Hi! I'm new here to the third gen forums, and I need help with my 'Bird. I need to do a radiator flush and I need to know what kind of coolant the Firebird needs. I also another question, i have smoke coming frmo under my valve cover and above my exhaust headers. what is that and where is it coming from? it only happens when the engine gets hot, its white smoke, and theres not a lot that comes from it.
Thank You all, and its a 1987 Pontiac Firebird with a 305 5.0L V8 with an automatic trans.

 

Regular old green antifreeze mixed 50/50 with water.


Your white smoke is same, most likely culprits include heater hose or intake manifold gasket.

 

Originally your car came with plain old ethylene glycol coolant (the green stuff). There are many "universal" coolants out there compatible with both the old O/G stuff and newer coolants. Lots of stuff will work in it. I prefer a 1/3-2/3 mix (as opposed to 50/50) with the coolant being the 1/3 portion. Unless you live somewhere it gets REALLY cold in the winter. Water is a better transfer of heat than coolant is and these 3rd gens need all the help they can get in the cooling department. Make sure you still have the factory plastic "chin spoiler" bolted on under the radiator support. It's CRITICAL to cooling on these cars at highway speeds.

Smoke near the valve cover.... sounds like you just have shot/old/hardened/cracked valve cover gaskets to me (hard to tell from the description). The factory exhaust manifolds run up and over right at valve cover rail height and they just BAKE the valve cover gaskets. 87-up engines are easy, though. They are what's called "centerbolt valve covers". Just take off the valve cover, scrape off any old gasket material that happens to stick (usually not, but it happens), put on a new valve cover gasket and tighten the 4 valve cover retaining bolts until they stop (they run down the middle of the valve cover, hence "centerbolt" valve covers). No need for gasket goo or anything like that if you use factory-style gaskets. Just put 'em on dry. No real torque required, either. When they stop turning, you stop tightening.