Blueish smoke on startup, chipped 99.0 1.8TQM PLEASE HELP!

[bikerbob951]

Hello all,

First of all, I did search, and didn't find much help on this particular issue...

The subject is my 99.0 A4 1.8TQM, with 97k miles on the clock. The car is tuned with an APR 91/100 oct. chip, test pipe, exhaust, intake, and others. I started the car today after it sat for 2 days, and a large cloud of light blue smoke came from the tailpipe. There was a bit of condensation in the tailpipe, but nothing out of the ordinary. It ran smooth, no misfires or hiccups, and no unusual noises. The smoke subsided after about 2 minutes of idle, but I did notice a small wisp of smoke coming from the turbo/exhaust area. The car has about 2700 miles on this oil change, and i run full synth castrol 5w50. It doesn't use a drop of oil, (I'm one of the lucky few with zero oil leaks )

Please help me! I'm afraid to go to far with the car without knowing what it is. I'm hoping it's something like a pcv leak...

[AudiNFS]

I believe it means the turbo is going bad.

[prizmatik]

I agree, the turbo seals are worn. How many miles on your car? Has the turbo ever been replaced?

[JDM EJ1 95]

a lot of times this will mean valve seals are leaking..

[bw86]

^^yep

probably the valve seals if you only get the blue smoke on startup after you leave it sitting for a few days.

[bikerbob951]

The car has 97,000 miles, and really has been babied. I certainly hope it's not valve seals... is there a way to be sure whether it's the turbo or the valve seals, without removing the top half of the motor? Would doing a compression test on a cold engine detect leaky valve seals? Thanks for the quick replies, btw.

[Polski]

don't worry its not your turbo, your a4 is just running rich.
Maybe because it was sitting for a bit.
I had blueish/white smoke for about a month when i had a boost leak.
No need to jump to conclusions, if it keep happening then do some searching

[blacka4]

Blue Smoke on startup means the car is burning oil. One of several things are going bad. The turbo oil seals, the piston rings are going bad and allowing oil blow by. It could be the valve seals but I doubt it.

My beat is on your turbo. One way to check is to pull your crossover pipe that goes into the Intercooler below the radiator and see if there is oil in it. if there is oil in this pipe then your turbo oil seals are shot and you need to replace your turbo. I have been down this road before. It was my turbo. Once I replaced it no more blue smoke..

Btw, one way to tell the difference between oil burning or running rich is:

Oil = Blue Smoke
Fuel =Black smoke

[bikerbob951]

Thanks for the responses everyone, I'll be checking the crossover pipe in the morning. Also, I will be investigating a possible torn CV boot.

[walky_talky20]

A small amount (teaspoon or so) of oil in the lower intercooler pipe (turbo outlet to crossover connection) is completely normal. Every 1.8T will have a little bit there. If it's a lot more than that, you've got problems.

[blacka4]

A small amount (teaspoon or so) of oil in the lower intercooler pipe (turbo outlet to crossover connection) is completely normal. Every 1.8T will have a little bit there. If it's a lot more than that, you've got problems.

yeah thats the one thing I forgot to say...this is important. Mine had about a 1/4 of a quart that I measured come out of it.

[Polski]

I thought burning oil wields black smoke
burning fuel white smoke
burning coolant blueish smoke

Can anyone correct me if i am confused?

[blacka4]

I thought burning oil wields black smoke
burning fuel white smoke
burning coolant blueish smoke

Can anyone correct me if i am confused?

nope you are incorrect

This is correct:
white = coolant
blue = Oil
black = fuel

[stack]

its not turbo
turbo is when there is almost like non stop blue smoke coming out.

you possibly could have some carbon build up on your valves.
try seafoam

[blacka4]

its not turbo
turbo is when there is almost like non stop blue smoke coming out.

you possibly could have some carbon build up on your valves.
try seafoam

thats not always true. when my seals went in my turbo the car would only so signs when I was driving it hard

[grillhands]

nope you are incorrect

This is correct:
white = coolant
blue = Oil
black = fuel

Green smoke= Money

[bikerbob951]

Ok, update time. I checked the intercooler pipes, and nothing but a slight oily residue. I left the car to sit for 3 days before I checked, and when I started it, not the faintest hint of smoke.

Would my PCV system cause this if it were overloaded? My oil is about 3/8" above the full mark on the dipstick, could letting it sit and having all the oil in the engine slowly drain into the crankcase overload the system by raising the oil level? I'm certainly hoping this is the case. In other news, my turbo seems healthy

[99blueb5]

yes i know my pcv system is junk and i get smoke if i left it sit for a couple days, i just rev it a couple time and it clears up, i know my pancake valve is sticking and i need to run a catch can so once its been sitting it slowly seeps down into the intake tract,i doubt is your turbo seals, turbo seals ussually smoke all the time and even more once everything is warmed up, i would just change the oil anyways. im willing to bet money the smoke you are seeing is just residual oil in the intake system, its normal its another way of your car telling you "DRIVE ME!"