My 51 (350chev)is starting to let off a little white smoke on left side anyone know any quick fixes thanks in advance.. Pat
Oh you just pull it out and rebuild it. If youve just fired it up for the first time in a while there is hope. If youve been driveing it not really
what kind of white smoke? Usually means you're burning antifreeze. Not a good sign. Quick Fix: No such thing. Do it right. Check for coolant in the oil. Have a leakdown test done. A head gasket replacement may be needed. Could be worse though - bad head, bad block...
X2. Sorry dude. The only time I had any luck was after having my heads re-done I got a lot of white smoke and was able to re-tork the heads & got rid of it.
If your lucky, changing the head gasket will be the quick fix. If not, time for a rebuild. Good Luck.
<HR style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e5e5e5; COLOR: #e5e5e5" SIZE=1> <!-- / icon and title --><!-- message --> David Bistolas; "what kind of white smoke? Usually means you're burning antifreeze. Not a good sign. Quick Fix: No such thing. Do it right. Check for coolant in the oil. Have a leakdown test done. A head gasket replacement may be needed. Could be worse though - bad head, bad block..." Perfect. Reminds me of highschool when the quick fix was a can of pepper in the radiator. Almost as quick fix was a trip to the store to get a can of StopLeak. Before anyone mounts up,.....I'm not suggesting that. But it did work sometimes.
there is one other thing... occasionally the modulator on the transmission gets a pinhole leak in the diaphragm and sucks trans fluid up into the manifold. which can cause a nice white smoke.
That is what I was going to say. An overfilled tranny will do it every time, or a vac. modulator. When does it smoke? all the time, after you drive for a little bit? How is the temp? What does it smell like? Tranny fluid smoke and coolant smoke both smell sweet, but decidedly different.
If it's an automatic, check the modulator. If it's a stick, it's probably coolant. I'd try stop leak. Zecol Mendtite has worked the best for me but it's hard to find. You should be able to smell antifreeze in the exhaust. Does your antifreeze level go down?
Maybe you just need to warm up the motor. All cars produce water vapor when running. You really see it this time of year when the weather is cold and damp. More on the left side than the right because the exhaust gets diverted to the left by the heat riser valve. If it disappears after 5 or 10 minutes you have nothing to worry about.
51 Flat.... well? let us know what it is when you find out. all goes into the files for future reference
I think you will find that antifreeze makes more steam than smoke. Steam will dissapate rather soon, oil smoke will linger. If it smokes upon startup, particularly when it is somewhat warm, and then goes away, it is probably valve seals. If it smokes constantly there are bigger problems.
THE WINNER IS twenty gallons IT WAS A BAD MODULATOR ON THE TRANS AND WAS I EVER GLAD IT WAS RUNNING GREAT AND AFTER A FUN SUMMER WITH 2 NEW SHOWS THAT I WENT TO I DIDN'T WANT TO SPEND THANKS GIVING TAKING MY TRUCK A PART, SO THANKS GUYS FOR ALL YOUR HELP.. PAT SORRY THERE IS NO PRIZES JUST GREAT INFO.
just checked back. Great, glad we were able to help. Glad you are back driving. Isn't HAMB the greatest? we used to take a can of trans fluid, stick a few feet of clear plastic hose in it, put a little butterfly valve in the line and stick the other end on a vacum port in the intake manifold. BOY can you lay down a fantastic smoke scree when you open the valve. , NO one can drive thru it. night time especially.
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