Exhaust smoke ?

[netintelect]

Hello everyone, hope you can help a newbie I have recently bought an elise 135 sport on an 02 plate (yep-old) but in awesome condition, it is due a C service which the previous owner failed to do before part-exing on whatever they traded it in for. Overall she is a great drive, runs very well and seems to have no problems I am aware of at the moment, however yesterday I noticed a bit of smoke coming from the exhaust, is this normal ? I have only had the car about two weeks and have so far only topped up the coolant, oil etc.

*Also I have been searching for a lotus service centre even remotely close to me in Blackpool, any suggestions of a reputable place that does not require me to do 100miles +

Thank you all in advance.

[andydclements]

What colour is the smoke (white, black), and when does it occur (start-up, acceleration, deceleration, all the time)?

This will help other Elise owners compare to theirs.

[red vtec]

Firstly welcome,

Does it smoke when you put your foot down?

If so from what I understand that means the valve seals are leaking and letting oil past, usually means its been thrashed when it's cold.

I'm sure someone who knows a lot more than me will come along.

Chris

Might have known Mr Clements would beat me

Edited May 3, 2010 by red vtec

[Simon350S]

As above, need more info... Is the smoke black, blue or white etc...

If it's only when the cars first started for the first few miles then it could be as simple as condensation from the exhaust etc...

[netintelect]

Hello everyone, thanks for the seriously speedy replies. I have started the car from cold this morning but did notice this last night aswell when the car had been run various times throughout the night. She is essentially my every day car so will be driven regularly. Having looked the smoke is white, and there does seem to be what also appears to be condensation within the exhaust pehaps from washing the car in the past few days ? The smoke seems pretty minimal but does blow a bit more when revved, I kept her running for approx 4-5 minutes and it subsided but appeared again when revved ?

Video

Posted a video clip but not sure it will work direct from my facebook page what with privacy issues etc

Thanks again all

Oh and it is pretty damn windy here today albeit sunny so hard to get a good shot video, thus does not show a great deal lol

And for anyone who wants to see the full car :- quick walkaround

Edited May 3, 2010 by netintelect

[andydclements]

White = steam (so not technically smoke, but it mixes in with the smoke)

On many engines a small amount of white smoke when starting is normal as the exhaust cools sufficiently to make the exhaust gas temperature low enough for the water to start condensing almost as soon as it leaves the tail pipe. I'm not sure if Elise owners normally get to see this.

OK so it's an S2 135, so not a K series engine, phew! otherwise I'd be using three letter HGF.

I'll bow out and let other Elise owners answer whether it's normal.

[Advantage]

A 135R is a K series, Andy.

[andydclements]

Oh F**K, I hadn't realised, I thought they were Toyota for some reason.

In that case, may I please be wrong about HGF.

Check your coolant level, and re-check it frequently, if it's not loosing it rapidly, then you should be OK. The real test is a sniff (sniff by a pipette type item and run gas through a liquid)test of the coolant.

[netintelect]

Ok so you have me worried now like this engine is gonna cause me alsorts of problems ? I am far from knowledgable about cars, websites and graphics yes, cars - NO lol so anything that needs doing will have to be carried out by a proper garage as I would prob make a hash of it I am guessing this K series is the one known for the head gasket issues and other probs ? (looks at meager bank account) Oh F***

Will keep an eye on coolant level, only just topped this up and have done at least 800miles since I got her and only needed topping up a little now.

Any other input or suggestions regards this / and the car welcomed, think the more I know now the better !

[red vtec]

Andy,

If it's the head gasket would it be worth Gary checking the oil cap for the mayo tell tale?

Chris

[Advantage]

You'll only get mayo if the head gasket has failed between an oilway an waterway. Excessive steam out of the exhaust usually means it's failed between a waterway and a combustion chamber, but steam from an exhaust on an Elise doesn't always mean a head gasket. The inlet manifold gasket fails with similar symptoms, but not the cost!

Be aware that the coolant bottle will find its own level, usually around the min mark. Any extra topping up to bring it up to the max mark will be expelled over a relatively short time, via the cap.

Have it 'sniff tested' at a reputable garage familiar with Elises and go from there. If the head gasket has failed, avoid driving it until the repair is done to minimise potential extra costs! Budget around £500 - £800 depending on what else needs to be done (liner heights etc)

Some might say this is a golden opportunity to spend some extra and have some go faster work done at the same time...

[andydclements]

From what I've noticed (I've not read up about them ) I thought K series HG Failures were combustion to coolant, with very little oil involvement, I know SELOC and an appropriate search for HGF will bring up lots of tales of woe, but the fundamental truth is:

If a K series engine has lots of HGF issues, it is best to put the uprated thermostat set-up on AND have the engine machined so that the block and head are completely true, and have liners set absolutely. It seems a lot of the k series had imperfect block machining it.

Hopefully none of this is relevant, and hopefully it's just normal start-up steam.

[Nelly]

If you do have a head gasket problem, this may be of help.

A friend of mine is a mechanic at our local Land Rover franchise (been working on Rovers all his life). There is a HG fix for the Freelander which used the same 1.8 K series engine, from what I gather it is a thicker gasket.

He recommened fitting this type, but you need to ask for a revised Freelander gasket specifically, or you'll end up with the same one you have now.

Not had to try it myself thankfully but with it such a known problem I have always remembered it. Might be worth mentioning if you do end up going down that road.

[netintelect]

Hello all , sorry never got back regards this. It was merely me being very paranoid as I had only just bought the car, can only assume it was moisture in the exhaust as it never happened again Thanks again though for all your replies and suggestions.

[PierreLP]

The uprated head gasket and steel dowels are a must if you need to replace the gasket.

Check your oil regularly as some of the K-series burn it off pretty quick.......sometimes it is due to the engine or the grade/quality of the oil.