I have a 2008 C2S with 93k miles on it, and I am having a bunch of random issues. At the moment the car drives great, I am just concerned. I listed the issues by the date I noticed them. The first two aren't a big deal they're just puzzling. The third issue is concerning. Thanks for any advice you can share.

Issue 1: I can not turn off PSM. I press the button and it does nothing. When I push-and-hold the spoiler button it toggles Sports Mode and does not raise the spoiler.

I noticed this yesterday bc I pressed the sport button and the PASM light did not come on. The PASM/Sports Mode notification appears on the dashboard but the little light next to the spoiler and sport does not come on. Random, anyone have any ideas.

Issue 2: I can not open the trunk via the pull-button inside the car. The engine compartment button works but the trunk button does not. I have to open my trunk with the key. I noticed this about a week ago.

Issue 3: My passenger side exhaust tips have MUCH more soot on them than the driver side exhaust tips. This started after I got my AOS replaced after it failed about 10k miles ago. Along with more passenger side soot, I noticed the engine consumes more oil and average oil temperature increase. Oil consumption is a little more than 1 liter per 1,000 miles (before AOS failure it was much less than that). And oil temperature will get up to 250 F in 80-90 F ambient temperatures with prolong driving 3-4k rpms in any gear. The oil temperature quickly drop if to around 220 if I idle for a minute. I didn't really pay attention to oil temps in day-to-day driving before the AOS failed. Is this something I should worry about?

I assume the soot/oil consumption/oil temps are related. I took it to my indy shop for scheduled maintenance and they did not seem concerned. Because of all this, I just recently replaced the water pump, installed a low temp thermostat, added a 3rd radiator, and switched to Joe Gibbs DT40 5W-40 motor oil. I did this about 300 miles ago. Oil temperatures look a lot better. It levels out right below 200 F with normal driving. Passenger side exhaust still produces more soot, and I have not driven the car enough yet after these changes to determine if oil consumption changed.

 

Sooting on one side only is usually a strong indication for scored cylinder bores (cylinders 5 or 6). The other symptoms like oil consumption would further support this.

Are you noticing any unusual clacking noises from the engine?

Regards,

CF

 

I read about scored cylinders. I asked my mechanic about that and he said he didnt think that was the case and since the car is driving fine overall we shouldnt go witch-hunting for a problem. His reasoning was no clicking sound, passenger side exhaust is attached to cylinders 1-3, which don't typically get scored, and engine temp and oil consumption wasn't over the top.
That was like 6,000 miles and about 8 months ago though. At that moment I didnt know what else to ask him to check. Should I ask for something specific next time?

 

Don't panic just yet. Scored cylinders usually happen on banks 4,5,6 which is on the passenger (right) side of the car. This is due to the horizontal cylinders, the direction the motor rotates and gravity. Since the exhaust crosses over underneath the car, the extra tail pipe soot typically shows up on the drivers side (left). You are reporting the extra soot on the non-typical side. I'd try to eliminate all other issues before going down the route of scored cylinders. Honestly it's probably something else. Then again, boroscoping the cylinders is not too difficult. If you are due for a spark plug change have it done anyway. If not, then put it at the bottom of the list and go after the other sources first.

Your temps are a little high but not unreasonable. A third radiator would help if you do not already have it. Not really necessary unless you track the car or idle in traffic in the hotter sections of the country for hours on end. I would skip it unless you have money to burn.

Your oil consumption is a tad high but others report 1 qt per 1000 miles too. The thing I don't understand is the change in oil consumption since the AOS replacement. That would bother me. I'm also assuming the extra sooting on the passengers side tailpipe is new too. If so they are likely related - added oil consumption and uneven tailpipe sooting. It really sounds like something is burning more oil on the drivers side of the engine, and it's related to the new AOS.

Anyone know if a bad AOS could cause uneven soot on a tailpipe? Is one side more likely to happen than the other? I'm aware of a complete AOS failure causing lots of white smoke on startup. But could a failing but not yet completely failed AOS cause uneven oil consumption in the engine?

 

Thanks semicycler for the input. I installed a new water pump, low temp termostat, and a 3rd radiator about 3 weeks ago. Oil temps stay close to 200 F in the Texas summer. I havent driven enough yet to determine if oil consumption had gotten better.
And my AOS did fail and was replaced about 10k miles ago or 9 months ago. After the AOS got replaced is when i started noticing the higher temps, oil temps, and consumption.

 

Tex... can I assume you typically used M1 0W-40 prior to the Joe Gibbs 5w40 you just started running 300 miles ago? I know when I switched over to 5w 40 Motul Xcess 8100 series oil from M1 0/40, I had less oil consumption, and a much smoother running/accelerating car to boot.


I like the borescope idea.... are you due for plugs/coils again soon given your mileage of 93k? as long as youre in there, have a looksee for a minute per cylinder to verify.

 

I switched to Joe Gibbs from M1 and noticed an uptick in oil consumption too. Kinda had me thinking WTF. Was going to wait for my next UOA before passing judgement, but now you've got me wondering why?

 

They changed the spark plugs when the changed the AOS to make sure there was no oil in the cylinders. I'll ask about a borescope next time though. I've driven about 500 miles not on this oil. I'll check the oil this afternoon.

 

560 miles. 2 bars. I swear before the AOS failure I was getting like 5000 miles before 2-3 bars were gone. I'll ask for the borescope next time I do anything around the cylinders.

 

Tex, I notice that sometimes my oil guage may read a little differently if I am not at the exact spot in my garage, etc. and I will take a couple readings over a couple days to make sure I am seeing the correct level. Just food for thought. I see you are reading at the almost exact temp. Might I also suggest that you are probably over filled in the first photo, but only a slight bit. As the oil will expand further when it gets up to operating temp (200+). Maybe get the temp up to 200 or 205 and then measure, your 2nd photo might be at the 2nd bar... possibly? Also the oil temp gauge and the oil level gauge have such poor resolution that it may look like you are close to replicating the scenario, but might be off. Don't get me wrong, you do seem to be burning oil, but I am just trying to look at the brightside that it might not be as bad you think.

 

The frunk switch is broken and can be easily replaced. The part is about $80, and there is a DIY here or on "the other" site. It's a 20 minute job.

Your center console switch issue is something I've never heard of. Was PSE or Sport mode added aftermarket? That would necissitate replacing the entire switch panel, which may not have been done properly. It may also be improperly coded, which the dealer would have to fix using PIWIS.

If the switches are broken, Suncoast offers replacement panels for $85, using your VIN to determine which options you have.