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YOUR RESEARCHWhite Smoke
Reported or suspected cause
first time
Reported cause
No successful repair reported for this finding.
1
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0
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Reported cause · Original poster
The guy that did my work isn't a porsche specialist, so it was the first time for him working on a Cayman and he had to work a few things out as he went.
Leading evidence: 'first time' (1 discussions report identifying this cause; no attributable repair resolution). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'first time' (1 discussions; 1 report identifying it and 0 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Check fuel' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
Prior to gettng the AOS replaced it was using a little bit and ended up using about 500ml of oil over ~2,000km of driving.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed
Just had the air oil separator replaced on my 2006 Cayman S.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
Prior to gettng the AOS replaced it was using a little bit and ended up using about 500ml of oil over ~2,000km of driving.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
I've done about 3,000km since the service and the car doesn't seem to have used any oil with respect to the gauge.
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Suggestion · Original poster
It doesn't appear to be leaking, but after filling the first time and going for a short drive of about 20 minutes I have noticed a little dried coolant around the filling cap itself.
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Suggestion · Original poster
It doesn't appear to be leaking, but after filling the first time and going for a short drive of about 20 minutes I have noticed a little dried coolant around the filling cap itself.
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first time
No successful repair reported for this finding.
1
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0
Suspected cause
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Reported cause · Original poster
The guy that did my work isn't a porsche specialist, so it was the first time for him working on a Cayman and he had to work a few things out as he went.
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56 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Porsche Forum Australia: 1 discussions
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Just trying to get a handle on this smoke coming from the exhaust. It is a little too persistent for my liking at this stage as I am very new to these cars having only got my first in the last month or so. The car is a 987.1 Cayman S with just over 110,000km on it.
I have attached a video showing the smoke. It is not present in initial startup while turning the engine over and probably takes between 5-20 seconds to first appear after starting. To me the smoke doesn't have an oil smell, more like fuel and not a smell like hot coolant. The engine idle increases if I take off the oil filler cap and drops back again when I close it. There is a bit of a tick or tap noise, could be lifters, could be the initial stages of bore scoring, but I have no idea. The car is using a little bit of oil, maybe 500ml (or a little bit more) over 2000km (about what I have driven so far) and I have had to top up about 600ml of coolant.
The smoke seems reasonably persistent and I'm sure I have seen it appear on restarting after a 30 minute drive. I do not know if it goes away as once you are moving it cant be seen and it is a lot like condensation burning off in a cold morning to look at. The car runs fine, temperature runs bang on 80°C as expected.
I have the car booked in for a service at the end of next month for the usual oils and filters. I am doing the drive belt, gearbox oil and the AOS at the service. Plugs and coils can wait till next year.
Yes my phone is a potato.
IMG_0210 .mp4
Yes this one has the AOS, well at least from everything i have read on it. Hopefully the coolant is just a combination of me not having checked the level when I got it and it coming to Vic from QLD. it might be a leaky cap as I have read they can suffer from that, but I don't have a good data point on coolant usage yet. Might even be a small airlock in the system.
Your oil usage (500ml per 2000km) is not that big - but its not good either. The "ticking or tapping" is more of a concern especially if it happens on a cold start and reduces as the engine warms up. This is a classic bore scoring scenario on the Cayman S / Boxster S 3.4 l engines. Your oil usage could possibly increase between oil changes which won't help your confidence - do you also have a sooty exhaust pipe?
The only real way to diagnose scored bores is with a camera - preferably from the bottom of the engine looking up, not through the spark plug holes looking down.
No soot in the exhaust pipe. That actually looks alright. I'm leaning/hoping it is the AOS. The idle change is a big pointer to that not being right in any case, Ticking is consistent and there all the time. I've not noticed a change in that, but I've only had the car for about 4-6 weeks so it makes it hard to know if anything has changed.
When the AOS went kaput in my 986 Boxster, it would be intermittent, wether the engine was hot or cold. When it did let the smoke go it was embarrassing,....and I mean embarrassing.
I remember trying to work out what the problem was, so I took it for a spirited run up Arthurs Seat, got to the top, turned the engine off, gave it a break for about 5 minutes....
Fired it up, and unfortunately for the group of about twenty Chinese tourists enjoying the view and the fresh air, I lost sight of them in the amount of smoke that was emitted.
It also did it to me at servos after I had filled up.....So once the AOS does go you will know.....Not a big fix from memory, not sure if the 987 is much different but I had an independent change it, and I think it was about $250.00 or less. Hopefully it is an easy fix for you.
I would bet on it being the AOS, mine did the same, a little smoke and every now and then threw a CEL. It can also explain the oil usage. I would get the water pump changed as a matter of course. I was told they last about 100k by my independent specialist. You shouldn't have to top up coolant.
Thank you everyone for your responses. I'm much for confident it is the AOS at this stage and not something more sinister.
The coolant I am hoping will settle down once I check out a few more things. It doesn't appear to be leaking, but after filling the first time and going for a short drive of about 20 minutes I have noticed a little dried coolant around the filling cap itself. Maybe a seal in that is not working as it should. I'll do a little more experimenting with that and see what transpires.
If your blue coloured coolant filler cap part number ends with "01" then that is the old part number - I think the newer revised number finishes with"04".
Quite a common problem with the rubber seal deteriorating.
A little update. I went out at lunchtime for a drive into town. There is a bit of oil/soot in the exhaust. It was actually oily to the touch when I had a look while shutting up the shed. I had another look for the smoke when I got into town before shutting it down and there was none at that point in time (15-20minutes after starting).
I'll have a look at that right now.
I wouldn't run it more than you have to.
My understanding is when it fails it means your crankcase isn't ventilating properly. Can't be good.
You're getting it done anyway.
They are a periodic maintenance item.
Mine (987.1) smoked white when the AOS went, but it was more like someone vaping. Huge thick clouds.
So thick that I couldn't see where I was driving (the smoke was rolling up the car into the cabin with the roof down). Completely covered the road in smoke that took a few minutes to dissipate.
Maybe I caught it early
(hoping like hell I have anyway)
That sounds a lot like my first car way back when I was 18. Mighty Datsun 120y with dodgy valve stem seals. Generally great till you went down a hill and put your foot down, creating a smoke screen for the next 2-300m. Once the oil burnt off all good again till you had an extended run again of the engine pulling a high vacuum due to rolling down a hill with the throttle shut off. I think at one point I got to burning about a litre a week in that car. Became an excercise in fill the oil and check the fuel. At least until I let it go a couple of weeks too long and had the oil light come on. One week after that it did a big end bearing That is a horrible sound, At least an engine for that from the Datsun wrecker was only $110 or so
. Couple of days at a mates place had it sorted.
I said mighty
I loved that car at the time. It was just a fun car. I used to drive the black spur a lot in it. Best ever run I did was 12 mins from windy road sign at the start to the windy road sign at the Narbethong end (so rough average of 75-80km/h). Turn in at Fernshaw was 130km/h indicated. Going up that next hill it would top out at 90km/h the absolute worst speed in that car. Valve bouncing sort of revs in third, but not enough revs to pull any quicker in 4th. Front wheels were 12x4.5... Best tyres I could get (maybe it was afford, but I'm pretty sure there was only one tyre available, Remington Steel.....) in that size were absolutely terrible ones 155 wide. Rear had 13x6 running 185 or 195. Understeer city as the fronts would literally roll over and play dead, especially on those long corners at the start, actually rubbing on the side walls. Front end grip was the limit on those curves and that was about 60km/h.
I used to rally with a mate at the time in a Datsun 1200 coupe. Stupidly light cars. Fully setup with rollcage etc it was only 750kg.
Just out of interest for those 987 folk who have had the AOS fail, what sort of mileage were you at?
If there is a common theme I would consider doing it as a pre-emptive. Plumes of smoke a long way from home would freak plenty of us out and that would be an expensive “just to be safe” tow home.
They do. At least my 987.2 did. Replace the AOS immediately or you run the risk of it failing completely and oil and coolant causing hydraulic lock in your engine and destroying it. Some repair shops will not tackle this job, if it has completely failed, as it usually results in a full engine rebuild or replacement. Very expensive and an AOS is relatively cheap (circa $250) and you can do it yourself, if you feel up to it. If it is smoking white the diaphragm is already cracking/leaking. The next phase you don't want to think about, if you value your engine. Take it to a Porsche independent specialist and swap it out and change the coolant completely. A friend here suddenly had bad
white
smoke and the car stopped. Sensibly didn't try to re-start the car but had it towed to a repair shop. The hydraulic effects can be catastrophic and engines are costly.
Ack.
And I agree it makes total sense to change it preemptively, and they are not expensive vs a new engine, however they must have some sensible life span otherwise you would never leave the garage as you would be constantly changing them.
albiet a small sample size, but the consensus on this post is gradual failure from 100,000km onwards. Would seem rash for 987.2 owners with 40k-70k km to be storming off to get their AOS replaced?
The general consensus seems that around 100,000 is typical. However, it depends how you drive it and some folk with sporting/track use have reported failure earlier. I am risk averse and would do it before 100,000kms or whenever there was evidence of white smoke and coolant loss. It is not worth the financial risk IMO. I just would not drive the car if it continued to blow white smoke. The AOS vacuum function can be tested at service with a manometer.
The gist I got from my research of the unit is, the more slosh the sooner they fail. The 986 has a competition style available that lasts longer if you use it along with a baffled sump.
Bit silly on a vehicle designed to corner quickly. Just a glitch though.
Yeh, my research came to a similar conclusion.
Porsche have a motorsport replacement you can buy. More expensive but all of the track guys seem to be reporting that it is basically a one time fix.
987-107-926-00 is the part number.
Just double check it fits a 987.2, my understanding from a bit of googling today was the Motorsport AOS was 986/987.1 centric. Google seemed to indicate OEM 987.2 part has a slightly better membrane, can still fail but is much rarer / lasts longer (on average, but still the odd ‘early’ failure).
Cayman S 987/2 has 170 K here with never any white (or any other colour smoke) smoke, and the AOS is original fitment.
Cant see anything in the service manual that it should be changed at a certain time.
At the last major service at just under 170K in feb 2020, and with the extended warranty check done at the same time , the service manager did not suggest the AOS could or should be changed.
I will think about changing it when the extended warranty expires in 2022, changing it sounds like cheap ($400 to $500 all up) preventive maintenance for peace of mind!
40 something km.
After I bought it I read about the D Chunk and bore score issues on the 987.1 3.4 .. so when it happened I honestly thought I'd killed it.
There are lots of posts on this on various forums. Best advice if it happens is to not try to re-start it or internal hydraulic pressures can bend rods and quickly turn the motor into junk. Get it towed (without re-starting) to a service centre. preventative, conservative maintenance is the best thing overall. A good service centre can check with a manometer the status of the diaphragm periodically.
Just an update to close out my example of white smoke. Replacing the AOS seems to have done the trick. Only a single start so far,so not much data, but see how it goes over the next week or so. I had a reasonably large service done, with gear box oil being changes, and the AOS being done along with the drive belts. Next service I will be having plugs and coils done.
It was just under $300 for the separator and cant break out the labour, but possibly 1-2 hours (6 in total). The guy that did my work isn't a porsche specialist, so it was the first time for him working on a Cayman and he had to work a few things out as he went. Possibly the first time he has done mid engined
He normally does everything, but has VW and Audi for his own cars.
I paid $182 for the 987.2 AOS part including GST plus a couple of hours labour.
Seems cheap enough that I'll just get it changed every 30 track days or so to hopefully avoid ruining a day with an AOS failure.
Ouch!!!! My whole service was $1350, but that was oil and filters, gearbox oil, Drive belts and the AOS replacement. 6 hours labour all up. $283 for the AOS itself.
From my understanding this job is very different between the rear-engined and mid-engined cars. In the latter it is very easy to access under the engine cover and is quite a simple job. Hard to see a grand's labour in it, even at $200+/hr dealer rate.
Northside Euros in Mitchell seem to be the preferred place to go in cbr these days.
I agree st3ve, ......, PeterH, might be worth trying to get a quote from another Porsche Centre even interstate. Then if a big difference get back to your dealer and ask the question. Might mean they look after you better next time you go there. Obviously an Independent is going to be cheaper, that's why I suggest another P dealer.
Just a followup again. I've done about 3,000km since the service and the car doesn't seem to have used any oil with respect to the gauge. Prior to gettng the AOS replaced it was using a little bit and ended up using about 500ml of oil over ~2,000km of driving. Just love this car to bits. It drives so good.
just back from a run-on a beautiful day, the roads were good, traffic very very light. Just being able to drive out of the metro area, was fantastic. First drive really since March.
And the BBC went like a PAN AM 747 (with thanks to Allan Moffatt). Windows down, listening to that Flat 6 through the hills..
But I can only agree 100 piss ant with you Gnrnr, these cars take some beating.
Living regional I have been able to do a bit of driving and actually have been down into Melbourne a couple of times over the last month or so. Runs up through the black spur are just awesome. Weather today is phenomonal. Went into town and got some lunch. Washed the car as it got covered in mud from roadworks north of Yarck, but it will be all dusty again already :D. Only drove it home....
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