New 2000 problem!

[SoCal Rebell]

Sitting at the stop light, nice wide 6 lane street no cross streets when a 69 Chevelle with a 396 tag and a 10 inch high box in the middle of the hood pulls up next to me. Sounds good, he punches it, I don't, he slows to 40 to get next to me and gives the little stop and go, okay it's clear I drop it to 2nd we
both gun it and he is a fading memory when I hit 4th. But I am getting close to my turn off so I apply the brakes hard when all of a sudden there is a HUGE cloud of white smoke behind me, I mean scary I thought I blew the motor but didn't hear anything and all gauges read OK. Called my local Viper guru and was told this happens on new 2000s (mine is not new but the motor is), and that after heavy accel and braking oil finds a way into the exhaust. Has anybody had this happen to them or have a better explanation? The snake is running great but what a scare.

 

[Ben Gratt]

When I was bedding in the brakes on my 2000 GTS at about 500 miles something similar happened. After some moderate acceleration to about 60 mph and getting on the brakes pretty hard several times, I gave the car some gas and it sputtered, didn't accelerate, and a cloud of smoke came out of the back. The car drove fine afterwards. I've got about 4400 miles on it now and that hasn't happened again. Pretty scary at the time.

Ben.

 

[Ulysses]

Same thing happened to me when a lame brain tourist almost ran into me when changing lanes and not looking. I applied the brakes hard and a big puff of smoke came out the back. Scared the hell outta me until the smell of burning oil entered the car. Then I remembered what JonB was saying about the oil puking into the air filter box during hard braking. It ran fine without a sputter afterwards. I checked the air box when I got home and found very little oil there. Cleaned it out and everything was A-OKAY.

 

[Mark Young]

If it is oil puke, I've heard of this happening on earlier years as well. You can install an oil puke can to get rid of that annoying problem. No more smoke, and you won't be cursing that 'tourist' for the hour it takes you to clean your k&n's.

Call JonB for more info.

- Mark ('99 ACR)

 

[Frank Parise]

On hard acceleration, if you suddenly lift off the throttle, the fuel pump does not immediately stop pumping fuel. I understand there is a lag of as much as 2-3 seconds. On Vipers without cats, this results in the unburnt fuel making contact with the hot tips of the exhaust pipes and turning them into flame throwers. I wonder if the condition you guys are describing has anything to do with unburnt fuel as a result of quick deceleration. The cats may consume the fuel and turn it into smoke?

 

[JonB]

What you guys are indeed describing is a case of oil-puke under braking, which can be exacerbated by an overfilled crankcase. The occurance is more frequent if it was after a sequence of WOT runs.

The MobilOne does not burn bluish, but whitish......and the ECU reads very RICH, and leans out, stumbling, and then spitting black flecks out the rear.

There is a fix, involving fuel-cell mesh in the valve covers, and re-baffling the pre-PCV outlet port of the valve covers.

(Not worth the effort, but could have been designed better.)

The ISM-lag described by Frank Parise is its own annoying trait, but did NOT cause the puke-smoke that you several noted.

Go, my children, and puke no more.........

JonB