360Spider-white smoke from exhaust!

Check the engine oil level..you might be over full

 

White smoke usually means coolant is burning, blue smoke is oil. Check your coolant level, make sure your fans are working, and watch water temperature gauge.

 

As mentioned above, white smoke is coolant, blue smoke is oil, but the difference between "blue" and "white" is small enough that unless you have some experience you may think "blue" is "white."

One thing I know for sure: car problems never get better, they only get worse. Whatever caused that cloud will be doing damage to your engine from now until you find it and fix it. Paying a GOOD garage to diagnose the problem NOW is going to be a LOT cheaper than dealing with the much bigger problem you will cause if you don't find it and fix it NOW.

If it makes you feel better it may be something as simple as a leaking coolant hose, but please don't let it go.

 

I think I had the same issue when I started the 360 yesterday. Definitely looked like oil smoke, and the revs were lower than normal indicating maybe some higher compression due to oil in the combustion chamber?
Did you get an answer to the problem.

Cheers

Brian

 

I have seen 360's parked at small decline leave oil at the top of the heads and on ignition - smokes like an over filled lawn mower.

I would not worry too much.

Porsche's do this all the time if you start them up cold and shut them down. Next start up you get smoke every where.

 

I have had some smoke from my engine, is your 360 an f1 if so check your f1 fluid level. Mine problem was caused by the expansion of the fluid after spirited driving and the reservoir is situated right next to the rh rear exhaust. the level was too highand there is an escape hole in the reservoir lid which allowd a small amount of fluid to escape and it filled the egine bay with smoke. I thought I was on fire. It never happened again as I removed a small quantity of the fluid. This may be your problem as this reservoir sits above exhaust pipe as well so any drips you get smoke.

 

Thanks for all your comments.

I had a quick chat with the agents and they seem to think this is not that uncommon, particularly on the Maseratis!! They suggested in can be caused by a deterioration or blockage in the pipe leading from the oil separator to the inlets. They said it is not a cause for great concern. I will check this theory out and let you know what I find. By the way the car was not run extensively the time bvefore, just backed out of the garage for a clean, on flat ground though.

No it isn't the F1 oil level, I have already been down that road with overfilling it and having it spew out around the the cap. I read on another thread that someone else had the same experience with trying to get the F1 fluid levels right without overfilling.

 

Did you check the oil level w/ the car running and hot? If you checked it while it's not running you're probably over full and you can get oil on the cats which can be a problem.

 

Check your intake runners for accumalated oil. It will build up internally and eventually make its way down the velocity stacks. You can remove the boot between the throttle body and intake for inspection. If it is full just suck out the oil with a turkey baster attached to a flexible hose.

Thats your thanksgiving solution.