stock 84 camaro 305 carb

As the tittle says, when I first start the car a decent size amount of white smoke puffs out and continues to blow a little for the first couple minutes. Then when I rev it over maybe 3-3500 rpms it blows some white smoke.

I have been having to put some oil in the engine maybe every month. The spark plugs don't look to be in good shape(needs a tune up) and the converter went out a while ago i guess(noticed the bad smell from exhaust)

What could this be? maybe a bad seal

 

It's most likely warn valve stem seals. Once the engine is warm they soften up and start to seal.

 

white smoke might be condensation in the exhaust and you see it at startup. If after many minutes you still see white smoke as you accellerate, you are leaking coolant from the head gasket

With respect to oil consumption, that would be blue smoke, not white.

I suggest trying some head gasket sealant stuff. You can see videos at scottykilmer.com if you are interested

 

I was told that blue smoke is often mistaken with the white smoke

I dont doubt some condensation, there are a couple holes in the exhaust including the converter.

the only other time it blows smoke, besides during the start up, is when i do a quick rev to high rpm(above 3500) and then it stops. I havnt noticed it smoking when actually in gear and accelerating.

Even in winter it didnt really smoke besides the start up and high rev

Is there any other way to test for coolant in the oil besides just looking at the oil? I dont have the greatest eyes

 

presence of exhaust gases in the coolant. You can generally get a test kit and rent it and buy the chemicals at a parts store.

The ole gal is probably showing her age

 

I think it's just condensation. Some engines just puff smoke after revs. Pretty common.

 

not once it's been at operating temp for a while. The OP is unclear with the description. And, I don't think he's talking about sitting in 5 degree F weather.

 

Sorry for it being unclear.

Anytime I start my car, engine cold or warm, it blows out a puff of smoke about half the size of the car. Doesnt matter if its cold or warm outside either it still blows the smoke.

When the cars in park, doesnt matter if its been running for an hour or 10 minutes, and when I rev it, as if im showing off, the car just blows a puff of smoke

Ill try and see if i can make it clear whether its blue smoke or white smoke, but anything your confused about please ask.

How does exhaust gas get in the coolant?

 

A: leaky head gasket

with respect to the smoke, you might just be running rich

is the engine consuming oil?

is it consuming coolant?

 

The oil and coolant is not leaking onto the ground, so im guessing they are being consumed

Every 2-3 weeks i have to add oil(I drive it once or twice a week)

Every month or so i add a little coolant to top it off

I also noticed some smoke coming from the back passenger side of the engine, but couldnt tell exactly where from

 

well, here is where you need to be exact

with respect to having to add oil, it's probably going out your tailpipe. That's not a big deal to hav ean engine that burns oil. Yes, it's power will be down but I doubt you even notice that. You just need to keep some oil with you

The thing that could be an issue is coolant. How much must you add? Coolant doesn't just evaporate every week or two. It is getting burned somewhere or leaking. If you have no leaks, then it's seaping and probably from a head gasket.

That is why I suggested getting a tester from a local parts store. Coolant entering the combustion chamber will be an issue and as it gets worse, could result in the need of a full rebuild vs getting away with just head gaskets.

 

Will be getting the test tomorrow or the next.(I work all day tomorrow) Just curious, expected cost range of the test?

What are the problems i mite encounter when pulling the heads?

 

All the work involved. LOL... it can be done but expect to spend a good long time making sure you do it right. You'll need to remove the manifolds, accessory brackets, intake, etc to get them off.

 

Haha well I guess its good im a perfectionist then. Good reason for me to replace my hoses and everything else on top

but I was really talking about problems like finding out the heads are warped or something like that

 

have you been running with no coolant or overheating the engine every day?

Don't get ahead of yourself. You did not respond to how much coolant you added or if it's constantly needing to be refilled.

Also, are you consuming oil?

Don't call yourself a perfectionist because then I'll suggest addressing both issues and that would mean a rebuild......cha-ching.

if you can live with oil consumption, then do the test for presence of exhaust gases. If the coolant consumption is low you might get away with using some of the head gaslet sealant stuff. It's worth a shot.

If that doesn't work, then you decide if you just want to address the coolant loss (head gasket) or of you are in fact a perfectionist and want to do the full rebuild and spend the money and address both items

 

I Did have an over heating problem last year. I replaced the radiator, lower and upper hoses, 160 thermostat, manual fan switch, and made an air dam.

I add a little over a quart every month or so.

I just noticed coolant seeping through the overflow tank hose where it connects to the radiator and I think there may be some seeping through the lower radiator hose where it connects to the engine.

I believe it to be consuming oil. Yesterday when I started the car and it blew smoke the smoke appeared to be a light blue

If I had the money I would

if you can live with oil consumption, then do the test for presence of exhaust gases. If the coolant consumption is low you might get away with using some of the head gaslet sealant stuff. It's worth a shot.[/QUOTE] Im gonna be getting the test tomorrow.


Yesterday I had to drive the car to my sisters in Chicago, about 45 minutes away, with my mom.(Because a/c compressor on the car we share blew up on the highway.) When we left the car smoked like normal on start, but when I turned onto a main road and gave it a bit of gas a hefty cloud of smoke came out

I just started the car maybe a half hour ago and no smoke at all. Im frustrated and confused

 

Im gonna be getting the test tomorrow.


Yesterday I had to drive the car to my sisters in Chicago, about 45 minutes away, with my mom.(Because a/c compressor on the car we share blew up on the highway.) When we left the car smoked like normal on start, but when I turned onto a main road and gave it a bit of gas a hefty cloud of smoke came out

I just started the car maybe a half hour ago and no smoke at all. Im frustrated and confused[/quote]

do you think the car knows if you are mad, happy or frustrated? it's an old car and it's going to need things repaired. Being frustrated just makes it worse.

I suggest testing for the presence of exhaust gases in your coolant. You can check out www.scottykilmer.com if you want to see it done on a video. It's quite simple to do. If in fact you have leakage, then why not try some magic in a bottle first? It's worth the shot if you could maybe get another 5k, 10k or more miles.

Doing nothing is the worst thing because coolant will destroy your internals.

Once that is addressed, you can then focus on the oil consumption. You can try a bottle of Lucas. It might reduce the oil consumption. It can't fix the worn parts but again, it's worth a shot. So, maybe you spend $50 for the test kit chemicals, head gasket sealer and oil additive. Maybe it helps enough so you get another year out of it before you must address the issue. That would be money well spent and allow you time to prepare for the repair you know is coming.

 

I know its going to need repairs, many repairs. That is why I love it. I wanna know where every nut and bolt goes on this car.

Watched a youtube video and it looks easy. Thanks for the help I ll let you know the results

 

If your car smokes when you start it, it could be a symptom of a bowtie under your hood.

In seriousness, can you smell antifreeze in the exhaust? Stuff is so distinctive I can smell the miniscule seepage from my water pump evaporating off, you should have no trouble smelling it in the exhaust, if it's there. Old engines burn oil, and not all are the same... mine smokes worse as the temperature increases, and especially if I rev it after idling with a hot engine.

 

50 bucks for a plastic tube and a little chemical fluid?

torque_is_good - what bottles should i get to try and minimize the leaks? If it doesnt hurt to use why not and see if it helps

 

Here is a suggestion. It's from the same folks who bring you White Shepherd rear main sealer which I suggest to everyone

http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Devil-Hea...1817052&sr=8-1

As for oil additive, just buy the Lucas at the local parts store.

But, just like with rear main sealer, if this improves the condition of the vehicle, do not consider it permanently fixed. This is about deferring the repair which will ultimately be needed.

 

I noticed it says to be used on v4 and v6 engines. Does this matter

My intentions are to slow the issues until i can address it all at once

 

answer to question- no, it doesn't matter. I suggested one product. I am neither endorsing it nor assuring you that it will solve your problem. Like when I suggest rear main sealer, the question posed is "isn't it worth at least giving it a shot"? If it works, great. If it doesn't, then it didn't cost much to try.

You can check your local parts store or search on line stores for other additives.

 

Great. Thanks for the suggested help

 

please be sure to come back and update this thread with what you decided to do and results

 

head gasket

 

Back with an update.

I got a chance to run to the store and get a bottle of lucas heavy duty oil additive noticed an increase in power and my oil pressure gauge is reading normal(It was reading between 20 and 25 psi and is back to 30)

Ive decided im going to flush my cooling system with flushing fluid first and then use the head gasket stop leak fluid. Aiming to do it tomorrow.