white exhaust smoke with a nasty smell

[noob-e]

I searched for exhaust smoke issues, but didn't see anyone mention their dipstick - I started seeing white exhaust smoke today. I noticed it first while my car was idling in the driveway. I drove a few blocks and the car was smoking pretty bad, but by the time I got down the street to QT, it had stopped. I popped the hood and checked my oil, but I could not tell what the oil level was - there was oil splashed up about 4 inches on my dipstick. I cleaned the stick, put it back in and pulled it out, only to find the same thing....there was no oil line on the stick, only a spalsh pattern of oil going about 4 or 5 inches up the dipstick. Is this a sure fire way to diagnose a headgasket? MY dad thinks there is probably coolant in my oil, which is causing the wierd spray on the dipstick. Any ideas?

As of about 1 month ago, my compression was great - i don't remember exactly, but it was around 150 or 160 psi across the board. I have not checked it since the smoke, though. I would check the turbo for shaft play, but before I do that, I wanted to see if anyone had any knowledge of the 'dipstick dilemma' I am having. I saw one post where someone recommended to open the radiator cap and hold a smog nozzle over it - what's a smog nozzle? where can I find one? Ho hard is it to replace a headgasket if you have a decent set of tools and a good head on your shoulders? I have never taken a head apart, but I'd like to try. I assume that head gasket replacement would involve removing the timing belt, in order to pull the head? Thanks for any ideas or advice! I will continue my search, in the interim.

See attached pics of dipstick...

Thanks!!!

 

[MrBoxx]

Check your turbo for shaft play. It takes five minutes. It's also about that time of year when people aren't letting their cars (and oil) get up to operating temperature, possibly creating some lubrication issues in the turbo bearings and seals.

 

[noob-e]

I took off the intake pipe and stuck my fingers into my lil' old t-25 and tried to wiggle it in all directions. I did not feel any noticable shaft play. I pushed, pulled, wiggled left and right, up and down - nothin...it felt solid.

 

[MichaelSuch]

If it's the headgasket check your coolant level, if it's low then there's a possibility. Also check the color, if it's brown then you have oil in your coolant which also indicated a head gasket leak.

 

[noob-e]

Coolant level seems ok and It didn't look brown or dirty. I also followed some else's advice and removed the radiator cap, then started car. I did not see any bubles come up. It was smoking slightly and I can tell you that the smoke smells nasty. I don't know that I would call the smell 'sweet', though.

 

[Teflon]

That is coolant you are smelling, It almost makes you want to gag when you smell it right?

 

[webconnect]

That splashing on your oil stick is because you checked your car when it was hot, and after driving. The oil splashes around. It is also reading low possibly because all the oil is in the engine, again, because you checked it when after it ran and after it was hot. Check it again when it is cold.

 

[cavillac]

You're WAYYY to full on the oil bud..

 

[SD99GST]

Yeah thats what I was noticing, why is the oil so high on the dipstick? Hows your oil pressure gauge reading, do you have high pressure?

 

[3tcpower]

It may be showing that much cause the car was just running when he checked it. Don't think I have ever seen oil that high on my dipstick before though.

 

[ClevelandDSM]

It may be showing that much cause the car was just running when he checked it. Don't think I have ever seen oil that high on my dipstick before though.

Unless its mixed with Coolant\water from a bad head gasket or mayby a split wall or jacket?

If the smokes white it has to be a vapor of some sort. IE. coolant or water.

Your sure there is no blue tint to the smoke?

Whats the end\ inside of the end of the tail pipe look like?

 

[noob-e]

Thank you everyone for your replies!

There was no blue tint to the smoke.

The inside end of my pipe is pretty plack - it's the stock dual-tip exhaust and it h as gotten a little nasty over the years.

Hmm.....I never thought about this, but I was checking the oil while the car was running when I took those pics. I didn't think it would matter, but I guess it does. I usually check my oil when the car is turned off (at the gas station, or whatever). If I check the oil after the cars has been turned off for a minute the oil level is normal. I feel like an idiot now. Is it normal for a dipstick to look like that if you pull it while the car is running? I assume it is, from the splashing, etc.

Anyways, I checked compression tonight and I have right at about 150psi across the board. After checking compression, I started the car and let it idle till it was at normal operating temp. I could sort of smell the smoke, but I didn't see any coming out of the tail pipe. I revved the engine a bit and the smell got worse. I drove the car around the neighborhood (maybe 4 blocks) and I didn't notice any major smoke trail behind me and the oil pressure and everything else looked good.

Should I continue to drive the car until I notice the 'smoke trail' again? At this point, I am not sure what to do. I don't really feel like taking it to a mechanic to diagnose. I have heard that a head gasket job is pretty expensive, especially if you have them put on a new timing belt, etc (which I need to have done). If I have to do it, I am gonna try it myself. I assume that the hardest part of the headgasket job would be redoing the timing at the end. I found a few timing belt kits for around $100-$150 and the complete head gasket sets run around $175-$200 or so.

But...I am getting ahead of myself because I don't even know if that's the problem. Any other ideas for me to make a diagnosis? Do I keep driving it to see if the problem persists? My next plan was to drain the oil and look for coolant. I would imagine that coolant in the oil would be easy to spot, if I drained the oil. I would think that if I do find coolant in the oil, then that's a sure-fire sign of a blown head gasket - right? All ideas and suggestions are helpful and welcome.

I appreciate all that you guys contribute to the site!
Thanks

 

[MrBoxx]

Coolant in oil is not always a sure-fire headgasket, much like white smoke is not always coolant. The two other places I can think of where oil and coolant mix are in the turbo center section (unlikely to occur) and the oil filter cooler housing, which has a water jacket mixed with oil passages. If the oil filter was torqued down too hard on the last oil change, it's possible to crush that water jacket, allowing the oil and coolant to mix. If the smoke you smell does not smell sweet at all, then it's oil burning, not coolant.

in 99% of the cases I've heard about where the turbo bearings/seals were failing, the smoke produced by the oil burning off in the downpipe was whitish/grey. Just to be sure, I would take off the lower intercooler pipe and see if there is any oil pooling in that or the SMIC. Watch your shoes; when my T25 blew, I dumped at least two cups of oil on my Nike's out of my LICP.

 

[ClevelandDSM]

If the oil filter was torqued down too hard on the last oil change, it's possible to crush that water jacket, allowing the oil and coolant to mix.

Never thought of that as being possible. Learn something new everyday.

 

[MitEclipse2G]

got to be bad gasket which can cause leak coolant into the engine.

 

[chico904]

got to be bad gasket which can cause leak coolant into the engine.

Please do not tell someone what is has "got to be" when you are not sure. I would drain the oil and check to see if there is any coolant in there. Has you been monitoring your coolant level?