Looks like it'd be coolant but there's no smell of it.The coolant in the car is probably old,but it is still fairly green in color.Do you think that old coolant possibly sitting for years is so diluted that it'll smell more like water steam?Because that's what it sort of smells like.

 

Not blue smoke,no oil burning smell at all.

 

Intake manifold gasket????Maybe a slight crack between the water passage and the fuel mix duct??

 

This is Connie's (Bucky92) former 1982 1800 GLF.

t could just be condensation the heat in the exhaust sometimes causes mousture to condense in the right conditions

 

??

Condenstaion - white smoke when first starting is considered normal. Now if it doesnt go away, then i would worry. Also antifreeze always smells when burned , no matter how old.

 

 

nipper

So white smoke at startup is normal? For how long? This is totally unrelated but my Chevy V8 always did that for about 5-10 minutes every time I started her, used to worry about it. It was completely odorless and I think it was steam, it would condense on my hand if I put it over the tail pipe.

I know this smoke and its not the normal condensation smoke..unless there is ALOT of it somewhere. Its like a smoke screen sometimes.If I am correct..its not just on the morning start-up like normal condensation. My Loyale on cool mornings has alot of condensation smoke. This might show up onmorning start...or afternoon after the car has been run or sitting for a hour or so...sometimes not.wierd thing it is.

For anywhere from ~$12 to $30 you can send a sample of your oil to the lab and they'll tell you whether there's coolant (or water) in it. Then you'll know for sure.

My EA82 does this all the time. If it sits for more than a day she smokes. I think it's mostly water but I know on mine there's a bit of oil too. Possibly just water for yours. Smell is the best indicator and you say it's pretty odorless which indicates water.

Smeels a little fumy,so I tend to think it's dumping way too much gas in the mix.I'll need to go over the carb/choke sometime soon.

 

 

This is NOT normal condensation,but thanks.I've had lots of cars over the last two decades and when the car smokes after just shutting it off for five minutes it's not condensation.

 

I detect the slight smell of the new gas we have here.We'll see,but any ideas are appreciated,thanks.

smokes AFTER you shut it off

 

nipper

If "Summer" sits for more than a few days, I get a blackish smoke out the tail pipe until it has idled for a while. Smells rich.

 

If I rev it up I can get a fair amount of "dust" in the air.

 

It all goes away when it's warmed up a bit.

 

For what that's worth?

Glenn

82 SubaruHummer--Summer

84 GL--Mad Max

01 Forester--un-named...

No Over heating or anything of that sort?

smokes AFTER you shut it off

 

nipper

 

...as in turning the car off,performing an errand,and returning to start my car again.

 

If my car began smoking with nobody behind the wheel and not running I'd call for an Exorcist.

No Over heating or anything of that sort?

 

Runs a tad bit toward the warm side but never overheats.

 

 

Never see any dust,it's a true vapor/steam with a light gas smell and is very light,doesn't hover around low to the ground like an oil,it just lifts into the air but in a thickness which would make most folks think it's an oil blower.

 

I'm still thinking it's choke related and it's dumping too much gas in.

Keep 'em coming.Eventually I'll have it fixed.I've never really seen anything like this.I am TOTALLY familiar with oil blow by,oil in the cylinder from leaky valve seals,headgasket failure,and intake manifold gasket failure and this appears as neither of those.Very strange.

 

If it had the "maple syrup" smell then I'd go right to intake manifold or head gaskets.But it doesn't.

gas and water; the smell doesnt lie. the cause is the real question. maybe the carb is slowly dripping into the intake then down into the chambers and you are burning all that extra off on startup; coupled with a bit of condensation in the exhuast manifolds and you have quite a ... steamy conclusion!

We had a car come into the shop with a very similar problem and it would overheat just a little... we went through everything and finally put a block tester on it and found that the head gasket was slowly and i mean slowly leaking. you can pick up the tester and instruction on how to use it at your local napa.

If it is white and dissipates into thin air as the air absorbs it, it is water vapor. If it is white and doesn't dissipate but rather thins out as it gets diluted by air, and you have an automatic transmission, it is likely ATF.

If it is white and dissipates into thin air as the air absorbs it, it is water vapor. If it is white and doesn't dissipate but rather thins out as it gets diluted by air, and you have an automatic transmission, it is likely ATF.

 

After talking to my brother,a former Subaru mechanic from the 70's through early 80's,it would seem Pat has the answer.Modualtor swap as soon as I can.Stay tuned.

...Modulator swap as soon as I can.Stay tuned.

I had thought that you had already replaced (or about to do so) the modulator, otherwise I would have been more certain about the ATF smoke. Kind of classic with the 3AT.

Thanks Pat.You'd think maybe more folks have experienced this and chimed in.Hopefully this will be the last automatic I own untill my body requires one.

 

I think in my whole life I've maybe owned 2 automatics as drivers-discounting parts cars.

 

Well,no time right now but maybe I can get to it later today/tonight.

 

I've had modulators needing to be replaced in my wife's automatic 3spd Subarus but they NEVER made a cloud of any sort so this train is just coming down the tracks for the first time in my town.Thanks for the insight.

Pull the vac line off of the modulator, if it drips ATF out of the line, the mod is fubar.

 

Also, burned ATF will slightly irritate your eyes if you were to be standing in the exhaust plume coming off of the car. Been awhile since I've had one go bad and can't quite recall what the exhaust smelled like.

Pull the vac line off of the modulator, if it drips ATF out of the line, the mod is fubar.

 

Also, burned ATF will slightly irritate your eyes if you were to be standing in the exhaust plume coming off of the car. Been awhile since I've had one go bad and can't quite recall what the exhaust smelled like.

 

 

Thanks Tom,I knew that.I've replaced modulators before but they never made the car smoke at all,just shifted badly.

Thanks Tom,I knew that.I've replaced modulators before but they never made the car smoke at all,just shifted badly.

The vac modulator on "Christine" was so bad that I thought I was driving a James Bond car... step on the gas and leave the cars behind in a cloud of white smoke. After some tender attentions Christine behaves herself... and also doesn't try to attack my wife anymore. Good car, nice car...

I agree, modular went bad in my new Ford Ranger. I thought for sure it I had screwwd up the engine , truns out AT fluid was being sucked up into my intake manafold. but usally, if the modular is that bad, it wont go into gear for about a minute in the morning.

 

I also agree with the possibility that AT fluid may be leaking on to the exaust at the Governor cover only to burn off after a hour of use. I have had that happen also.

I agree, modular went bad in my new Ford Ranger. I thought for sure it I had screwwd up the engine , truns out AT fluid was being sucked up into my intake manafold. but usally, if the modular is that bad, it wont go into gear for about a minute in the morning.

 

I also agree with the possibility that AT fluid may be leaking on to the exaust at the Governor cover only to burn off after a hour of use. I have had that happen also.

 

First part,yes.Second part,no,it's not leaking at all.Very tight engine and tranny,....look,no spots!!!

 

Thanks again guys.You all might as well let this one drop and when I change the modulator I'll give a full report.If I need help from that point then we'll dogpile on it once again.

 

Cheers!