Firebrat

Picked up a '91 Bird 3.1 for a great price. Changed air filter, and plugs. The original (AC Delco) did need changing, but weren't THAT bad.
Ended up installing E3's, and now I have HUGE SMOKE clouds, and engine sounds like its about to die, but will idle.
Am i supposed to let it run for a bit to warm up, or is there another issue, with a side of coincidence?
(No wires are crossed)

UNCLE TOM

iTrader: (1)

a full tune-up , rotor , cap , wires , fuel filter . if your new plugs are good (I'm not a fan of E-3's) the other items should clear your problem . I feel the problem is ignition for sure . get the best plug wires you can afford . cheap carbon core (mostly made in china) start to degrade from the date of manufacture . they may well be 2 years old by the time they hit store shelves . I would bet your old wires are stiff & cracked . good solid/tight connections on plug wires (at plugs & cap) are essential . good luck ...

Ron U.S.M.C.

Even if it ran well before the plug change, moving the old wires around as UNCLE TOM mentioned did them in.
I buy most of my tune up parts from Summit Racing on line but believe it or not some of the chain stores carry good name brand parts. Some times they have to order them in but its usually there in a day.

Look for MSD parts. A lot of places carry that brand.

TallTim

iTrader: (2)

Gap checked? Also you can test each wire with ohm meter. You can get a spark tester at AZ for $10. Great for troubleshooting. Agree probably bad wires.

Firebrat

I put the old plugs back in, (they weren't that bad). It RUNS! The E3's were covered in oil already.
The only thing that bothers me, (besides the small cloud of WHITE smoke now at cold start) is the strong smell of fuel coming from the engine.

Thanks so much for the tips!
I will do wires next.

ASE doc

How many miles on the engine? Oil on plugs and smoke at startup is generally valve stem seals/guides. As far as the fuel smell goes, look carefully at fuel lines and connections. A small leak may not create any pooling because the fuel evaporates as it leaks.

Over time, as the charcoal canister of the evaporative emissions system gets loaded up with contaminants, it loses its ability to absorb fuel vapors. When this happens, you get more raw fuel vapors passing through the canister and pooling in the engine bay. If you don't find any system leaks, and the smell of fuel seems to be coming from the canister area, suspect the canister itself. In hot weather, there will be more vapors and thus more fuel smell.

Firebrat

240k miles
Dont know if the engine has been replaced.
Are you talking about the cat? Which canister are you referring? (Sorry. First ever project. In desperate need of knowledge.)

mmadden55

The evaporator canister it is the size of a large coffee can and black with three tubes connected to the top. Blue smoke is running rich. White smoke is either water vapor or oil.

Not sure what caused the rich problem with the new plugs except possibly you didn't have the wires on good.

Firebrat

I found the canister. looks like it needs a couple new tubes (very old and cracking). Can i take this thing apart and clean it?

Firebrat

ASC doc, & mmadden, and everyone else:
I'm going to take the canister off and blow it out. Thanks for the input. I don't know what i would have done without this forum and ALL you smarties. Its good to know a broke person can get some FREE help once in a while.

ASE doc

My experience is that black smoke is rich AFR, blue smoke is oil. White smoke, or steam, is from the catalyst warming up and is normal after a cold start, as long as it isn't excessive. Excessive steam can be caused by poor combustion overloading the catalyst with HC and CO. Steam can also be coolant intrusion into combustion but the smell of coolant in exhaust is fairly obvious and this kind of steam generally just gets worse as the engine runs.

Firebrat, the canister does not come apart and is not really something you can clean. There is a felt filter on the bottom that you can blow the dust out of. Once the charcoal itself has become coated with fine dirt and loses its absorbancy there really isn't any way to restore it. Also unfortunate is that as far as I know, the canisters for this era of EVAP system are no longer serviced by the OEM or any aftermarket parts suppliers.