A few more questions

[BKCowGod]

I know I read the answer to all of these somewhere, but I absolutely can't find it now.

1) no smoke from tailpipe and great oil pressure etc. But after a run with good boost (pegging the gauge) I get oil smoke from the driver's side of the engine compartment. I remember reading something but do not remember what or where.

2) What is the boost/turbo/vacuum/whatever gauge supposed to read at idle?

3) Temp creeps up to the highest "safe mark" when idling but then immediately drops if I rev the engine (don't even have to be in gear... revving is enough). I assume this isn't normal, but what is causing this?

The resurrection of the 5-yr barn queen is nearing completion! Thank you all for your help, I've been lurking my way through the site a lot lately.

[wild man]

1) I don't know.
2) It should be under 0.4bar on the gauge (mine is, anyways).
3) It might be a faulty fan temp switch, 1 of the fans, or poor coolant flow due to blockage or bad WP. What temp does it read when the fans kick in?

[BKCowGod]

Forgot to mention - this is a car that sat for 5 years, just being started occasionally.

When I first ran it, it took a very long time to get up to operating temp (reminded me of my Audi where the PO had just bypassed the thermostat completely).

Thanks for the vacuum knowledge - that wildly swinging gauge has always made me nervous.

[bebbetufs]

Some Ideas!

If smoke is exhaust:
Check turbo inlet and outlet seals as well as the seal between the intermediate pipe and the downpipe.

If the smoke is from burnt oil:
Check the breather hose going from the AOS to the intake boot. Also check for any oil leaks from the left rear of engine block under intake manifold. This is where the AOS is. Leaks in this area may reach the cross-pipe to the turbo. Also chek turbo itself and oil connections for leaks.

Take a look at the parts diagrammes on this site to get an idea of where the oil might be coming from.

Oil pan leaks may get to the cross-pipe, but I would expect the smoke to be blown out the back rather than rise to the top past the block.

[wild man]

I would use a product such as prestone's "super cooling system cleaner" to remove any possible blockages & coatings on the sensors that make them respond more slowly. If that doesn't fix it, it is possible that the coolant that was in it was old enough to have lost all of it's rust inhibiting qualities, allowing some of the steel on the WP's impeller vanes to rust away, causing poor flow at idle.

[BKCowGod]

Smoke comes out of the driver's front wheel well when hood is down, and right at the dipstick with the hood up. Definitely oil smoke, and ONLY happens after I've run boost.

wild man - I plan to flush the cooling system completely and will run some cooling system cleaner. Kinda stupid of me to not do that sooner. Thanks for the help!

[wild man]

No problem. After reading more descriptions regarding issue #1, I think you have oil dripping onto the x-over pipe. From what I understand, the usual cause of this is bad AOS seals (O-rings). Make sure your PCV hose is free of blockage though, if only experiencing the problem after running boost, as that is when the crankcase sees the most pressure.

[ArthurPE]

mine reads rick steady right at 0.4 bar at ~850 idle...
under closed throttle coasting it will peg on the low side, ie, <0.4

[nize]

#3 sounds like a sticking thermostat. revving the motor spins the water pump and might provide enough pressure to force open the thermostat and allow coolant to circulate temporarily.

[Grandad#3]

When you flush the cooling system I would change out the thermostat and put in a new radiator fan cooling switch. I would go with the lowest temp setting. The lock ring on the water pump thermostat is a bear to get out. You have to have a good pair of lock ring pliers at 45*. You attack it from the bottom. What with the car setting up for so long the rubber seals will deteriorate and when you hit boost the internal press builds and forces oil past any bad seals. The AOS I know has at least two o-rings. On the turbo you have to remove some parts to be able to remove the AOS. The dip stick also has an o-ring. You just have to take your time and take a break if you get too frustrated, come back and attack it again.

Cheers,
Larry