Date: 17 Jul 2003 21:49:25 GMT From: lkrznopsamcomnospam (LauraK) Subject: Re: Smokin' exhaust - the plot thickens.....
>Smoke is coming out of the exhaust, and nowhere else - I thought I'd said >that >(?). So could be early signs of a blown gasket. I guess this could turn nasty >at the drop of a hat? I'm thinking of driving away for the >weekend................. should I take the train? White smoke? Is it the exhaust itself that smells or is the odor something you smell in the car? Have you had a lot of rain/humidity or used a different gas station than usual? Try a bottle of the gas additive that takes water out of the gas tank. That could eliminate the white smoke after one or two bottles. Some gas stations have problems with water leaking into the storage tanks. There's a BP station near me I won't use because of all the problems I've had with water in the gas. If you're smelling burned coolant/additive inside the car, it probably isn't coming from the exhaust unless you've got a hole in the exhaust. The smell is coming from something leaking coolant and dripping on hot parts. The odor comes up through the vents. So you may have two problems instead of one. :) If you're smelling burning coolant/additive at the exhaust pipe, it's probably a leaking gasket. For a do-it-yourself test: put newspapers under the front of the car and some white paper towels on top of those. With the car running, hold a white paper towel over the end of the exhaust pipe so that the exhaust passes through it. After a few minutes, look at the towels and see what you've got. Water? Oil? Coolant? I've run cars with leaking head gaskets for months without a problem, if circumstances required it. Could do damage, hard to tell. For the last year, I think the Lincoln had more stop leak in it than coolant. BTW, my knowledge of cooling systems comes from 5 years of owning and working on a 1980 Ford Fiesta. Great little car with the cooling system from hell. lauraknopsamousergraphics.com http://www.madmousergraphics.com web design, print design, photography
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