Smoke at speed

Relatively new Porsche owner (996) here. While having, as we say, a spirited drive this afternoon I had two occassions of a big white cloud of smoke while accelerating hard. Simultaneously there seemed to be a brief loss of power. Afterwards, on the way home the car felt different, less torquey for lack of a better description. Has anyone experienced this? Need I be concerned? I'm aware of smoke at start-up being expected with the flat six, but I haven't read or heard about my experience. BTW, oil pressure/level was normal, and once home I found nothing unusual. Thanks. Roger

My smoking has been exclusively at the track.What happens is that after a really tight slow turn when I get back in the gas at the apex of the NEXT turn I will get a good cloud of smoke UNTILL I burn off enough oil to be 1/2 to 3/4 of a quart low.There was a TSB about this and the gist of it was to run the cars 1/2 quart low for "spirited driving".I am driving a 2002 also It currently has about 40k on it and probably 10 track events a year and no problems at all other than this smoke.It also does the smoking on retsrt but only at the track.cheers

I had the same thing, and it turned out that it was oil leaking onto the exhaust. I can't remember where the leak was exactly (it wasn't the RMS), but it was covered under warranty. Take a look under the rear and see if there's any oil that has dripped onto your exhaust.

Thanks to both for the replies. It's good knowing it's not necessarily unique to my car. I did look underneath fairly thoroughly and didn't find anything new. Although, the RMS has been showing early signs of failure Not enough to drip oil, but a slight residue in the telltale places. Perhaps under load the leak is greater and oil found it's way to the exhaust.? That wouldn't explain the noticeable decreased power during the event though, I don't believe. Anyway, I drove the car again today and it performed perfectly without any smoking. Roger

Had the same symptoms.. turned out to be RMS Wael

Hmmmm, maybe I shouldn't delay having it replaced any longer.

I would take it to your dealer and tell them what happened and see if they can diagnose it. It may not be the RMS, as in my case.

Interesting thread in light of my experience at the track on Friday. After 8 months of anticipation, I finally felt ready to initiate my '03 C2 at a DE. My first session was at moderate speeds just trying to learn the car. After sitting for about 1-1/2 hours, I was ready for my next session. The car however, was not. Upon startup, big clouds of white/blue smoke came out of the exhaust, and the exhaust note (PSE) was noticeably different at idle. Kind of rattly. The smoke diminished somewhat, but didn't go away entirely. I called my shop, and they thought it might have 'burped' some oil into the airbox, which would show signs of oil residue. We pulled off the top, and the box was dry. I checked the oil, and it was about 3/4 of a qt low. I decided not to risk further damage, so I replaced the oil - bringing the light bar to 1-2 under the max setting, and then drove home. No check engine light, and good oil pressure. Once home, I let the car sit for a couple hours, and tried again. A little smoke, but the engine noise was still odd. I called the dealer, and took it in at the end of the workday. The SM listened to the car, and looked for a RMS leak (none found). There was however a wierd gnashing noise when the car was first started, and when it was shut down. He suggested it might be an input shaft bearing. Who knows? The car has 2200 miles in it, and isn't inspiring a whole lot of confidence right now. My salesman mentioned the possibility of a new engine. I should find out more later today. Meanwhile, by '88 951 with 98000 miles has been track trouble free for 2 years. Poop.

OilChanger-I would ask was the power OK after the smoking?I also would have them look at the catalytic converters my car went through 6 of them while i had the PSE on it.they make a very rattly sound when they go.This sounds a lot like my issues and the car now has 40k miles on it and lots of track time and it still smokes similarly to yours .good luck.

Thanks TVTH986S, Yes, the power was fine on the ride home. Cats huh? Why would the PSE put an extra strain on them? PSE is a factory option! Plus, I've only had the PSE on for about 200 miles. Still waiting for that call from the dealer.

What I know is that there is a problem running the PSE wide open all the time.This apparently causes the cells inside the cats to deteriorate and the welds holding them to the tubing break.If your car is at the dealer have them check.Although 200 miles seems awfully short for the problem to occur.Having normal power is very encouraging.Is your PSE wired such that it opens and closes automatically?

I'll certainly have the dealer check the cats. I purchased the PSE separately, and installed it without the electronics. I wonder if this issue exists with other aftermarket exhausts as well. What you're saying, I think, is that anyone with PSE - whether installed at the factory with electronics or not - might be subject to this same thing. Yikes!

David, It was very nice to meet you at the track on friday - glad to see you got the car home ok. Meanwhile, my '99 C4 is at dealer service with no 3rd or 6th gear (lost 3rd at the track - it would just "pop" out of gear into neutral) and later found 6th did the same on my way home. At least I got a session and a 1/2 in at the track before the tranny took a lunch break.... Thank goodness for extended warranties !!!! trev

Oilchanger I switched to the GHL after one of my PSE's developed a problem (I had bought it used )and i am very happy no problem with it and the cats apparently.

Hey Trevor! Glad you got a jump. My ride home was uneventful. Did you make it home ok with no further incidents? I swear those BMW's put a hex on us 996 folk! TVTH986S: Glad the GHL's are working out, but here's what I guess is a rhetorical question - How can the Porsche designed 'aftermarket' exhaust system (PSE) do more damage than someone else's? I mentioned your cat idea to the SM, and he said there's nothing wrong with them. Seemed a bit annoyed at the suggestion. Ain't customer service lovely?

Oilchanger,Whatever it is lets hope it is something minor.My thought on the PSE is that it was designed originally to be run electronically I guess that in the constantly wide open position it puts some kind of stress on the cats.My consumption of cats went away as soon as it was wired properly.please let us know what your outcome is.cheers

Just got the call from the dealer. ONE of my 1 month old PSE mufflers is bad. That's the noise. I guess the smoke can be explained by the earlier posts in this thread. They're replacing it under warranty. Cats are fine. I hope they're right.