83'911sc white smoke?

[Marko911/944]

I've parked my 83' 911sc alot more than I drive it. Took a date out, the wonderful SOB belched white smoke on the way back from a 6 mile drive, what the f ? Started and drove fine the next day. White residue big time in the the trailpipe. Tail pipe now white. Should I just shoot myself?

[Superman]

Shooting yourself is always an excellent option and one I've chosen many times, but it's not always necessary. There are really only two kinds of smoke. Black smoke, as from a wildly rich mixture.....and white smoke, a.k.a. blue smoke, a.k.a. burned oil. I wonder if you topped off your oil tank level before your date.

Our oil tank levels should always be checked with the engine fully warmed up and idling. Yes, idling. And many of us also avoid letting the oil level get above about halfway between the marks on the dipstick. 911 engines sometimes suck oil into the breather hoses from a tank that is filled up. I believe there is somewhere near 2 quarts of difference between the low mark and the high mark on the dipstick. Also, our engines are just fine when the oil level is around the low mark. That means we still have 11+ quarts of oil in the system.