White smoke from tailpipes/ Please help/Running out of ideas

erniet17

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Oct 4, 2005

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Aug 13, 2008

#1

• Aug 13, 2008

• #1

Hey all. We just purchased a 1991 vert. On some occassions, when you crank the car in the morning, it will let out white smoke and the car has a huge misfire. It smells like raw gas. So far we have changed the coil, cap, rotor, cables, plugs, mass air and removed the cats. It's also been through a few tanks of gas. What can this be? I'm assuming that if it were to be a head gasket it would do it at all times. It might do it when the car is on the highway at normal operating temperature. I would appreciate any and all feddback regarding this issue. Thanks

 

cenok is family

15 Year Member

Jun 25, 2003

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Aug 13, 2008

#2

• Aug 13, 2008

• #2

it sounds like you might have some worn valve stem seals

 

jd-hart

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Jun 29, 2005

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Greensboro, NC

Aug 13, 2008

#3

• Aug 13, 2008

• #3

Does the white smoke happen to have a "blue" tint to it? If so, I would say valve stem seals, especially if it does it at start up.

Not sure about the mis-fire though???

 

erniet17

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Oct 4, 2005

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Aug 14, 2008

#4

• Aug 14, 2008

• #4

Ho blueish tint to the smoke. It smells like raw fuel and it looks more like condensation.

 

old_blue

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Nov 3, 2003

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Aug 14, 2008

#5

• Aug 14, 2008

• #5

If it was fuel it should be black. It is ok to have some condesation out of the tails but it usually isnt that noticeable.

 

1987stangman

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Jul 12, 2006

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Aug 14, 2008

#6

• Aug 14, 2008

• #6

How many miles on the car? My 87' GT started this last month but I sorta expected it soon because it starts with the engine burning oil. The valve seals in the heads need to be replaced.

Good excuse to buy new parts!

 

erniet17

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Oct 4, 2005

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Aug 14, 2008

#7

• Aug 14, 2008

• #7

It doesn't do it all the time. It smells like raw gas, misfires/sputters and a ton of white smoke coming out the pipes. It doesn't smell like burnt oil. I am going to try and take a picture of it when it does it again. It smokes almost as bad as when you use seafoam.

 

Mustang5L5

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell

Mod Dude

Feb 18, 2001

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Aug 14, 2008

#8

• Aug 14, 2008

• #8

Well if you remove the cats, you are always gonna have a little smoke and the raw fuel smell.

Did it do it before removing the cats?

Run a compression test to check if a HG popped

 

jd-hart

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Jun 29, 2005

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Greensboro, NC

Aug 14, 2008

#9

• Aug 14, 2008

• #9

When you check your oil does it look normal?

 

old_blue

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Aug 14, 2008

#10

• Aug 14, 2008

• #10

erniet17 said:

It doesn't do it all the time. It smells like raw gas, misfires/sputters and a ton of white smoke coming out the pipes. It doesn't smell like burnt oil. I am going to try and take a picture of it when it does it again. It smokes almost as bad as when you use seafoam.

Click to expand...

that isn't normal. maybe head gasket? as in above check oil and compression check. if it is milky then you have a cracked head gasket.

 

erniet17

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Oct 4, 2005

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Aug 15, 2008

#11

• Aug 15, 2008

• #11

It did the same thing with the cats on. The oil looks good. Haven't noticed anything in it. If it was to be the head gasket, wouldn't it do it all the time? Or do you think that once the thermostat opens it rushes water into the jacket and into the cylinder? I am going to have the mechanic run a compression test. Thank you all for your responses.

 

S

seijirou

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Aug 15, 2002

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Aug 15, 2008

#12

• Aug 15, 2008

• #12

Do a pressure test on your coolant system too. That much smoke being white, you've got water. So much so that it's preventing ignition in one or more cylinders, so therefore you're smelling raw gas too.

 

erniet17

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Oct 4, 2005

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Aug 15, 2008

#13

• Aug 15, 2008

• #13

Let's say that it is a head gasket. Wouldn't the car smoke all the time. It's intermittent. My mechanic thought it was a sticking injector but he says it's not. Now he's checking the computer and ECT. I don't know what the ECT would cause but he said it is possible. The car has been in the shop 4 days and no one can figure it out. It's probably something stupid.

 

S

seijirou

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Aug 16, 2008

#14

• Aug 16, 2008

• #14

erniet17 said:

Let's say that it is a head gasket. Wouldn't the car smoke all the time. It's intermittent. My mechanic thought it was a sticking injector but he says it's not. Now he's checking the computer and ECT. I don't know what the ECT would cause but he said it is possible. The car has been in the shop 4 days and no one can figure it out. It's probably something stupid.

Click to expand...

Yes it could be because with heat and metal expansion, although rare, you can have a headgasket that only leaks when the expansion/contraction makes things shift "just so".
However, that's really really unlikely.

There are more ways for coolant to get in your chamber than a headgasket. It can enter through the lower intake manifold gasket to head, and also through the EGR spacer/throttle body.

 

erniet17

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Oct 4, 2005

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Aug 17, 2008

#15

• Aug 17, 2008

• #15

The car will mostly do this when it is cold. First thing in the morning. The coolant lines to the throttle body spacer are disconnected. The mechanic pulled plug #1 out when it began running crappy annd the plug was black. He's thinking something electrical.

 

erniet17

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Oct 4, 2005

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Jan 10, 2009

#16

• Jan 10, 2009

• #16

Well, it ended p being the computer. We replaced it a couple of months ago and it's been fine since.