I just installed the leistritz muffler this afternoon and after driving it to basketball game. People are looking at my car not because it is a 914 but the huge white smoke is coming out of the muffler.

How should I clean it or I just need to drive it more?

thanks again!

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Probably moisture.

I've changed a few head gaskets that had blown on water cooled engines and there was always some residual white smoke involved after. I don't know how far you drove it with the new muffler but I'd bet it'll stop once it gets up to operating temp for a little while.

Color images on individual monitors can be deceiving, but the smoke appears bluish-white on mine, and not yet confirmed the source is the exhaust pipe or elsewhere. If the "condensation" doesn't go away after a few test trips and the engine isn't water cooled, I'd suspect an internal or external oil leak.

Sherwood

Take a look under the car while it's doing this to see where the smoke is actually coming from. Does the smoke have an odd odor? ... it could be the paint on the muffler burning off.

Sir Mark, i drove the car for the last 3 days and even this morning, and I dont get that smoke before I replaced the muffler. The black external paint seems to be original. I hope it is just moisture after it was stored by the previous owner from Indiana.

Should I just drive it for a while or just let it run on my driveway for a while instead of driving it and people will look at me and say that I need to pass a smog???!!!!

check for water droplets at the tail pipe and maybe some spatters on the ground while running. you should be able to smell the dif between oil and H2O.

If your car is a 1.8L and you changed the oil at the same time, you may have gotten some oil down the breather tube that goes into the throttle body. This can put oil into the plenum and your car will smoke big-time until it's either cleaned out or sucked out through driving.

Ask me how I know that one. . . I now ALWAYS use a funnel with a tip that hangs well below the breather on the filler neck.

Nice one Nate! Top tip!

Thanks for all the responses guys!
Yes the engine is 1.8. But no other items made this week on the car except just a muffler replacement. My previous muffler usually blows a few water droplets during the first few minutes but I dont there is no white smoke. And yesterday after the muffler replacement, i did run the car for about 10 mins and no white smoke. But after a few hours when I drove the car for just a mile away, it started that white smoke and I did check underneath and that smoke is only coming from the muffler.

I will try again today to run it for a long a period of time in my driveway.

thanks again members!

If it didn't happen after 10 minutes immediately after the muffler install, but happened several hours later, it might not be the muffler.

Unless there's a LOT moisture in the muffler, I would expect it to burn off pretty quickly. One way to verify is to run it without the muffler (or put the old one back on if you want to be kind to your neighbors) and verify the problem isn't further back.

If the smoke is truly coming off the muffler, my vote is paint or some sort of coating on the muffler that is burning off as the muffler gets hot. If so, it will go away soon....

But, I'm an optimist!

Was it a new muffler?
If so it could just be the coating/paint inside the muffler burning off.

If it was a used muffler:
It could easily be oil inside from the previous 914 the muffler was on.

In either case I would get out and drive it for an hour or more on some open roads where it can really get up to temperature.

At the very least it is a good excuse to drive the 914

Jim

When I mentioned looking for where the smoke is coming from, I meant, is it rising off the outer body of the muffler (or) coming out of the tail pipe?

I know it's a pain to remove it, but that's probably the best thing to do if it doesn't cease smoking in another day or two - at least you'll know for sure if the muffler is the source or not.

Update: Yesterday I let the car run for 30 mins until the dipstick thermo showed 230 degrees F. The smoke get lesser and lesser and yes there is black liquid coming out of the tail pipe (somewhat water and oil mixture). I guess this used muffler came from a leaking engine oil. I hope all that old oil inside already burned out. I will see next time I drive the car. If more smoke maybe I will just drop the muffler and clean it with diesel inside it and blow it with air compressor.

thanks again members!

DO NOT clean it this way. You will cause more smoke not less and your car will have a diesel smell on top. If you've got an oil soaked muffler, just run it at a higher RPM in the hwy (4th gear maybe) and let it burn/blow that crap out. It will do it with heat and RPM.

I agree. Diesel is oil based and will only cause more smoking. Heat and time is your easiest cure.