Another thread about smoke...but looking for a different answer.

[shooff1994atx]

My 89 SHO has not had the 60K done..i know that for a fact...there is smoke coming from the engine bay...looks to be on the passenger side by the timing belt area..it leaks oil, also engine coolant leaks (i see a puddle from it), and it smells really bad..I was thinking about getting a new engine for it..but i dont have the money as of yet..its going to cost a pretty penny..but i think it will be worth it..so my question is is it safe to drive like that? Now Im not talking a cross country trip (which I wouldnt even try on a well kept up engine..haha) Im just talking about around town, to work, etc.. The car runs great though..doesnt overheat, doesnt missfire..runs smooth as ****..I just hate the smoke..

 

[green91SHOPlus]

what color is the smoke? What's the smoke smell like? Any idea if it's coming from up high on the block or down low? I guess really it all just depends on where the smoke is coming from and how bad the leak is. If it hasn't been serviced, then a seal could be bad, of course. Find the source. Off the top of my head, your front main seal could need replaced, causing oil to drip down the oil pan and onto the catalytic converter. Also, if your engine runs good, then don't replace it. It would be much less work and money to just do the 60k. It's a good feeling when things don't leak, haha.

 

[TopGunnYFZ]

Mine leaks and i drive it all over the place. I wouldnt be scared to drive it to california, id just make sure i have 2 extra quarts of oil with me LOL

 

[dpsutphin]

Mine had a leak in the same area. Did the 60K and it went away. Anything leaking on the passenger side is usually one of the seals, or the valve cover gaskets that you will replace during the 60K procedure. Oil drips down onto the catalytic converter causing the smoke.

In any event, even if it is a leaky water pump or something in that area, do the maintenance and it will probably fix it. Regular maintenance is more important than anything else on these cars.

 

[matty]

i woulnt to much

i just did my crank seal plus cam seals and timing chain this weekend because i was getting smoke and it only gets worse it took me all day but it is well worth it.and anyways dont you want people saying "wow nice car""instead of saying and laughing at you that your car is smoking"i went to phoenix project on a how to and now feel great that i did.no mo smoke

 

[firstgen89sho]

for the cost of about 200, you can do all your seals and your waterpump and stop all your leaks at once

 

[Toolman]

A bit of front main leak is nothing too bad to worry about. It will usually take a long time to get REAL bad, but I have seen ones so bad that a drive to the gas pumps would drain the oil pan. But as long as you are only seeing smoke and not a huge puddle of oil, you are probably ok. The water though, that is a different animal. ANY leaking water needs to be addressed very soon. It could very well be a pinhole, but with the pressure and heat that the cooling system must contend with, a pinhole can turn into a major issue with little to no warning. And if you do not keep a constant eye on your gauge, you run the risk of running it low on water, heating the engine enough to warp the heads, something you do not want to do.

 

[matty]

toolman?

doenst a leaky waterpump also leak on your cam sensor and ruin those lovely phillip screws that are tiny enough anyways and ruin the cam sensor

 

[Toolman]

Won't really ruin the screws, but it will likely lead to crank sensor problems.

 

[matty]

just wondering

thanks for answering

 

[gurucomputers]

First off I don't want to scare you. Mine almost caught fire from the rear seal leaking. Although I had a little to do with it. I knew the rear cam seal was leaking really bad and on my way home from work one day I got involved in racing a 4.6 Mustang down the freeway. I really ran it hard for about 15 miles. Got off my exit and when I stopped at the light smoke was just pouring out the hood. Good thing I live just around the corner from the offramp!!! I quickly get it home and pop the hood. I could hear the oil sizzling on the cat then all the sudden there was a flame up on the cat. Got the hose and quickly drownded the engine bay. My take was the cat got so hot and the large amount of oil that was dripping down that it reached flash point. Here is a pic of the seal that was leaking.