ENGINE SMOKING

[The_Detroit_SHO]

I just recently got my car back from the shop about 2 weeks ago. I had a new CPS as well as a new A/C compressor put in. I also had a an oil leak but i didn't get that fixed due to lack of funds. I was told it was coming from the rear main. The job was gonna cost around an extra 600 on top of what i already had done. I didn't have it so i told the mechanic to hold off.

Anywayz, every time i drive, you can smell oil burning and see smoke coming out of the hood. when you pop the hood the smoke is coming from the the right(passenger side). I had my girlfriend's dad check it out as well as the leak he told me the oil plug was loose as well as aome other bolts under the car. He wiped it down and showed me where the oil was coming from. but he said it wasn't the rear main. He said it was coming from the front somewhere. He siad there must be some oil dripping in the engine somewhere to make it smoke. Before i had taken my car to the shop, the leak was small cuz i only had afew spots on the driveway. After i ggot it back the spots got bigger they were actually huge... i had to put oil in my car twice. so when my girlfriends dad checked it out and when he told me the oil plug was loose i figured that the mechanic was trying to make it look worse so i'd bring it back to him...

Any ideas?? i was thinking about bringing it back on monday but I'm thinking this guy is shady... Opinions please??!! if on;y i knew how to work on cars!!!

 

[Slo-Sho]

If your "mechanic" if you want to call him that, has enough balls to loosen your oil drain plug, I'd go somewhere else.

 

[Jersey Fred]

The REAR main wouldn't cause smoke on the passenger side of the car but the FRONT main would. If the mechanic messed with it while he was in doing the CPS, it would have to be pretty bad off to puddle up like that in a short time.

Get under the car and look up at the housing right near the bottom (crank) pulley. If the oil is leaking out from that little window then you most likely are in need of a new front main.

 

[Chrisssssssss]

If he was already replacing the CPS, then the FRONT MAIN should have beed no problem, because he had already had tings apart for that. It would have taken him an extra 10 minutes to change the seal. If it was the REAR MAIN, then that would have involved separating the tranny from the engine. Pain. If it was the front main, then you would have smoke from the passenger side because it would be leaking on the cats back there and causing it to smoke. It could look as if it were leaking from the oil plug because it would run down the side of the engine and settle near the plug because it is at the bottommost part of the oil pan.

 

[nc89sho]

deff. DO NOT bring it back to him.. if you were in NC, i'd offer to do it for you. i've done it a few times. find a real mechanic that won't sabatage your car.

 

[sdpatt]

To replace the front main seal, you have to remove the timing belt and the crankshaft timing belt pulley. That would probably take a little longer than 15 minutes for a good mechanic. Certainly more than that for one that doesn't know his oil drian plug from a hole in the ground.

Frying oil usually comes from the leaking front main seal (National 710220 $7.99) dripping on the forward catalytic converter. Get down on your knees and look behind (toward the block) the crankshaft damper at the drain port on the lower timing belt cover. If you see drips of oil on there and baked oil on the converter below it, you have a leaking front main seal. These are usually replaced as part of a timing belt change for a minor extra effort. To replace only the seal is a lot of labor for a cheap part. Clean off the converter to reduce the smoke and figure out when you wnat to replace the timing belt and seal.

 

[The_Detroit_SHO]

I checked yesterday and its still leaking, but its alot slower than it was before the plug was tightened. i looked underneath and i can see where its dripping from theres 3 spots near the front but i can't really distinguish them cuz i really don't know what parts are what... i'll look under and describe them to you guys and maybe you can tell me so i'll know what to say when i bring it to a new mechanic. The engine still smokes as well. it smells pretty bad.

 

[SolidState]

When I picked up my SHO a couple weeks ago, it had been sitting waiting for me for about 1-2 months. I drove it home (3 hour trip) and had a little fun with it (those secondaries sound amazing!)...but when I got it home, a puddle of oil formed VERY quickly under it and appeared to be coming from cylinder 3 or the main seal. However, the leak has stopped and all fluid levels are fine.

My (humble) advice is to get under the car and clean all the oil off that you can. It coulda been a temporary leak.

 

[Polar Pear 2004]

did it look like the smoke was by the power sterring fluid resivor. like straigt back from the alternator

 

[The_Detroit_SHO]

yeah the smoke does look like its by the power steering fluid and the alternator. also just below the alternator. but that whole general are there is smoke after i drive and when i shut it off. one of the mechanics said its probably dripping on the exhaust. Hence, the smoke. He also said he thinks its the Cam seal. he conversed with the other mechanic who worked on my car and he said it might be the cam seal as well but he's not sure until he gets in there. Anyway, he said its probably gonna cost me from 250-300. He said no more than 300 though. But he said it could be less. i don't know???? All i know is that i think it definitely needs to be fixed cuz man does that shit stink!!!

 

[projectSHO89]

The rear cam seal will easily leak onto the PS pump and the cat. The two center ones will drain down the block inside the inner timing covers and will eventyally join with any leaking from the front main seal.

A set of 3 front cam seals costs 12 bucks from www.rockauto.com Better figure a couple hours labor to replace all of them, as that will require quite a bit of disassembly and reassembly. I did mine at the same time as my front end 60K work a couple months ago.

To check for a leaking rear cam seal, do the following: Engine cold, feel under the bottom of the camshaft position sensor and its housing. If there's oil there, the rear cam seal is leaking. My sensor had a good tablespoon of oil inside the sensor and housing when I pulled it off.

I also had to replace my front main seal and the oil level sensor and its gasket to get my car from dripping everywhere.

Good luck,

Steve

 

[betterman]

I had the exact same problem as you. After I replaced the water pump and timing belt the car smoked alot. So I replaced the front main seal and it stopped. My car didn't smoke until after I installed the timing belt, its possible that the seal could have been disturbed or wrecked while taking off or putting on the crankshaft damper pulley.