Every now and then when I start my 997tt I get a cloud of smoke. Any one else getting this?

 

Be sure you are letting the turbos cool down a minute or so before shutting the car off.

 

Once in a while, that's all. I noticed it when I backed the car out to wash it. It did not do it when I put it back inside.

 

997 turbos are water cooled units so idling after regular driving is not necessary unlike oil cooled turbo units where you must to prevent oil coking in the turbo jackets and lines.

 

...maybe I'm off base here...but

Are you confusing water cooling of the engine and turbo?

Last time I checked, water will evaporate instantly when introduced to high heat...unless you greatly increase the partial pressure in the system.

pv=nrt.

 

No, most new turbos on cars are water cooled where bigger, aftermarket ones along with ones of yesterday were oil coiled. Forget engines for the moment.

oil cooled turbos spawned the turbo timer craze (or sitting in your car idling for 1-2 minutes) as oil was coking up in the lines when the owner shut the engine off after running it hard. Oil would essentially cook and choke up the lines or turbo damaging it over time.

Water cooled turbos work just like the engine where water (and coolant) do the job. As water wont coke up the necessity to idle is reduced and would not likely be the cause of smokey startups.

 

Also, turbos aside, its a flat engine...oil pools in the cylinders when shut off and is burnt immediately on start up... completely normal. Some do it more than others, also depends on how the rings are aligned on the pistons when the car is shut off, as ring gaps closer to the bottom will allow slightly more oil to sneak by, granted we're talkin drops here, more oil being a couple more drops at the most.

 

could it just have been condensation from the exhaust pipes after you washed it?

 

I always get that with the 996 TT's

 

As porschespeeddem said

Its a flat engine thing, My Boxster S does it all the time on cold starts.

 

997TT uses oil cooled turbos. Porsche only used a water cooled turbo on the 931, 937 and the 951. Everything else including the new ones are oil cooled. It has nothing to do with old new or other. All HO 6 cylinders smoke on start up every now and then. Run them a quart low an you will not normally see this...Continue to idle down for at least a minute as we have always done. Some smoke is normal.

 

And 955...(CayenneTT)

 

oops, sorry. I was thinking sports car not SUV.

 

Very true there, not many people think turbos when they think of SUV's in general, excellent combo though..

 

Thats what I thought...I thought I was going crazy there. Water cooling 996/7TT turbos??

Yeah...I always idle mine down too - especially now with these F600s...