acceleration issues
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 219
Likes: 0
From: Texas
acceleration issues
The car is experiencing sloggy acceleration and blowin white smoke from tail pipe. I recently just rode on the highway for the first time since getting my carburetor cable fixed and the car did fine. It's an automatic and I don't shift the car to overdrive.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
Clear, white smoke is an indication that coolant is getting injested directly into one or more cylinders. That would be most likely due to a faulty/failed head gasket. If so, and the leak is minor, it shouldn't affect performance too much, however.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 926
Likes: 2
From: Castle Rock CO
If you are blowing white smoke the first thing I would do is a compression test to see which cylinder is sucking water past the head gasket into the engine.
Yes white smoke generally says it is a blown head gasket. Water is leaking into one of your cylinders. I have blown a head Gasket on a 1971 Plymouth Satellite 318 when I was 18 years old performing J Burners on a hill with a clutch. It was fun while it lasted
Over revved the engine and blew the head gasket. Ended up junking the car and buying a 1976 chevelle back when classic cars were cheap.
Pull the oil dip stick and see if your oil has turned white this is caused by blow by in a blown head gasket and the water is now mixing with your oil. you will also see indications of oil into your cooling system.
Is or has the engine ever overheated? If not you probably just need a new head gasket on the side that is leaking. If the engine has overheated then it is indication of a warped head. More common on aluminum heads but a cast head can warp if it gets too hot many times and will need to be shaved.
Yes white smoke generally says it is a blown head gasket. Water is leaking into one of your cylinders. I have blown a head Gasket on a 1971 Plymouth Satellite 318 when I was 18 years old performing J Burners on a hill with a clutch. It was fun while it lasted
Over revved the engine and blew the head gasket. Ended up junking the car and buying a 1976 chevelle back when classic cars were cheap.Pull the oil dip stick and see if your oil has turned white this is caused by blow by in a blown head gasket and the water is now mixing with your oil. you will also see indications of oil into your cooling system.
Is or has the engine ever overheated? If not you probably just need a new head gasket on the side that is leaking. If the engine has overheated then it is indication of a warped head. More common on aluminum heads but a cast head can warp if it gets too hot many times and will need to be shaved.
Last edited by MakoJoe; Aug 17, 2013 at 10:51 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 2,503
Likes: 33
From: McGrady NC
St. Jude Donor '15-'16
Oil floats, so if the black specs sink it is rust and if they float you have problems. Most of the time the oil is more of a dark brown to milky sludge than pure black once it mixes with coolant, but not always.
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,886
Likes: 9
If your car is injesting coolant, and you're lucky, it just might be a failed intake manifold gasket, allowing coolant to be sucked into the manifold plenum and into the cylinders.
If you do a leakdown test, and no bubbles come through the radiator, that just might be it.
Bubbles out of the radiator during a leakdown would signal a failed head gasket.
Check it out before you tear everything apart.
If you do a leakdown test, and no bubbles come through the radiator, that just might be it.
Bubbles out of the radiator during a leakdown would signal a failed head gasket.
Check it out before you tear everything apart.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 219
Likes: 0
From: Texas
If your car is injesting coolant, and you're lucky, it just might be a failed intake manifold gasket, allowing coolant to be sucked into the manifold plenum and into the cylinders.
If you do a leakdown test, and no bubbles come through the radiator, that just might be it.
Bubbles out of the radiator during a leakdown would signal a failed head gasket.
Check it out before you tear everything apart.
If you do a leakdown test, and no bubbles come through the radiator, that just might be it.
Bubbles out of the radiator during a leakdown would signal a failed head gasket.
Check it out before you tear everything apart.
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Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 219
Likes: 0
From: Texas
when i took the head gaskets off I didn't see any tears or problems. I had problems accelerating and climbing hills and wondering if the machining of the heads and replacing the valve seals are necessary. Also im trying to find out what size valve seals i need.
Last edited by czardali; Sep 12, 2013 at 10:54 PM.