Yesterday I decided to go for a ride for the 1st time in 1.5 months. After 15 minutes I parked at a store for a while and when I started it back up it was barely wanting to run. It was also smoking from the left exhaust pipes. I drove it for 5 minutes with the cutting and backfiring, then it went away. Today it did the same thing again, and as I drove it would come and go. I thought it might have been injector cleaner I had put in it, but it's only smoking from the left pipes. It backfires loud and smells very rich with gas. Is there a choke on this car, or could it be the injector cleaner I put in it?? Any ideas would be great!

Colin

i wouldnt do that to a car that isnt driven....make sure your car is healthy it need's a work out . as we do

I'm no mechanic, but if it's only coming out one tail pipe I might suspect some type of cyclinder/ piston or ring problem. Maybe oil getting past the rings, hence the smoke? I'd change the oil and do a compression test on the cylinders. Even a look at the spark plugs might give you a good idea on possible problems. They should be dry and have a tan-like color on them. If they are wet and black, that could be a sign of a possible problem IIRC.

Colin,

First, when it is running rough it smokes but when it smooths out does it still smoke??

I would check the plugs or just replace them. If you are going through the trouble of taking them out you might as well replace them. If they are all black and wet they are getting fowled. It seems to me that the plugs are getting loaded up or fowled.

Thanks for the replies guys. It has brand new plugs and wires in it now. I don't think it is a problem cylinder because it comes and goes, especially in the low rpm's. The smoke smells like very potent exhaust smell, not oil or anything. It reminds me of my atv if I forget to turn my choke off. When it's not doing it it pulls great all the way to redline and is smooth.

Colin

Might be a computer problem. Switch them and see if the problem moves to the other side. I had the same smell out of one side of the exhaust. I didn't think it was the computer because it was new direct from Italy. They sent a new one and the problem went away.

OK - a couple of quick thoughts.

First, what color is the smoke? White or black? Funny thing is that a friend of mine just put some injection cleaner in his stored vett and it did the same thing... but I doubt that is what is going on here, as it is confined to one bank.

If the smoke is comming from the left exhaust, it means there is a problem on the right bank (the exhaust cross over under the heat shield). The smell of exhaust usually means she's running rich on that bank.

Remember that you have to engines bolted together as one and there are many components that control the ignition/mixture to each bank ... from lambda sensors, coolant temp sensors, absolute air pressure sensor, etc. However, when one of these goes bad, it will throw a check engine light.

So, what color smoke and do your check engine lights work, and if so, did any come one?

The first thing I would check is all the Small Vacum Hoses for an Air Leak (very Common, and Very Likely, especially the hose to the MAP Sensor, if you have a pre-96 car), if you are positive there are no air leaks on the Manifolds then I would check Both 02 Sensors for either Water in the Connection on just simply failed!!

The smoke is white. It looks like the exhaust that comes out when you first start your car in the morning, but it only comes out from the left side. I've only noticed the smoke when it starts running rough. You said switch the computers to see if it fixes the problem. Not to sound stupid, but how do I do that? I'm still learning many things about the Lamborghinis. I need to get a service manual.

Colin

I did not say switch computers, but that may be a good idea to isolate.
The computers are behind the passenger seat. Move seat forward and remove 2 small phillips in the floor which hold the carpet down. Lift up carpet and you'll see two bolts (about 10mm) bolted to floor. Remove them and lift the passenger storage box straight up. The computers are there with the large L shapped cable heads. They snap out and you can switch the cables.

But before you do any of that - CHECK ENGINE lights. You did not answer. Do your lights work? Do they come on when key is in the "on" position and did you set off a check engine light code?

White smoke could, and I hope not, mean a head gasket also. Early cars had bad ones from the factory and is a one time fix... but spendy.

I would go to a shop with an exhaust gas anaylizer. Sniff the bad tail pipe to see how it's burning (rich/lean) and also sniff the coolant to rule out head gasket.

But give some feedback on the check engine light. They blink when set off and are stored in memory and once a code is discovered you can save a ton of time trying to hunt down the problem.