an oil service on my car yesterday. Today, it's billowing white smoke on start-up. I let it idle for awhile (long enough to get up to operating temp) at which point there was no visible smoke, checked the oil level, and the computer shows it is full, possibly over-filled. Then I drove it a mile. After a hard left-turn, it started billowing out again. I shut it down for a few minutes, then carefully limped it home. How bad of a problem is this? I know I could drain a little oil out easily enough. But, what about some internal damage? Clearly oil is traveling to places it shouldn't be.

 

White smoke, are you sure? White smoke if its thick and milky is coolant which is typically head gasket. You sure it's not white/blue like burning oil?

 

It's definitely oil smoke. The smell is a dead giveaway. The smoke is not milky either.

 

i would call them and ask how many qts they filled with. that should tell you something. no more than 9 is right.

 

They're closed today. :/

 

I'd let about half a quart out, then start it up and check the fill level again. Keep doing it until the fill bar makes some change, then top it off to the correct level.

 

I just did some research on several different forums and found a guy who described my exact symptoms. His situation was caused by over-filling.

Right now I'm letting the car idle up to temp to check the level. The smoke is most definitely blue.

I'm going to try to drain a little bit out and see. But, I guess I'm still concerned that this is going to damage something.

 

So, this is a pretty clear indication that the oil level is too high. According to the manual, 7 illuminated bars is considered 'full.' Mine shows 8. Going to drain a quart or so to see what happens.

 

Welp, I drained some oil, maybe close to 1.5-2 qts, and it still shows 8 bars. I have a drill-powered pump, so I stuck the suction tube into the oil-filler housing until it bottomed out, and pumped the oil out (I can't get the car in the air, jack is too tall). But, this lead to an interesting discovery. Maybe someone can confirm.

The suction hose is very small, maybe 1/4" OD. The first few pumps, I simply inserted it maybe 10-12" into the filler neck and started the drill. On the last pump, I inserted it until it bottomed out (about 14-16", and I still had a few inches of hose to spare) and it wouldn't pick up any more oil. Is there some sort of valve in there that would prevent foreign objects from entering the oil reservoir? If so, it would be an obvious sign that the oil was WAY overfilled if I was able to pump oil out from the top-side of said valve.

If there is no such valve or restriction, my hose probably bottomed out on a coupler or rib, or who knows what. Either way, I couldn't push it in any further.

Off for a test-drive!

 

Test drive done. Still smokes on start-up, and it did smoke a little on a hard left-hand turn. I'm going to try again tomorrow to drain a little more oil and see how she does. I'm much happier about the situation now than I was a few hours ago.

 

a 2 qt dump of oil and still showing full is an egregious error on their part. i think given your ability and common sense you've dodged a potential bullet. the takeaway should be that in the event you had the oil changed at a place that isn't familiar with these cars? it's never a good idea. if they claim to be p car techs? run,.. don't walk away.

it's ok to run the car at 8 bars of oil. i do, and i'm never below 1/4 qt ( roughly i bar ) but not 8 bars! after having removed 1.5/2 qts? i'd be pissed. they probably just drained from the main plug, left the crank and certainly the .5 qt in the turbos untouched and filled with 9qts (?).. idiots.

 

That's what I was thinking too...they didn't do the complete drain. They are a notable local shop, and have done good work for me in the past. I'm going to give them a chance to remedy the situation when I get back. If they fail to do so, there's another indy shop nearby, and a dealership that's close too. I have plenty of options as to where to spend my money.

On a side note, the 6speedonline mobile app sucks donkey *****.

 

It would be nice if the oil pressure gauge went above the "5". Then maybe you could know if it was over-pressurized. My car usually sits between the 5 and 4.

 

I change my own oil and these cars take about 8.5L of oil to fill. I start with 8 and run the car, with that its usually 2-3 bars on the indicator which actually is ok, a little low but ok on a car with dry sump. I'll then add maybe 0.5L to top up at 6 or so bars which is around where I stop. I'll add to keep it around that level as I go.

If you drained out 2 quarts (1.89L) they MASSIVLY overfilled your car. I read over at Bobistheoilguy.com that these cars actually are 12L dry and you only change ~9L each time. Anybody know if that's true?

What if they put 12L in your car? If you drained out 2 already and still are over full, this is my guess. Do you have a receipt, how much oil did they charge you for? Its generally listed by cost per L on the receipt from most places I have seen.

 

i follow the same protocol, roughly. drain ( but i dont drain the turbos ) and then fill with 8.5.. check, re-check and then possibly the other .5 qt. always the way. good advice kj.

they wouldn't have put 12 in, but they surely put in 9.