Exhuast smoke...Valve cover?

[someguy1984]

I have a 95 eclipse and it's pretty clean. Although, i notice when i turn on the motor in the morning, a little bit of white smoke comes out. Also, my friend told me while i was driving and when i shifted a little smoke would come out. But...When the car is just sitting at idle their is no smoke...

I can see a little bit of oil coming out of the valve cover. It looks like it's come out of the middle lower screw. (You can see a bit of fresh oil after driving for a while)

Also, i notice their is some oil on the heat shield, which means it is coming from the valve cover screw i was talking about...

So, what do this mean? I need to replace a head gasket? Is this causing the smoke?

Also, is it hard to replace the gasket, should i have someone else do it? It doesn't look too hard, but maybe it is?

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a26/Camaro0wner/nonamehhh.jpg

 

[Locke]

Fix the VC gasket, though that isn't the issue.

Do a compression or leak down test, note the smell and colour (is there a blue tint?) of the exhaust when the smoke comes out, and post the results.

 

[MrBoxx]

Smoke after shifts is also indicative of a blown turbo seal/bearing. Take the intake off and check for shaft play. If it's the stock T25 and you've got a lot of miles on it, it could be ready to die. Any in/out shaft play tells you that the bearings are gone. Noticeable side/side shaft play is also not good news. Take off the lower intercooler pipe and check for oil puddling in it and the SMIC/FMIC. Let us know.

 

[06mr9]

try to be sure weather or not the smoke is blue or white.if its white that indicates a coolant leak into the cylinder /turbo somewhere,if its blue then we're talking about oil burn from,like above stated possible blown turbo,valve guide seals,worn rings things like this.good luck keep us posted as to what you find.you can pull spark plugs see if any of them are a lil cleaner then the others.if you find a clean spark plug thats the cylinder thats leaking coolant.

 

[someguy1984]

Really, a bad turbo?

Like i said, it doesn't smoke at idle and only a little when i shift. (Not all the time) It's like a puff my friend said. If i let the car sit a while and rev it up past 5,000 rpms it will have a little smoke come out too and it looks white to me...It doesn't poor out, but you can clearly see it.

Honestly, it looks like oil is in the tailpipe. (Just a little)

 

[GRAVEDIGGER]

Yes this sounds like a bad turbo. Like MrBoxx says, look in the lower intercooler pipe and see if there is any oil and check for any shaft play in the turbo.

 

[MrBoxx]

Classic symptom of a blown turbo. The white smoke coming out is not always a sure-fire coolant leak. I'm willing to bet you either have oil in your O2 sensor housing or a little bit in your lower intercooler pipe and/or intercooler. You should still do a compression test to be sure, but everything you've said so far mirrors what happened when my (and hundreds of others here) T25 blew.

 

[someguy1984]

Hmm, does this mean the car is going to start and get slower? Is it not going to be able to drive or something?

 

[MrBoxx]

As in, eventually, the turbo's compressor wheel (usually) will grind against the compressor housing inlet, bending/breaking compressor blades, which then get pushed into your cylinders. Then the oil REALLY starts to flow out of the bearings, causing the James Bond smoke screen that filmmakers pay lots of money for. Only it doesn't end after you shift, it just keeps smoking. At that point, yeah, the car starts to get slower because it's barely running and hating life.

Check for shaft play. Check for oil in the exhaust and intercooler tracts.

 

[Robert503]

Classic symptom of a blown turbo. The white smoke coming out is not always a sure-fire coolant leak. I'm willing to bet you either have oil in your O2 sensor housing or a little bit in your lower intercooler pipe and/or intercooler. You should still do a compression test to be sure, but everything you've said so far mirrors what happened when my (and hundreds of others here) T25 blew.

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