White smoke at start up
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2000
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From: Partying with the Cowboys cheerleaders in Mt. Olive, New Jersey
White smoke at start up
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.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 1999
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From: Work
St. Jude Donor '09
Re: White smoke at start up (CoolVette86)
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:
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2001
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From: Athens AL
C7 of the Year - Unmodified Finalist 2021
C4 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
Re: White smoke at start up (HOWSER)
if its not condensation then maybe the valve guides, if its blue then its oil
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,143
Likes: 7
From: San Diego CA
Re: White smoke at start up (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.
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?
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Safety Car
Joined: Feb 2002
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From: Guam
Re: White smoke at start up (Glock'94)
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:
Let us know what you end up finding.
:cheers:
Team Owner
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 24,337
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From: San Diego , CA Double Yellow DirtBags 1985..Z51..6-speed
Re: White smoke at start up (Glock'94)
white = steam ... = coolant ..... = headgasket.
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]
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 12,182
Likes: 1
From: Partying with the Cowboys cheerleaders in Mt. Olive, New Jersey
Re: White smoke at start up (Glock'94)
white = steam ... = coolant ..... = headgasket.
Pro
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 520
Likes: 6
From: Elverson PA
Re: White smoke at start up (CoolVette86)
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.
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 1,994
Likes: 0
From: Charleston, WV
Re: White smoke at start up (black85)
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
Racer
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 276
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From: Springboro OH
Re: White smoke at start up (CoolVette86)
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?
Cruising
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 12
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From: Shadow Hills California
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.
Let us know what you end up finding.
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?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 2,940
Likes: 5
From: Chesapeake VA
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?
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?
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.
