smoke from accesory side ran on low oil

[cmz829]

I have a 95 atx. My car sometimes has a hard warm start. So i crank it a few times it sputters worse then normal. So i check the oil and it is almost bone dry it was at the top of the curvy part. so I go with a buddy in his car to the gas station and get some crap oil. put 2 quarts in and let the oil settle. while putting the oil in some missed and ran down the front of the engine. (it was dark and raining) check it and it is at the add 1 quart. so i drive it home which is maybe 2 blocks.

A few hours later i go to get my paycheck and while driving i smell thru the heater it smelled like a blown out candle. park it and smoke is pouring from the accesory side and around the wheel well with a chemically/ burnt out candle smell (i burn a little oil and have a small leak it didnt smell bitter like that unless the cheap oil smells differant) . so i check the oil and add another 1/2 quart i had. get it home check the oil and let the smoke stop. the only time the oil pressure light was on was when it sputtered i would never drive it with that on

a hour later i go and tinker with it a little bit start it up and watch under the hood to see if i could tell where the smoke was starting, give it a few revs and turn the wheel a few times ( was thinking ps leak) and nothing. so i drive up the street get maybe 2 blocks to a stop sign and smoke is pouring out again. so i park it look under the car and it is puddling something near the accessory side so i reach something under there , wipe the ground and whatever its leaking is dark (it could be dark from running down the grime on the motor) . the water pump was replaced maybe 10k ago by the previous owner. when it cools itself down it seems to make a slight humming noise sometimes it gets up to r but never above that. im thinking a remanufactured water pump was used and maybe it went out on me? i checked the coolant and it didnt seem that low. there was a little in the overflow tank.

what im thinking is that when the WP kicks on thats when the smoke starts. but if so where is my oil going? what are the major leak areas on that side for oil? i already replaced the oil pressure sensor.

there is a 145k on her and the ac doesnt blow cold could it be the clutch locking up?

 

[itwonder]

There are some conflicts in your description that make it difficult to pin down. Burning coolant has kind of a sickly sweet smell. But it is bright green, not dark. PS fluid is often very dark, almost black. It could be a leaking PS hose. You can borrow a coolant system pressure tester at Autozone, pump it up to 15 lbs, and see if it holds pressure to check that system for leaks.

 

[cmz829]

i was already leaking oil from that area with a little oil smoke. my oil pan gasket is deteriorated a little. im thinking that this smoke that i am getting isnt related to the oil leak unless running on low oil damaged something.

 

[itwonder]

If 2 quarts brought it up to the Add mark, then you were down 3 quarts. The capacity of the SHO oil system is 6 quarts. I doubt that damaged anything.

 

[revhardSHO]

If you dumped a lot of oil down the head it will collect on the exhaust manifold and start smoking for a while.

Good read!

 

[es-8ch-oh]

i had this problem with my atx, it was an oil leak, i got to the point where i added a full gallon jug every week and a half or so. i never found out what the problem was, i didnt have enough money to get the new alternator and brake caliper i needed so its sitting waiting for me to tear apart and figure out what the **** went wrong. i had oil leaking from (who knows where) down my accessory side of my motor down the side of my tranny onto my exhaust and inner wheel well. if u figure it out let me know, since urs was a 95 atx, it could be common?

 

[ScottyDsntKno]

The leak points for oil on the accessory side would be the front main, the cam seals and the valve covers. My vote is a cam seal, likely the one in the back which is damn near impossible to change with the engine in the car. This would also explain your hard starts since when that seal goes it often goobers up the cam position sensor and the car doesn't start right up all the time.

Also could be a valve cover seal. Sounds like its time to do a full 60k and replace all the seals. If that car has 145k on it and never had the seals done that's likely your issue, also do the timing belt/shims like...now if you haven't already or if you don't know the history.