Jump to content

Recommended Posts

If you have not had the opportunity or need to really punch your C-Max it might take you by surprise.  I had to punch mine to merge into some fast moving traffic and it met the challenge.  However, when I looked in the rear view all I could see was a thick cloud of smoke.  So thick that I couldnt see the cars that were in the lanes behind me!

 

My son was minute or so behind me and saw the cloud.  He phoned me and insisted that I pull over.  We checked the oil and it was fine.  Then we proceded to drive and I punched the car again.  This time no cloud.  We checked the oil again and it was fine.  There were no warning lights or indicators that anything was wrong.

 

Very strange.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use to experience the same thing with my grandmothers car.  I'd take it out and floor it till the smoke stopped.  That smoke was a mix of black and brown (rust).

 

Black smoke is typically excess fuel or soot deposits while blue is oil (bad rings or seals) and white is water (blown head gasket).  Grayish wisps can be confused for white but that's water vapor buildup before the exhaust system heats up.  

 

I like to occasionally floor it when I pass someone at highway speeds to keep the ol' pipes clear!  :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I experienced the same thing the first time I did a full throttle acceleration.  But since that first incident of full throttle acceleration I haven't experienced a cloud of smoke again--notwithstanding several instances of full throttle acceleration.

 

I also checked the oil and found no unusual oil consumption.  I not have more than 11,000 miles on the car and have had no other unusual engine behavior or malfunction.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It seems that this happens if you don't "clear the pipes", as fotomoto said above, from time to time.  My wife has a very light foot and I have never witnessed her "punch" it.  If I haven't driven her car for about 6 months or so, I will get the "cloud" as soon as I punch it.  This has happened with every car that she has owned.  I think it's just the deposits that build up over time.  I suppose that I can say that I am heavy on the gas to make sure the pipes stay clear now :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

   It happened to me in my Energi yesterday! Stuck in traffic doing 5 mph when the carpool lane opening appeared to my left. I checked my mirror for oncoming motorcycles splitting the lanes and saw a Big Bus freight training around 65 up the carpool lane way back there. I figured I could floor it and get in front of the Big Bus without making him slow down. The ICE came on with a roar and off I go! I check my rear view mirror to see how the Big Bus was doing back there and I didn't see him anymore! BUT HOLY S***! There was a BIG cloud of smoke obscuring my view back there! It was as if I was 007 and had hit the Smoke Screen Button. BTW the Big Bus was fine. I tried to make it do it again but no joy. Must've been carbon buildup after the 21,000 mile of driving miserly. DozerBob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

I don't know if this applies to the C-Max, but...

 

That cloud of smoke was not unusual to see on WOT maneuvers on a couple of Northstar powered Cadillacs I have owned.  I learned it was not carbon deposits or oil from bad rings or valve seals.  The smoke was from blow-by vapors that, over a period of weeks or months of conservative driving, had condensed and puddled in the bottom of the intake manifold plenum.  Opening the throttle would send a blast of air into the intake manifold and blow all that stuff into the intake runners/cylinder head runners/cylinders where they were burned...hence, the smoke.  Usually, one WOT application for 4-5 seconds would clear the intake manifold - sometimes a second one was necessary - but after that, no smoke would be visible for the near future; in fact, if you drove the car "hard" all the time, you would never see any smoke.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 7 months later...

This same thing happened to me the other day. 1/2 to 3/4 throttle getting on the interstate & I couldn't hardly see the cars behind me. Big time black smoke. Did it twice the same day. Tried to do it yesterday & couldn't make it happen. Never had anything like that happen before. 12 k miles on it. Anybody else seeing this lately?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This same thing happened to me the other day. 1/2 to 3/4 throttle getting on the interstate & I couldn't hardly see the cars behind me. Big time black smoke. Did it twice the same day. Tried to do it yesterday & couldn't make it happen. Never had anything like that happen before. 12 k miles on it. Anybody else seeing this lately?

It's been over a year and as far as I can tell for me quick slow down and then quick speed up. Mine was white smoke. :)

 

Paul

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This same thing happened to me the other day. 1/2 to 3/4 throttle getting on the interstate & I couldn't hardly see the cars behind me. Big time black smoke. Did it twice the same day. Tried to do it yesterday & couldn't make it happen. Never had anything like that happen before. 12 k miles on it. Anybody else seeing this lately?

 

 

It's been over a year and as far as I can tell for me quick slow down and then quick speed up. Mine was white smoke. :)

 

Paul

 

Hi METROMAN and ptjones,

 

I recommend having your dealer take a look at this if you're concerned. Once you've got an appointment set up, PM me your name, phone number, VIN, mileage, and dealer info. I'll see how I can help.

 

Ashley

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...

Well, it's been awhile since I've been on here. Drove my wife's car up to Lancaster, PA this past weekend and the 007 smoke screen was back. Had to pull unto the interstate and nailed it. Noticed all the cars behind me disappeared, shrouded in an unbelievably thick cloud of smoke. After a few seconds a white Ford Explorer emerged from the cloud. I know he had to be ticked, as his car was probably covered in soot. I decided to punch it one more time, and it did it again. I couldn't get it to act up any more after that. This was the exact same thing that I posted about, a couple years ago in this same thread. My wife drives it 90% of the time, and never blows it out, so I'm sure it's probably carbon. Wondering what the long term issues might be. Other than that issue, we're very happy with the car's 47.5 mpg average. We are at 39k miles now.

Edited by METROMAN
Link to comment
Share on other sites

In my case I think it was oil from the PCV valve off the valve cover into the intake system. :headscratch: I have accelerated hard several times with no smoke, but when I slammed on the brakes and then accelerated hard is when I saw the smoke. :sad:

 

Paul

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 7 months later...

So now it happened to me - big cloud of white smoke as I nearly floored it to pass someone (yes Virginia, there are drivers slower than SnowStorm!)  The car was thoroughly warmed up, had been driving about two hours on 55 mph roads.  Went to pass, happened to look in the mirror and, yikes, big cloud all over the road.  Its rather shocking to see.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What were you doing before the smoke? Braking hard, accelerating hard? :headscratch:

 

Paul

Drifting! Haha.

 

At the moment I was accelerating quickly (4bar) but I don't remember all the other details. I remember seeing the cloud and thinking "is that the same thing others are seeing?"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

I also have gotten the cloud of smoke.  It was sudden 1.75 bar to 3.25 bar accelerating to make it through a light that was soon to be turning red. The car had been in use for about 15 minutes.  I am not worried about it.  The car accelerated nicely.  The quickness of the change from 1,75 to 3,25 bar may have something to do with it.  

 

My sense is often it is better for gas mileage to add some speed to get through a traffic light rather than stopping.

Edited by obob
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...