Intermittent white smoke during warm up

[ThatQuietGuy]

I've been having a problem with my gti recently

During warm up I'm getting some white smoke. Sometimes alot, sometimes a little. During cold start it's very light then subsides. But then I'll be at a stop or parked and itll be pouring out. Once warmed up I dont see anymore smoke parked or driving. Smells kinda like fuel or alcohol.
When it started I had checked my oil and it was very low. Had to add 2 1/2 quarts. Coolant levels havent changed.

2010 DSG 140K
I'm stage 1 with Cobb.
K&N intake and that's about it.

Any ideas?

Cold start
https://youtu.be/uUUNw303Mso

After a short trip
https://youtu.be/RTggZbT2OTw

 

[Francoleon91]

i think your good as long as its not blueish smoke..

 

[NewGuy1]

The cold start seems normal, that is probably just a bit of moisture in exhaust.
The after short trip is not normal tho...
And if your oil is getting eaten up sound like its getting in somewhere and burning.

Hows your turbo doing/feeling/sounding?
Some people have mentioned failing turbo seals for this.

 

[ThatQuietGuy]

I'm making good boost still. 16-17 psi on stage 1.
Had a gasket replaced recently, believe it was for the exhaust manifold. Car drives great just this smoke.
Any particular location I might want to look at. Going to be under the car today.

 

[NewGuy1]

I'm making good boost still. 16-17 psi on stage 1.
Had a gasket replaced recently, believe it was for the exhaust manifold. Car drives great just this smoke.
Any particular location I might want to look at. Going to be under the car today.

I would look for oil in the IC/Exhaust pipes.
From my understanding there should be a small amount but if you have a puddle sitting there somethings off.

 

[NewGuy1]

Might want to check that you PCV isnt leaking as well.
That was actually my problem,
PCV seal was bad started dripping oil at rear of engine and dumping some in my turbo intake.
Wasn't too much noticeable oil puddles on the ground because it was slow leak.
But found good puddle in my TOP pancake pipe

 

[Drew8]

That second video seems excessive to me. I think the oil consumption and this smoke go hand in hand. My 2012 gti with 148k miles doesnt smoke like that. I agree it could be a worn turbo.

I know back when I had a mazdaspeed with a bad turbo it smoked like that. Once it warmed up it would smoke. Alot of they Mazda guys found that driving the car to get it warmed up , then let it idle for 20min and see if it starts to smoke. If it did then it was very likely the turbo was failing. Also is your PCV original? If so may want to replace that. If its acting up if could be causing oil consumption.

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[ThatQuietGuy]

Might want to check that you PCV isnt leaking as well.
That was actually my problem,
PCV seal was bad started dripping oil at rear of engine and dumping some in my turbo intake.
Wasn't too much noticeable oil puddles on the ground because it was slow leak.
But found good puddle in my TOP pancake pipe

I changed the PCV a couple months ago. It wasnt OEM though so it may have failed already. I'll be sure to check that.

 

[Tonrogs]

I would guess turbo oil seals.
Pull your charge pipe of the turbo. The "pancake" pipe.... and see if you have oil collected in the little dip. If you have enough to pour out, then it is definitely your turbo oil seals

 

[Drew8]

I would guess turbo oil seals.
Pull your charge pipe of the turbo. The "pancake" pipe.... and see if you have oil collected in the little dip. If you have enough to pour out, then it is definitely your turbo oil seals

I dont think that a the best way. I think that can give you a false negative. Almost all factory turbo cars I have seen have oil in charge piping.

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[NewGuy1]

I dont think that a the best way. I think that can give you a false negative. Almost all factory turbo cars I have seen have oil in charge piping.

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Correct there should be some oil there but not an excessive amount.
And it doesn't correlate directly to turbo failure.
But it would be a quick and easy step in identifying where that oil may be going.

 

[torga]

If the white smoke doesn't smell like sweet coolant... you say it smells like fuel. Sounds like you're running rich somehow. You tuned at all?
Any error codes?
Fuel pressure could be off? Injectors maybe could use a cleaning? All that could cause fuel-smelling white smoke.
But sounds like you're not burning oil, so that's a good thing.

 

[ThatQuietGuy]

Smells like a barbeque now. When i park after driving, theres no smoke coming out the exhaust. After a few seconds, maybe ten or so,
The smoke starts coming out. Taking it to a shop on the Monday to see what's up.

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https://youtu.be/qNtze0-g3sY

 

[Tonrogs]

I dont think that a the best way. I think that can give you a false negative. Almost all factory turbo cars I have seen have oil in charge piping.

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You are correct if there is a slim coating of oil. However, if there is enough you can pour it out of the tube, then the seals are bad.
A slim coating comes from the pcv system. That system will not cause a puddle of oil to form so badly that it could be poured out.
When there is this much smoke, most often it is from more than just the pcv system.
It is a quick and easy check to pull that pipe and look.

 

[Tonrogs]

Smells like a barbeque now. When i park after driving, theres no smoke coming out the exhaust. After a few seconds, maybe ten or so,
The smoke starts coming out. Taking it to a shop on the Monday to see what's up.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk


https://youtu.be/qNtze0-g3sY

Since i just went through this exact thing with my mk6 with your exact issues, i would pull the pipe and check and save yourself the diagnostic fees.
I ended up replacing the turbo, spark plugs and o2 sensor along with completely removing and cleaning out the charge piping and intercooler to get all the oil out.
That is, of course, if you find a large amount of oil in the pipes.