Got Her Started!.....But Then

[Kimbers]

I was beside myself as I hadn't driven her for a weekend so I duly removed the battery cover and used a jump pack to start her. Great....first time!

Took her out and she sounded and felt sweet. Put my foot down a bit and everything was superb.

I stopped.....somewhere (that bits a secret).....and noticed an oily smell, so popped the boot and took of the engine cover and there was blue smoke coming from down near the turbo, but it would come in a puff....then nothing.....then a puff again. This happened for about 5 minutes (as I couldn't turn her off...battery remember!) then slowly died off. Levels ok....so thought it might have been oil burning off the exhaust. Hell what do i know.

Keeping an eye on all the guages I merrily went on my way, Norwich, Work (switched off and checked oil again here) Attleborough......oh.

Half way between Wymondham and Attleborough i came upon Granny and Grandad out for a drive on a Sunday morning and hit the brakes.....that was that. I lifted off put my foot down and thought....it's not going very quickly, why is the wheel vibrating so badly? why is it pulling to the left?

Now, on the run to Stoneleigh i had the N/S front brake binding on but it just happened once for about 1 minute. So I pumped the pedal but nothing happened.

So I pulled over with the N/S/F brake billowing smoke and glowing red.

So...long story even longer....I'm off the road till I get my front brakes stripped. Whats worse is that I was getting that little puff of smoke from the exhaust again. :crybaby:

Common problem the brakes? Also any idea what that little puff of smoke is?

[andydclements]

Kimbers I have all the sympathy possible for you.

I remember follwing my brother (he was in the S3, I was in the Excel), it was only under hard braking for a corner I found the front left brake had been binding, so much that it had boiled the fluid in that caliper, and I then had to brake as hard as I could without it pulling the car into the verge.

On a related note, got the Excel on the road, with the fuel top up, everything was going well on the journey home from the barn, until the bridge in the village where I live. It died on me, and now I have no spark.

Andy

[Tentenths]

Mate, you're really not having much luck at the moment are you?

Puffs of blue smoke - your diagnosis sounds spot on i.e. oil leak dripping onto the manifold and then burning off.

[iainskea]

wow - two unseen faults in one go, unlucky.

How is the oil consumption? How is the garage floor? Might just be a camcover gasket.

Iain

[Guest Troy Halliday]

Well the brakes is an easy one as you already know that the rubber seals had perished and the disks have seen better days.

Now on to the oil/smoke. The cam tower gakets didn't look to bad when I was there but you have been driving it a bit more than the last owner so quite possible she has started to weep there. But I think I would have a closer look at the turbo oil lines to and from the turbo. Doesn't sound anything to deadly though mate. I just think you've been driving to many new Honda's

[bigsi]

check the turbo to sump pipe for splits also as that will spray oil everywhere, as i found out to my sheer delight!

[Advantage]

The oil burning is probably the end caps of the cam towers. There's just an 'o' ring in there to stop the oil from seeping past (usually happens post shutdown and drips onto the heat shield then ends up on the rear of the exhaust manifold) and they fail whenever they feel like it.

Good news is, they're pence to buy.

Bad news, you are a numpty with a spanner and will need Troy to help.

[Kimbers]

Numpty is too high a level to obtain......

[CNH]

The front brakes sometimes binds from piston corrosion or the float pin getting stuck.

The float pin getting stuck is pretty common and takes a wack from a mallet to loosen up and some cleaning and grease. Either case you will have to remove the calipers which in not a big deal.

[fmxa]

I'd go with the cam tower gasket leaking - if I didn't drive the S4s for a few weeks I get oil on the manifold which would burn off with the usual smell and puffs of smoke. Solution was to drive more ...

[islandbloke]

From another mechanical numpty....

I would concur that it's probably leaking oil from around the cam towers - mine was so bad (on a recently rebuilt engine too) that the oil was pooling in the spark plug recesses. Every time I turned her off after a drive I'd get a mini-Hiroshima out of the engine cover as a couple of drops hit the hot manifold.

Probably not the end of the world, but find a dry-powder extinguisher NOW and keep it in the boot!

[mangel]

I don't know what it is but unlucky anyway!!

[martynv]

Mate, you're really not having much luck at the moment are you?

Puffs of blue smoke - your diagnosis sounds spot on i.e. oil leak dripping onto the manifold and then burning off.

Oh Dear..... sounds like a case of the previous owner syndrome, lack of maintenance etc. Don't get too down hearted Kimbers, you're bound to get a few problems early on. Once it's all sorted and well maintained I'm sure you'll have a reliable car you can be proud of

Martyn