Exhaust condensation in the morning

[dmlgc]

I noticed that when I start my 50i in the morning the exhaust is putting out steam for about 2 minutes then it goes away and I don't have it the rest of the day. I had not seen this on my x5 or wife's 330. This is my first turbo car, is this normal ? anyone else seen it ?

[Kojak]

I've got that white stuff coming out my pipes also. I hope its steam and not oil but since its correlated with colder temperatures I'm not worried

[dmlgc]

Originally Posted by Kojak

I've got that white stuff coming out my pipes also. I hope its steam and not oil but since its correlated with colder temperatures I'm not worried

Ya mine started when colder weather started but just thought I would ask. thanks

[chonko]

Originally Posted by dmlgc

I noticed that when I start my 50i in the morning the exhaust is putting out steam for about 2 minutes then it goes away and I don't have it the rest of the day. I had not seen this on my x5 or wife's 330. This is my first turbo car, is this normal ? anyone else seen it ?

Certainly steam- nothing to worry about.

[Kojak]

I blew the seals out in a saab turbo 20 years ago and the white smoke was really dramatic. There was no missing the loss of performance without the turbo

[archwerks]

I noticed that this a.m. only the drivers' side had the condensation/fog effect at start up & not on the passenger side.

[Suzie's Dad]

Originally Posted by dmlgc

I noticed that when I start my 50i in the morning the exhaust is putting out steam for about 2 minutes then it goes away and I don't have it the rest of the day. I had not seen this on my x5 or wife's 330. This is my first turbo car, is this normal ? anyone else seen it ?

The main product of combustion in your engine is water, good old H2O. Fuel is a carbohydrate, air is a mix of nitrogen and oxygen, so...

CxHx + O2 + N = H2O + CO + CO2 + NOx + ...

Coming out of the combustion chamber, the water is a hot, invisible gas: steam. As it passes through the cold exhaust system it condenses into visible water droplets, which is what most people mean when they talk about steam but which would more accurately be called 'clouds' or 'mist'. As the exhaust heats up, the steam no longer condenses but exits the exhaust still as invisible steam. Mixed, of course, with carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, and sundry other nasties, but still mostly steam.

Completely normal during cold starts in cold weather and little to do with having turbos. I'm surprised you say your X5 didn't do it; mine did, every winter morning.