black soot from exhaust????

[JTaylorTeam]

hi guys im lightly getting black soot from my exhaust in my barina. its a C14SE which is single point injection or something?? does this mean i need a tune??? can single point injection be tuned by there weird looking carby? lol. sometimes i wish i was more mechanicly minded. D:

[chris_r]

Sounds like it's running rich. Or your rings could be on their way out (had this pretty bad on my old C16XE). The C14SE is a multi-point injection engine (C14NZ has SPi) and everything is controlled by the ECU, so not much can be done in terms of tuning.

I'd make sure you're using the proper grade of oil (change if need be), check your plugs and leads and do you have the engine light coming up on the dash? If you do, you could possibly have a crank sensor issue (this will cause the engine to run rich).

[JTaylorTeam]

Sounds like it's running rich. Or your rings could be on their way out (had this pretty bad on my old C16XE). The C14SE is a multi-point injection engine (C14NZ has SPi) and everything is controlled by the ECU, so not much can be done in terms of tuning.

I'd make sure you're using the proper grade of oil (change if need be), check your plugs and leads and do you have the engine light coming up on the dash? If you do, you could possibly have a crank sensor issue (this will cause the engine to run rich).

naaaaah no engine light. so long story short, im due for a new engine? i use castrol magnatec. and change it every 6 to 8 thou.

[chris_r]

naaaaah no engine light. so long story short, im due for a new engine? i use castrol magnatec. and change it every 6 to 8 thou.

Possibly, you did say it's done over 300,000 or something didn't you? If that's the case, I'd say it's done really well. The C12NZ in my dad's old car did around 320,000 before the head cracked. Tough little engines if taken care of. As for the choice of oil, personally I wouldn't use anything Magnatec. Mainly, because I had a bad experience with it in my Hyundai iLoad diesel van. Only cost me about $7k to fix. I now pretty much run all my vehicles on Penrite (GSi and wagon = HPR10, van = HPR Diesel 5) as recommended by the guy who rebuilt the engine in my iLoad.

Also, the grade of oil you use can affect whether your engine blows smoke or not. Too thin, and it'll get past the rings into the cylinders and burn. A thicker oil on engines with high mileage can help slightly as it'll be less likely to get past the oil rings. Say you use a 10W30 like HPR10 as per the standard specs, try a 15W40 on your next change. If changing the type/grade of oil, run some engine flush through the engine before draining it. I say that because in different grades and even brands of oil, different chemicals are applied to achieve the grade and if different oils are mixed, you can cause a chemical reaction which aids in the buildup of crud that can block oil galleries, resulting in an eventual engine failure. Having said that, it doesn't hurt to give the engine a good flush on occasions, especially if you hammer the crap out of it. Also, the design of the SOHC GM Family 1 engines lends itself to excess oil buildup in and around the cam box and is probably the most common cause of failure on these engines.

[JTaylorTeam]

ok yea it has done heaps of K's. i flushed it just recently aswell. and yea i use 10w. and drive it like a race car so haha. no worrys guys ill start searching for a engine. cheers :)