CoolVette86

My car emits a puff of white smoke usually 4 out of 10 times when I start the car. Is this leaky injectors or worn piston rings? The engine has seen over 170k mile. :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: Thanks guys.

HOWSER

It sounds more like the valve guides are worn more than anything else...but with that many miles you may have othre issues too. I'd look there first. :cheers:

vader86

if its not condensation then maybe the valve guides, if its blue then its oil

91vert

I would also say valve guides, especially if it happens more in cooler weather. Same thing happened to my '88 Chevy PU.

:seeya

captainjack

Also keep an eye on your coolant levels. White smoke is sometimes indicative of a head gasket whereas blue smoke is indicative of oil leakage.

John Row

Do a leakdown test and look for bubbles in the expansion tank. Maybe even listen to each cylinder for air leaks.

Did the car overheat in the recent past?

darkcarn85

Try changing to Valvoline Max Life oil. It swells the seals. Ended my smoke, then went back to Mobil 1. I'm at 90k miles.

MinnesotaWhite

GlockLT4

white = steam ... = coolant ..... = headgasket.

Sharky Guam

I think that if it is truly white smoke, you should do a compression check and a coolant system pressure check. If the smoke is a whitish blue, it more than likely is valve seals. Somewhere on the forum, someone said that they had a similar problem and found out that they had leaky injectors instead. So you might want to test them too before pulling the heads. If it were me, I would pull the heads and change the head gasket, do a valve job , and put new valve stem gaskets if the mileage is high.

Let us know what you end up finding.
:cheers:

CentralCoaster

The exhaust gases will condense if the pipes are cold... So when you see water dripping from other cars exhaust pipes in the morning, that's usually the case.

If the motor is still boiling water out after the pipes are hot, then it's probably coolant.

Technically speaking, you can't see steam anyways. :)

Your case sounds more like oil burning.


[Modified by CentralCoaster, 4:50 PM 7/18/2002]

emoshn

Fuel=Black, Oil=blue, white=water

emoshn

You can see antifreeze. It burns white and smells sweet.

CoolVette86

If you guys are right about the headgasket... then DOH! :(

black85

Mine does this when it sits just the right amount of time before starts. I've been told numerous times by knowledgable people that it is either valve guides or seals (I forget). I think it is seals. I was told not to worry about it until it gets embarrasing. I figured I'd wait until I either do heads and a cam or a crate motor to worry about this.

vettmech

If you do a leakdown test you need to take off the rad cap ........if you HAVE a leak you might be putting 100 psi or more into a cooling system that was designed to handle 15 psi.............. then you look for bubbles in the rad not the overflow

joalyons

If its only 40% of the time (4 out of 10) then I would be inclined to think its something other than a head gasket, I cannot imagine why that would only be sometimes. However I think NAPA sells a test strip that you can dip in your coolant and it tells if there is exhaust in the coolant (a major key to a head gasket leak). Also what are your coolant temps, have they changed recently?

Cowboy Kevin

Does anyone know of a good engine shop near Burbank, Ca that can do this type of work?

I have smoke on startup with my 87. The dealer I bought the car from said it was valve seals and said it could be done by compressing air in to the cylinders through the spark plug sockets. He also said it wasn't a bad thing because the oil in the cylinder protected the engine.

This sounds like a cheat or a shortcut to me, and my experience with cheats and shortcuts is that the people that use them usually do a half-assed job. My valve cover gaskets are leaking anyway and I reckon that that's further reason to do it the right way.

How much should it cost me and how long should it take?

Square

Unfortunately, I am on the other side of the country from you so I can't offer you any advice on a good shop. However, I did replace the valve stem seals in my late 86 (aluminum heads) in February. It was my first time doing the job. I bought a Fel-Pro Gasket kit (well under $100) from Advance Auto Parts. I asked my mechanic what the job would cost and he quoted me "$600 minimum", thus I took it on myself. It is not hard, but I understand why the mechanic quoted what he did. The job is pretty simple, but very time intensive. I spent about 25 minutes on each cylinder replacing the seals, and then another hour setting the valve lash. The car has run well since with no smoke and no valve clatter, so I am happy wth the results.

If you can find a shop at a price you can handle, great. If you want to give it a go, send me a message. I took photos of each step and I would be happy to tell you exactly what I did.

SmartChoice

i'm glad i found this i will be doing this next week ^^^ can you post pictures?