Uh-oh!! Plumes of smoke!!

[S4_dan]

Driving home from supermarket just now and I overtook a car in third giving it some welly. About a mile after passing the car I thought I see white smoke coming off the car. Only visible in drivers wing mirror and not any others.

Carried on a few miles and dropped to third for a steep incline for about 3/4 mile. Once near the top I saw lots of white smoke again but could smell oil this time! Opened drivers door and looked back whilst driving forward and sure enough there was plenty of smoke.

Stopped, popped bonnet and there is a big explosion of oil! All over the drivers side rocker cover, air box, and underside of bonnet. All on the bulk head and wires.

First thing I noticed was that the oil dipstick was out by about an inch. (I think, 99.9% certain I caught this yesterday whilst fitting the air box base back in)

Would this cause such an explosion of oil under high revs in third?
I never had any oil warnings come up on the dash. I've topped oil up with what I had left and continued the few miles left to home. Not revving too hard.

Or is it more likely another problem?! I know I do have an oil weep from the same side cam seal but thats all I was aware of and i'm frequently under the bonnet!! And always curios about any fresh oil markings on the floor where I park in car parks etc. But car has been dry.

Dan

 

[Blue_Thunder]

The dipstick is miles away from the airbox. The fact the dipstick has been pushed up suggests boost pressure leaking into the lower sump. That sounds very odd!

 

[S4_dan]

Dipstick is right next to the air box on a 2.8 V6. I remember the base of the air box catching this when i was refitting it. Me being me, I was a bit forceful getting the base back in and pretty certain I pulled it out with the box unintentionally.

Would an open dipstick tube cause oil to be 'pressured' out??

 

[aragorn]

Perhaps if the engine breathes a bit heavy.

 

[S4_dan]

Breather pipes all clean and clear right upto the TB. Rocker covers were cleaned when I rebuilt the engine.

Put dipstick in properly again and went to work this morning and home just now. All is good. Even gave some hard blasts just to make sure
!!

BUT

one thing i did notice this afternoon is that, after 35mins driving, i stopped off for a pint on my way home. Outside temp is 14c according to DIS, yet after 35mins the temp gauge had dropped back down to 60c and although the pub is only 2.4miles from home, it only rose to 70c on the way home. Very strange as normally it would retain most the of the heat in the water with the outside temp. Heaters were cold too untill it rose to 70c. So wondering if there is something more serious other than the dipstick being out?!?!

 

[jcb]

smoke or steam!?
pressurise the oil with steam from a blown gasket or oil cooler and you could easily pop a dipstick and vent oil everywhere.
Any mayonnaise in the coolant or oil?

 

[S4_dan]

Definitely smoke....it was the oil burning off from the manifold. Oil level and water level are spot on and no mayo in water or oil.