Smoke/Steam out of exhaust? Normal?

[kman86]

Just after some advice for the following.

First, Car details: Mk6 118 TSI, 20,000km

Problem: Upon hard acceleration (e.g. taking off from lights or merging into a highway using an onramp) there is a noticeable cloud behind the car as the Turbo kicks in. This is very noticeable when there is a car behind me (I can see the cloud in their headlights). There is also a slight fogging of the rear window (assuming the outside)

I can’t see that there is any colour to the smoke/steam but it seems to dissipate rather quickly as would steam out of an exhaust on a cold morning. I live in Canberra was thinking it may have been the cold of winter causing this but I have also seen it happen in Sydney and in Canberra in summer.

I am wondering what might be causing this and wondering if it is normal or something I should be taking this to a dealer about?

Any advice/ thoughts welcome.
Cheers.

[Corey_R]

Well... steam and smoke are two different things really. All exhaust pipes put out both though - I mean, that's their job.

The question is really "how much smoke is normal". Hard to quantify on interwebs without pictures or video. If you're worried, see your dealer.

[Mi16 Man]

Kman86,

If you are keen to meet up sometime, I can follow you when you put the boot in for a 'snif'. I regularly see GTI's / R's putting out a fair bit of soot under hard acceleration.


FYI - I drive about 25kms to Civic each day and even on arrival at a parking spot, the car is still putting out a little bit of 'steam' in this cold weather. This steam only really exists at idle, no other revs.

Hope this helps
Stu

[pat25d]

Whenever I turn the air conditioning on, I get this air stuff blowing out of the vents. Is this normal?

[Frankenstrat]

Whenever I turn the air conditioning on, I get this air stuff blowing out of the vents. Is this normal?

When you say 'air stuff' do you mean

78.084% Nitrogen
20.9476% Oxygen
0.934% Argon
0.0314% Carbon Dioxide
0.001818% Neon
0.0002% Methane
0.000524% Helium

Yes, it's normal.

[MiiLos]

[grtuned]

When you say 'air stuff' do you mean

78.084% Nitrogen
20.9476% Oxygen
0.934% Argon
0.0314% Carbon Dioxide
0.001818% Neon
0.0002% Methane
0.000524% Helium

Yes, it's normal.

immaculate!!!!!

[darkfriend]

Just after some advice for the following.

Problem: Upon hard acceleration (e.g. taking off from lights or merging into a highway using an onramp) there is a noticeable cloud behind the car as the Turbo kicks in. This is very noticeable when there is a car behind me (I can see the cloud in their headlights). There is also a slight fogging of the rear window (assuming the outside)

I am wondering what might be causing this and wondering if it is normal or something I should be taking this to a dealer about?

Cheers.

I too have noticed this a couple of times. I just figured that, as I usually drive like a nanna, on the rare occasion that I floor it I am cleaning out built up crap. (sorry for the lack of technical mechanic-type language)

A few weeks ago I noticed it while accelerating hard onto a freeway onramp. I floored it a couple more times on that trip and things improved. The engine ran well.

I don't know what caused it- it looked like blue smoke from the exhaust, but have had my car serviced since ant the guys at Golfwagen tell me that the engine is good.

I'm not going to worry about it.

[Transporter]

Whenever I turn the air conditioning on, I get this air stuff blowing out of the vents. Is this normal?

Oh comon, is it really necessary?

[slipshot]

I too have noticed this a couple of times. I just figured that, as I usually drive like a nanna, on the rare occasion that I floor it I am cleaning out built up crap. (sorry for the lack of technical mechanic-type language)

A few weeks ago I noticed it while accelerating hard onto a freeway onramp. I floored it a couple more times on that trip and things improved. The engine ran well.

I don't know what caused it- it looked like blue smoke from the exhaust, but have had my car serviced since ant the guys at Golfwagen tell me that the engine is good.

I'm not going to worry about it.

Black smoke is the soot which gets dislodged with additional air pressure through the exhaust. Clearing out the cobwebs as I like to think. You see it every now and then on many cars that have not had the engine taken up higher in the rev range and when they do, it expunges some of this.

Blue smoke is very different though - generally oil getting through the piston rings, being burnt. Doubt it was blue as this is only on far older vehicles with very worn engines...

That said, my WRX I had in 2000 (brand new) would put out blue smoke every once in a while. The engine was inspected and rebuilt as the 'piston rings had lined up' and every now and then enough oil would get past and accumulate (engine warmed up, idling for at least 3 minutes) to then cause a dump of blue smoke on a blast of the accelerator.