I was just wondering if i could get a little advice on what the problem is for my car. About 5 days ago i turned on the car and noticed white smoke coming out the tail pipe. I talked to a friend and he said if the smoke is real thick (blanketing thick) then it's a head gasket problem. We just took a look at the car and it started letting out white smoke again. It didn't smell like coolent or oil and it wasn't thick. He was unable to say what is was.

After turning off the car we noticed an oil leak coming from the oil pan. It probably has nothing to do with why it's letting out white smoke. We checked the coolent and the oil and didn't notice anything different about either. There was no coolent spotted on the ground. I need a new muffler but doubt that's the reason it's letting out white smoke. Also, when stopped at a stop sign or at a stoplight, the cars seems to shake a little as well as shake when it's about to shift.

1990 Chevy Lumina
3.1/v6 auto
156,000

Thanks,
Sam

 

Well, if your coolent drops, and you have no leaks then the white smoke could be linked to the head gasket. But if there is no drop in coolent I do not know.

 

White/Pale grey smoke is usually oil. Valve seals. Easy replace. If its a medium grey its usually coolant. You WILL Know if it is cause after the car gets warmed up it begins to sputter. Black is gas. Running rich.

If the white/light grey smoke is only a whisper at start up then fades out quickly, no bigie. My car does that and burns no noticable amount of oil. If it stays the entire time running... replace the valve stem seals. OR, you'll lose alot of oil and burn up some bearings eventually.

 

I appreciate your replies. But, Camaro, almost every site i look at or everyone i talk to has white smoke being linked to water or coolent in the combustion chamber. They have blue smoke as the smoke for burning oil. I'm not testing your credibility, just trying to inquire anything that can be wrong and try to narrow it down to 1-3 things so i can then go ahead and fix the problem. Thanks nonetheless.

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. BTW, i konw i'm leaking oil through the oil pan. I'll check my coolent to see if it is decreasing.

Sam

 

My car smokes at start up. Its white. Its NOT coolant.

 

i realize that it's "normal" for cars to release white smoke at start up for 10-15 seconds. What my inquiry was, was what would be the likely effect of white smoke coming out the exhaust after starting up. Say more than a minute or so. I appreciate your help.

Any other help would be appreciated.

Sam

 

Hey Guy don't question the experts, white smoke at start up (GM"s are known for this at about 80K to 100K) equals valve stem seals. Oil leaks past the seals and burns white at start up. I have a 92 RS 3.1L and thats what I am having fixed at this time.



Trust this sight these guys are good.

RSCamaro39

 

thanks a bunch RScamero. Greatly appreciate it.

Couple of questions. Did it blow out white smoke while driving to? And also how much are they charging you to fix it?

Thanks

Sam

 

Depending on the shop and how they do it. You/They CAN replace the stem seals with the heads ON the car, or they CAN charge you to take the heads OFF and charge the *** load of labor for that(but I bet they will charge for the removal of the heads, but they won't take them off to save time and trouble). But the trick is you can ask to see the old head gaskets to make sure they took the heads off(IF they charged you for that labor!)


Now what to do IF they CHARGE YOU for taking the heads off(BUT they didn't) is ask to see the used parts, and if they refuse you say simply I am going to the attorney generals office now and filing a suit against you!, If you cannot furnish proof of the service.

You ALWAYS WANT TO SEE YOUR OLD PARTS, UNLESS IT'S AN OBVIOUS REPLACEMENT.

 

Boricua caught on in the TGE section but lets clarify a bit.

White= Water either in fuel or air (condensation moisture, general ait temp).
Black= Rich too much fuel possbly lack of air flow resulting in too much fuel.
Blue= Oil consumption either rings or valve guide seals.
Whiteish/Grey tends to indicate coolant. Exh will smell sweet and yummy :lala: Not a Joke!

SSC

 

SSC is right on the money.
Go with that boricua 482.
aAlso check the oil to make sure there is no water in it, when oil mixes with water or anti-freeze it turns whiteish.

Check your spark plugs you will be able to tell the one thats getting antifreeze on it.

Another possibilty is a bad intake gasket . I have seen them blow between the water jacket and the intake runner.


Good Luck