jwells52

So I just bought a 96 A4 (my first audi and i'm loving it) with 150k miles that runs great with the exception of one issue: There is steam coming from my exhaust. Everythng on the car is stock except that the cat is bored out. Its not burning any oil or leaking any coolant so I have no idea where the steam is coming from, and its not just condensation because it does it all the time. Been very busy so I haven't had time to take it to a shop to get it checked out so i'm asking you guys: Any ideas of what's causing this or how to fix it?
Thanks

VFD

have you had it for a drive on the highway for atleast 1/2 hour to make sure any and all condensation is out of the exhaust........it could be a pending problem otherwise (coolant or oil) burning in very small amounts. When my valve seals crapped out I was getting a whitish/gray "steam" but it eventually thickened to white/gray/blue after about a year of driving! with no noticeable oil loss between changes (until it turned blue)
Mine wasn't apparent until I removed the cats and ran "hi-flows" I think the cats were burning up the oil.
Maybe it needs a tuneup? Filter/oil/plugs/wires.....cover your basics first
hope this helps

turbo510

That's not normal, so keep an eye on the coolant and oil. If you haven't looked at the spark plugs yet, wait until the engine is cool and remove them. Any that look different (say ultra clean) could be from coolant in the cylinder. Plugs can tell a lot about an engine, so if you aren't familiar with how they should look, find someone who is. The problem with older cars is that they may have experienced a coolant loss, from a burst hose, etc, and have gasket problems or cracks.