Car is smoking, need advice fast....

[gt_diesel]

Soo, tell me what you think... I need advice fast.

I just sold my porsche last week... I ran it for the buyer two weeks before it was shipped. Everything ran perfect as it always does.... When the guy got the car, the plugs were fouled in it, probably due to the shipping people trying to start it when it was way too cold.... Either way, the guy went and put new plugs in the car, let it sit in his heated garage overnight. He started the car this morning. It started up and ran fine for about a minute or so... He then heard a "clunk". He discribed it as like a loose bolt on the fan on an old VW. After the clunk, the car started smoking a little... I will attach pictures of the series of events. After about 30 seconds the smoke got worse. He shut the car off, then looked it over, everything seemed ok.... He started it again, and it kept smoking and he heard the clunk one or two more times, and there is a small amout of oil comming from the exhaust. He shut the car back off and hasnt touched it.

My theory is that there are two things going on. One, somthing made its way into the fan area and it causing the clunking sound because the engine sounds like it is running fine, and all the parameters are fine such as oil pressure... etc. And I am hoping that the smoke is from leftover junk from flooding the car in the packing of the muffler.

What are your thoughts.... I would hate to think there is anyting wrong with the motor, it only has 8k miles on it.

Thanks

[gt_diesel]

The pictures were taken over about a 30 second period the second time it was started....

[LeeH]

Is he new to Porsches? Maybe he overfilled the oil.

[gt_diesel]

He is new to porsche, but I dont think he has touched the oil in the car. The guy is a profesional engine builder for drag cars, so he is very farmilliar with engines and turbo's. It was sitting at an awkward angle on one of those car haulers for a week though..... He said when the car started smoking it started to make some noise.... Like a whirling noise (whatever that is supposed to mean) that is what puzzles me a bit... Although, where he is new to porsche, I am thinking he might just be hearing the normal noise of the alternator fan.

I just really hate for the guy to have problems with the car. I had such great luck with it, and my rep is kinda on the line.

Last I talked to him, he was gonna take exhaust off the turbo and see if everything seemed ok.

[Flat Six, Inc.]

Did he drop something down the turbo pipe when he put plugs in it? (intercooler off)

[gt_diesel]

You know... I never thought of that..... I suppose he very well could have.

[gtihop]

the experience I had with shippers was poor- Hansens are supposed to be the professionals who ship Porsches and other exotics. They beat the ***** out of the Porsche when they shipped it from Quebec. it smoked for awhile after I picjked it up, new dents and all. They said they aren't responsivble for any mechanical problems meaning they can beat a car to pieces and so "OH Well".

[john walker's workshop]

he could be a nascar mechanic and still not know how to add oil to a 911. if it sat on any kind of "awkward" angle, that's probably why oil got past the rings and blown into the exhaust. just run it until it clears up. don't know about the noise, would have to hear it.

[Loaded]

My thinking is like any new Porsche 911 owner is that he Topped Off the oil. Seems to be common place at least it was with me. popping could be oil sticky valves guides etc.

The othermore sinister thing is that the shiper took it for a joy ride....

[Eagledriver]

The smoke looks like it's comming out the passenger bank exhaust (assuming you have twin turbos). If the car was stored tipped to that side those cylinders could have had some oil leak past the rings on that side (basically what John said).

Even if the shipper drove it there is probably nothing wrong with the engine. Just have him drive it for an hour or so.

-Andy

[dtw]

It probably would have been smoking almost immediately if there was a lot of oil down in the exhaust - probably would have been pouring smoke out of both sides, too. The 'clunk' sounds fishy, like something got aspirated into the engine. If it was my engine I wouldn't run it again until I had done a quick compression check on the right bank.

[gt_diesel]

The car is a single turbo, exhaust comes out that side only... The other side is for the wastegate.

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

Question, you said it 8,000 miles since re-build. Who did it?

Oil past the rings sounds about right.

How many miles were on the car when you shipped it? How many when it arrived? Could the shipping company have "played" with the motor, running it up to see how it sounded at red line?

[cstreit]

... I had a similar instance with a customer shipped car... Only the shipper didn't want cars filled with gas/oil when the transported because of their insurance co. So they attempted to drain both, and overfilled the hell out of the engine when they delivered it...

[gt_diesel]

I dont know what the deal is with the car, but when the turbo was taken off, this is what we got...

[Loaded]

I will plead ignorance but looks like turbo oil seal busted..had one go on my drag bike.

[gt_diesel]

These are the pictures of the underneath of the car the night that we loaded it on the trailer.

[gt_diesel]

What would cause the seal to go so quickly... The car ran perfect before it left.

In fact, here is a link to a video taken a week before the car left... It was the last time the car was run.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7209508834822334406&hl=en

[Loaded]

well for me and my opinion on this and my turbo drag bike the turbo seal was in small pieces. heat cracked. I have never seen a seal on a turbo gradually leak. its seals or goes. huge amounts pressure in that oiling system

id pull the turbo and seperate them you should be able to see where it is pulling it out........

[Loaded]

any update????