pressf1forhelp
5+ Year Contributor
- 32
- 3
- Nov 24, 2017
-
Oceanside,
California
Hey guys,
Since I'm in QT I decided to work on my car.
Car: 1997 Eclipse GST
Millage: 193,xxx
Here's the issue. I get a some white smoke out of the exhaust while idling for a couple of minutes. This will ONLY occur if the engine is at operating temperature. If I continue to drive the smoke seems to die down not to be seen again until I have to idle (long traffic light, heavy traffic jam ect.). I mainly make short trips with this car so I rarely see the issue pop up unless its rush hour. Driving to work I never see the issue show up due to the fact I drive 12ish miles round trip. I even took her on a long 80 mile round trip with no issues majority of the driving being done on the freeway keep in mind.
I hate to admit, but I recently just got my hands on a OBII reader and my CEL has been on for a while now due to a O2 sensor that I can't seem to get to budge out of its home. OBII reader in hand about a week ago I picked up a new code not knowing how long this code has persisted in the logs.
P0170: The bump O2 sensor. I know the code because I friend ran his reader on my car over a year ago. But because I didn't have to smog last year, I kinda didn't really wanna fuss with it. Currently working on it though.
P0125: Something to do with the ECT or thermostat. I replaced the ECT today and burped the system. The problem still persisted.
A lot of people keep on telling me its the HG. But I've seen and owned a car that had a blown gasket before and I just don't think it's the issue and here's why:
-No loss of power
-No miss fires due to coolant in engine
-No "white goo" on oil cap
-Temp gauge is always sitting just like a cm below the optimal operating temperature on the dash
-No issues of starting the car. She turns over right away and purrs happily
-No little bubbles or boiling over from under the rad cap
-As stated in the post, the car isn't ALWAYS letting out this white smoke, only under certain circumstances
I have done these checks yet:
-Compression test
-Chemical block test
-Removing and inspecting spark plugs
What should I do? I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty as I've worked on all the car I've owned since I was 18. I've got a lot of time on my hands right now and I want this issue figured out.
Should I start with a new rad cap and thermostat? I can't find any leaks in the system or on the ground. I do have to refill my coolant every 8 months or so or sometimes not at all. If it is the HG I plan to do it myself because the shops around here are laughable and questionable to say the very least.
Any help would be greatly appreciated and I know I've posted something similar while ago but I didn't want to bump an old thread.
Thanks again!
Since I'm in QT I decided to work on my car.
Car: 1997 Eclipse GST
Millage: 193,xxx
Here's the issue. I get a some white smoke out of the exhaust while idling for a couple of minutes. This will ONLY occur if the engine is at operating temperature. If I continue to drive the smoke seems to die down not to be seen again until I have to idle (long traffic light, heavy traffic jam ect.). I mainly make short trips with this car so I rarely see the issue pop up unless its rush hour. Driving to work I never see the issue show up due to the fact I drive 12ish miles round trip. I even took her on a long 80 mile round trip with no issues majority of the driving being done on the freeway keep in mind.
I hate to admit, but I recently just got my hands on a OBII reader and my CEL has been on for a while now due to a O2 sensor that I can't seem to get to budge out of its home. OBII reader in hand about a week ago I picked up a new code not knowing how long this code has persisted in the logs.
P0170: The bump O2 sensor. I know the code because I friend ran his reader on my car over a year ago. But because I didn't have to smog last year, I kinda didn't really wanna fuss with it. Currently working on it though.
P0125: Something to do with the ECT or thermostat. I replaced the ECT today and burped the system. The problem still persisted.
A lot of people keep on telling me its the HG. But I've seen and owned a car that had a blown gasket before and I just don't think it's the issue and here's why:
-No loss of power
-No miss fires due to coolant in engine
-No "white goo" on oil cap
-Temp gauge is always sitting just like a cm below the optimal operating temperature on the dash
-No issues of starting the car. She turns over right away and purrs happily
-No little bubbles or boiling over from under the rad cap
-As stated in the post, the car isn't ALWAYS letting out this white smoke, only under certain circumstances
I have done these checks yet:
-Compression test
-Chemical block test
-Removing and inspecting spark plugs
What should I do? I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty as I've worked on all the car I've owned since I was 18. I've got a lot of time on my hands right now and I want this issue figured out.
Should I start with a new rad cap and thermostat? I can't find any leaks in the system or on the ground. I do have to refill my coolant every 8 months or so or sometimes not at all. If it is the HG I plan to do it myself because the shops around here are laughable and questionable to say the very least.
Any help would be greatly appreciated and I know I've posted something similar while ago but I didn't want to bump an old thread.
Thanks again!