97 a4 1.8 turbo white smoke

[spjmm0]

When I start my audi it blows white smoke. Coolant and oil are clean, no loss on either. Seem to still have power from turbo. White smoke smells of gas.

[nickasaki]

If the white gas smells of gas this may be a slight ammount of unburnt fuel that burns off as you start the car , this then passes through the catalytic converter causing this small , this smells a bit like burnt almonds, totaly unlike Ford cars which smell like Farts. As long as you keep a watch on your oil and water levels and they dont drop dont worry about it .....Also condensation in exhaust systems can give a funny smell but this only seems to happen in colder weather......

[El Dingo]

White smoke is a sign of turbo failure.

White stuff from the exhaust can be condensation.

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[nickasaki]

O.K El dingo how do you explain white smoke from the exhaust's of Non turbo cars that have no fluid loss or power loss....And yes you do get condensation inside exhaust systems mainly cars that are only used on short journeys so the exhaust never gets to a high enough temp then is left to cool down in say a garage or on a drive that is damp this then causes a build up of condesation which if is not burnt off just gets worse with every time causing the baffels to collapse, and in time the baffels can block the exhaust causing the engine to stall or even fail to start....The two options i gave were only ideas based on the post No fluid loss (oil /water and no loss of power ) It too could show signs of Turbo failer but who wants to be the doom and gloom merchant , the only way to find out for sure is to take it to a Good trustworthy garage ( and there are not them many around ) . When i was at collage i was taught to try the quick and simple thing first before you start ripping things bits because you dont half look a plonker if its something simple and you have just stripped the engine.

[El Dingo]

nickasaki, of course you are right.
You're not in a bad mood by any chance?

Read my post again.

I didn't comment on your post either way.

BTW, If I'm being nit picky, Audi exhaust also smell of farts. Ford don't have a monopoly on catalyst design and function.

[El Dingo]

he he he

I've just read your post again. Baffles to collapse? Do you mean catalyst collapse or long term corrosion causing a blockage in one of the silencers? IMHO it's far more likely that the exhaust will blow elsewhere before corrosion causes a blockage.

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Message to spjmmo - it is of course impossible to diagnose by internet. nickasaki is right really... what I should have said was - is this really *smoke* or is it *vapour*? Lots of white vapour is common on turbo and non-turbo cars under certain conditions, like a very damp and humid day. White *smoke* is a classic sign of turbo failure.
Did you get any further? Do you have VAG-COM or another way of seeing if there are any fault codes stored?

As always, this is just my opinion.

[spjmm0]

I am very sure that I cannot figure this out on the internet unless I design an interface that has cameras throttle controls and the like.

What I am hoping for is a better set of ideas to go to the dealer with. Knowledge is power.

Thanks for your time, both of you.