What's new
Peugeot RCZ Forum

Register a free account today to become a member. It's free! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, connect with other members through your own private inbox and take part in competitions!

White smoke when idle

Nemi

Active Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2017
Messages
342
Reaction score
76
Points
28
Location
Lithuania
My RCZ does that as well :eusa-think:

Also jovich88, i see that one of your LEDs on rear stop light does not work :twisted:
 

jovich88

New Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2019
Messages
15
Reaction score
4
Points
3
So far, it seems to me that it might be that it is burning oil. It happens only when I'm starting from standstill. However, it doesn't happen when I start it cold, only when it warms up :eusa-think:

Nemi, who knows how long I drove it like that until my father pointed out to me :crazy: I'm trying to find someone to replace me that one LED, since there are almost no spare parts in Serbia for RCZ.
 

frankvdb

Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2010
Messages
563
Reaction score
10
Points
18
Location
Eindhoven (The Netherlands)
jovich88 said:
So far, it seems to me that it might be that it is burning oil. It happens only when I'm starting from standstill. However, it doesn't happen when I start it cold, only when it warms up :eusa-think:

Nemi, who knows how long I drove it like that until my father pointed out to me :crazy: I'm trying to find someone to replace me that one LED, since there are almost no spare parts in Serbia for RCZ.

Burning oil gives blue smoke, not white.
White smoke is water and may simply be the consequence of the high temperature at which the THP operates, but it may still be disguising blue smoke.
You need to monitor engine oil level to be certain that it is burning oil.
 

jovich88

New Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2019
Messages
15
Reaction score
4
Points
3
Why it lead me to think it is oil is because I've recently replaced oil and oil filter and I've noticed that oil level has fallen significantly :/

However, I'm taking it to service hopefully next week, so we will see if they'll be able to figure it out...
 

jovich88

New Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2019
Messages
15
Reaction score
4
Points
3
So, I went to the service and it seems that the car is really burning oil. They offered me to get new engine, saying that trying to fix the issue would cost a lot.

Definitely not the news I hoped for, but I'm not going to give up on my RCZ - I'm considering next steps now - most probably I'll try to find a specialist to tear apart the engine and see what can be done :/
 

Nemi

Active Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2017
Messages
342
Reaction score
76
Points
28
Location
Lithuania
So, I went to the service and it seems that the car is really burning oil. They offered me to get new engine, saying that trying to fix the issue would cost a lot.

Have you tracked how much oil your RCZ loses over time? My RCZ uses around 1L/2000km.

Also here a quote from Peugeot-Citroen/Mini 1.6 THP engine naming, maintenance and servicing – 101 – eTuners

Ok, by now you have probably realised that THP engines consume a fair amount of oil. The usual oil consumption average is 1 liter per 5000km. Some engines consume less, some engines consume a bit more. This is very usual for direct injection engines and is no reason to worry. A part of oil consumption comes from the piston rings, another part comes from the valve oil seals leaking into the intake. If you fix one and leave the other, you will still have some oil consumption.
When your engine starts to consume oil, do NOT just top it up. Have the oil completely drained and replaced. Then wait and check your oil consumption again after the oil change. These engines are very particular about oil types: they love a few but hate the rest.
Most owners will just top-up engine oil when in fact the reason for oil consumption may be the degraded oil quality. Bad engine oil quality means shorter life and faster consuption.
If your engine starts to consume 1liter/1000km then you will need to check its compression. Then have the valve seals in the cylinder head replaced and everything checked by a specialist. Most cases, the piston rings need to be renewed to fix the consumption problem completely.


In terms of oil type, the most usual type is 5W-30, fully synthetic. If you live in a warm country (not Russia, not Canada, not the North Pole), you can probably use one grade thicker oil without problems. Colder countries can go down to 0W-30 without issues, as long as it is always fully synthetic.
 

jovich88

New Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2019
Messages
15
Reaction score
4
Points
3
I've been tracking oil consumption just a few weeks, but it seems it is at around 1l/1000km. The car itself goes well, however, there is that puff of smoke when going from standstill. I'm still looking for a specialist here to take out the engine and see what exactly is causing the oil burning. Most of the guys I've talked to say it's most probably the piston rings or the valve oil seals, just like what you've shared, Nemi.
 

DKZ5745

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 7, 2014
Messages
5,094
Reaction score
562
Points
113
Location
Yorkshire
My Z uses more oil than any other car I’ve had, (with the exception of my first ever car, a Mini - but that just dumped @ 1ltr a week all over my Mum & Dads drive) 😱
I think it would have been quicker to find out which seals and gaskets weren’t leaking on that car than looking for the ones that were 🤪
 

Agis

Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2017
Messages
53
Reaction score
10
Points
8
Location
Chislehurst
The PCV valve located in the rocker valve cover may have failed. A ripped PCV valve will allow the oil to pass through into the ignition chamber. That oil will then burn and produce the white smoke. I now have the car in the garage to replace the rocker valve cover, hoping that it is the PCV valve causing the issue and not something else, deeper in the engine and more expensive. The cover was also leaking oil on the engine block, so good to replace it anyway. In addition to that, I am changing the timing chain kit as well. Merry xmas RCZ. Haha :-D
 

Agis

Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2017
Messages
53
Reaction score
10
Points
8
Location
Chislehurst
@Agis please share if you figure out the problem. Thanks!

The issue is now solved. In my case it was caused by the timing chain. Replacing the complete Timing Chain kit eliminated the smoke.

If you see white Smoke when idle but your timing chain is working fine, first check the PCV valve in the rocker valve cover.
 

Pegoo

New Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2019
Messages
9
Reaction score
1
Points
1
Location
Dubai , UAE
i have the same issue with my rcz in idle after warm-up , for example, if i stop in signal and start to move it have a cloud of smoke with oil burn smell, i changed my turbo and high flow downpipe, but still same issue it'seven more smoke now in the same condition,

i even think of change turbo again but it does not make sense and very important point is

if i get out my spark plugs all are okay and no oil smell or even oil on them so it's for me somehow not inside the cylinder

i hope to fix that issue because it's really bad
 

Pegoo

New Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2019
Messages
9
Reaction score
1
Points
1
Location
Dubai , UAE
yes , it's valve stem oil seals , and you can change them without removing your cylinder head
 

adnan khan

New Member
Joined
Apr 28, 2023
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
KSA
yes , it's valve stem oil seals , and you can change them without removing your cylinder head
Hi, how it can be replaced without opening the head?

it's working fine so far ?
 
Top