TPL_S4

2000 S4, completely stock, 177K miles, original turbos, 6sp.

I'm very good to the car, and treat it carefully at this age. I have never seen smoke from the tailpipes, and consume/leak about 1 quart in 7k miles.

So I leave work tonight and it's about 6 degrees. Drive normally to the highway - about 1 minute and get on. After about 5 minutes I look back and notice I'm blowing enough smoke that cars behind me are getting out of the lane. No bad turbo sounds that I could hear, no CEL's, and the engine was not acting unusually.

Oil temp is just off the peg (cool), coolant temp is exactly in the center of the gauge.

So I get off the highway, stop, do some looking around and smelling (hard to say). I can tell I'm low on oil at this point, but start up and drive carefully the few miles home. Much less or smoke.

I immediately fill up the oil and go for a test drive. Hit the highway and push it as much as I'd dare. No smoke that I can tell, although in this cold there's some vapor at stop, sounds normal, accelerates fine, no CEL's.

Any thoughts?

ChucktownS4

turbo maybe?

TPL_S4

Kinda what I'm thinking but hoping I can hold off for a while.

S4lorn

after your drive? That might explain the smoke, and lack of it after it warmed up.

Not sure, but I know others have had issues with PCV's freezing up in really cold weather. Fortunately it isn't an issue where I live.

Just at thought- I am sure others will chime in more knowledgeable than I am.

ChucktownS4

yeah, no fun at all, until its a done stage 3

addìct

smell the smoke coming out of the tailpipe. Is it sweet smell or oil smell?

popdemonic

Currently,I have 8 K24s turbo laying around.
If your turbo is getting bad.when cold start
once the temp is rising up the car will start to smoke out.and when you drive it for 2 gears then the smoke is gone.she will do this the same way when you switched off the engine for a while and on,left idling for a mins.she will smoke out.once it's gone when you drive it.

if she is getting to smoke all the times.it means the turbo must be really bad. I spent over
2 years to kill this kinda smoke issue.Done everything motor swapping,rings,valve seals,PCV,
clean messed on intake tract.

I'm going to get RS2 comp or GT2871RS Hybrid for mu urs6 on this year.I was so sick with used turbo.

Anyway,You should begin with some easy things first.there's always no lesson on this.good luck

iznogoud

Watch for leaking fuel from a fuel supply line in cold weather as well!

TPL_S4

not since my '71 Chevelle, so I have to say it could be oil since it did not smell like coolant, *And* I was down about 2 quarts of oil, coolant was still full, guessing oil.

BTW, thanks for jumping in to help.