Is this a sign that the smoke is my catalytic??

[teh_mugen18]

lemme explain...

1st, my car when i first turn it on, puts out like CRAZY CRAZY amounts of white smoke... ...ok, this tells me that the pistonrings or the headgasket are bad. It also idles around 1500rpms or so. All the while, its pushin out loads of smoke which smells nastyyyyy.

2nd, when my car gets up to running temperature, it idles at a smooooooth 750rpms, and doesnt push out even the LEAST bit of smoke, white OR black. Naturally, the exhaust still smells a little but overall, the car runs beautifully.


I just dont understand this, because someone earlier today told me i would need to get a new motor, but after this ''good behaviour'', im starting to think the opposite.. The motor is a B18A1 with only 133K on it (but i think its been molested... ) . Im trying to get the car ready to pass emissions. LMK IA!

[Barefoot]

got any oil in your coolant or milky sh!t on your oil cap.

[khaxnguyen]

^ that's a question for you! (?)

[AnthonyF]

valve seals might be leaking like DSM's. DSMs have a major issue with that. When ur car cools the shrink and let oil drip but when they warm up they expand and seal so no oil can flow through (what they are supposed to do).

easy SORTA fix, is running thicker oil so it doesnt seep through as easily

[AnthonyF]

got any oil in your coolant or milky sh!t on your oil cap.

that doesnt explain white (oil) smoke coming out the tail pipe. That signifies that the headgasket is blown.

[teh_mugen18]

that doesnt explain white (oil) smoke coming out the tail pipe. That signifies that the headgasket is blown.

I know...but it goes away once the car is warm...

Plus, i thought another symptom of the headgasket being blown is that the engine overheats(?). Mine doesnt overheat at all, its so crazy.

Hehh, anyways, i only need to get the car to pass emissions, after that i can go about worrying about my headgasket, etc. Do yall think itll pass when its on its ''good behaviour''?? As in no smoking, no high idling, etc. etc. etc.?? Personally, i think it can, once its warm. But then again, i dont know much about emissions and stuff like that.....

[teh_mugen18]

got any oil in your coolant or milky sh!t on your oil cap.

Oh, and none of that either.

[Bpeterson]

i know this may sound wierd but does the exhaust smell similar to rotten eggs if so i have noticed that to be be a sign of a bad CAT

[itsnotarex]

Your cat might just be old. Hell, my car smokes, idles high, and smells funny for a couple mins after a cold start, and it's 6 months old. The cats need time to warm up before they work properly. Older cats take longer and don't work as well. This might be why your car fails emissions. You can get replacements at a muffler shop but they ain't cheap.

[AnthonyF]

LISTEN! A bad cat is not going to create white smoke out of thin air. A bad cat will throw a CEL and run poorly and burn gas.

run thicker oil and see what happens. Wait till the summer. I bet the smoke goes away.

I work at a reputable shop and know my sh*t.

[teh_mugen18]

The people who had the car before me said that it used to throw a CEL, but that it ''somehow'' miraculously ''went away''....

Also, when they turned the car on for me to test drive it, and it didnt throw the CEL, they were both like ''WOAH WTF?! it went away..!! cool...''

I think ill try to replace my cat too and see what happens.

i know this may sound wierd but does the exhaust smell similar to rotten eggs if so i have noticed that to be be a sign of a bad CAT

Also, yes. the stuff smells freakin HORRIBLE. it was so bad on my way back from school that the stuff got all inside the car and made my clothes stink too. lol, I probably shouldnt have opened the window...

[AnthonyF]

GM-when you get in your car again, turn your key to the ON position. Check to see if ur CEL even works. If it doesnt, they pulled the bulb out.

[teh_mugen18]

GM-when you get in your car again, turn your key to the ON position. Check to see if ur CEL even works. If it doesnt, they pulled the bulb out.

just checkd it in the garage, YEP they pulled the bulb. cant believe I didnt even pay any attention to it..

[AnthonyF]

I told u i know my ****. Aight, put a bulb in there and see if it comes on. Im sure it will. Find the Code if it has one. But ur head's valves might be leaking oil or ur rings have collapsed a bit. it happens

[teh_mugen18]

sweet.....

EDIT: im also gonna try out a reputable 10W-30 oil too instead of 5W-30, cuz the oil thats in the car now is the cheap oil with no name brand that you get from the gas stations b/c you dont have the time or cash to go get some REAL oil from a parts store...
:idb:

[Kaiser]

sweet.....

EDIT: im also gonna try out a reputable 10W-30 oil too instead of 5W-30, cuz the oil thats in the car now is the cheap oil with no name brand that you get from the gas stations b/c you dont have the time or cash to go get some REAL oil from a parts store...
:idb:

10w30 may not be significantly different, though it's certainly less drastic than a straight 30 weight or 15w40 oil. If you lived in the area near Dobbins I'd tell you to come bring it to me at work. (I know oil. Trust me.)

[blackshine007]

I know about the 2.2L OHV being that my mother had one. I told you in another thread that those head gaskets fail under their own power, especially if you don't add the coolant pellets to the coolant. The best sign to see if the head gasket is blown is to pop the hood and look on the driverside where the transmission meets the engine. Now where the head meets the block, look at that corner. I bet that you're gonna see a trail of old coolant running off the block. THEY ALL DO THAT!!! I bet if you change the head gasket and add the coolant pellets to it the problem will go away. BTW, you might have killed your catalyst as well. Usually any fluid that isn't water vapor (like engine oil or coolant) will kill the cat.

[EK Hotch]

I agree with AnthonyF, I believe it's probably your valve stem seals. There's a lot of vacuum on the intake side(like 20ish inches of hg.) and your valve stem seals are supposed to keep the oil in the head and vacuum in the port. Your engine can and WILL pull oil past the intake valve stem seals if they are damaged or worn especially if they are cold, causing oil to get into the combustion chamber which will burn and make nasty white smoke.

[AnthonyF]

^+11 back at cha

[blackshine007]

I agree with AnthonyF, I believe it's probably your valve stem seals. There's a lot of vacuum on the intake side(like 20ish inches of hg.) and your valve stem seals are supposed to keep the oil in the head and vacuum in the port. Your engine can and WILL pull oil past the intake valve stem seals if they are damaged or worn especially if they are cold, causing oil to get into the combustion chamber which will burn and make nasty white smoke.

First off, know your colors out the tail pipe. White is coolant, blue is oil, and black is an overly rich condition. I DON'T agree with Anthony. So that non sense about the valve seals is irrelevent to the situation at hand. Like I mentioned before, that is coolant, not oil.

[EK Hotch]

First off, know your colors out the tail pipe. White is coolant, blue is oil, and black is an overly rich condition. I DON'T agree with Anthony. So that non sense about the valve seals is irrelevent to the situation at hand. Like I mentioned before, that is coolant, not oil.

Sorry guy, I didn't mean to step on any toes.

[blackshine007]

No problem. No toes stepped on.

[teh_mugen18]

I know about the 2.2L OHV being that my mother had one.

lol, i dont have the sunfire anymore, i got a DB1 'teggy now. This is the B18A1 we're talkin about now!

(personally, i think the motor very likely had been molested by the previous owner though.... Especially since its a HONDA motor acting like it wants to start breaking down after only 133K.)

[redciv1]

Did you purchase that car off of one of the IA members?

[teh_mugen18]

Did you purchase that car off of one of the IA members?

yep

[blackshine007]

lol, i dont have the sunfire anymore, i got a DB1 'teggy now. This is the B18A1 we're talkin about now!

(personally, i think the motor very likely had been molested by the previous owner though.... Especially since its a HONDA motor acting like it wants to start breaking down after only 133K.)

Most honda engines are, especially if you bought it from any member here.

[teh_mugen18]

Most honda engines are, especially if you bought it from any member here.

im really not surprised at all.....cuz, that motor, even though it was molested/screwed/raped etc., its still got some GOOD power. From the first time i got in the car, i was wanting to take it all the way up the revs. lol, WHOOPS there goes 500 past redline.. ..I was distracted by its large amount of torque heheh

(hehe, that was my first time doin that . Now im just babying the car as much as i can.)


lol great story huh?

[RWD164]

I know...but it goes away once the car is warm...

Plus, i thought another symptom of the headgasket being blown is that the engine overheats(?). Mine doesnt overheat at all, its so crazy.

Hehh, anyways, i only need to get the car to pass emissions, after that i can go about worrying about my headgasket, etc. Do yall think itll pass when its on its ''good behaviour''?? As in no smoking, no high idling, etc. etc. etc.?? Personally, i think it can, once its warm. But then again, i dont know much about emissions and stuff like that.....

A lot of compression related problems will act like yours. Do not be mislead about having any 1 specific symptom for a blown head gasket (other than total loss of compression). Cars overheat if the head gasket breaks so exhaust gasses are being pumped into the water jacket surrounding the cylinder. If your radiator hoses are bulging this coule be the case... My guess, you either have a cracked ring that is pumping oil in to a combustion chamber or a cracked head gasket at a oil-to-gas boundary. Either of these, if minor may appear to go away when everything heats up and expands.

MA