993 puff of smoke at start-up

[Jim Mayfield]

I recently purchased a 993 C4S with 54k miles. Beautiful car in excellent original condition. I have a small cam cover leak (drivers side) no leaks on the floor and barely present around the cover. Last week I went for a 50 mile drive, parked on a downhill slope and when starting the car after sitting for a couple of hours, a brief puff of white smoke occurred. No smoking at start-up or running (hot or cold). Haven't been able to recreate the occurrence. Any explanation for this? Also, any recommendation for the after market billet style cam covers?

[Kein_Ersatz]

Oil puff in exhaust likely valve stem(s) (or SAI ports) leaking by after shut down, on a 25 year old car nothing to lose sleep over. Given the incline you mention, possibly some oil rested where the valve stem allowed it to drip/drain into combustion chamber when other times oil properly gravity drained away to dry sump.

[p911dad]

#1 reason for this in an otherwise good running 993 is too much oil in the tank. You should carry only up to the middle of the dipstick and preferably a bit lower (maybe at the 1/3 mark) on a warmed up engine on level ground. Remember you are carrying around 11 or 12 quarts of oil total including tank, oil lines, coolers and engine sump so you are not going to damage anything by staying low on the dipstick. When full oil will migrate to the cylinders and smoke on startup (and also foul the SAI ports with carbon). No recommendation on the valve covers, unless damaged they are better than the billet covers.