my muffeler is spewing out white smoke when i start up my car and when i rev above 2500 rpm can you help

 

its probablly your oil seal usually oil is blue but in my car it was really white i guess it was burning it really well, or you could have a coolent leak mostlikely what it is.. cracked block or some other thinggy

 

it goes away after about 5 or 10 min it isnt real serious is it??

 

I would guess you have a coolant leak. check your coolant level and keep and eye on it for a drop in fluid level. If it is that, it will only get worse to point you won't be driving it anymore. Better start saving for a rebuilt/engine swap.

 

blue smoke=burning oil

white smoke=burning coolant

unless it's just regular winter wispy white exhaust, that is. Burning coolant makes for thick white exhaust smoke that smells faintly of cotton candy.

 

Well, since he used the word "spewing" i'm assuming it's alot so I stand by my previous statement. I had a SA that did the same thing, If I shut it off and waited for about 5-10 minutes and then start it again there would be no smoke, so I'm guessing the coolant was getting evaporated in that time period.

 

So youre saying that when you first start your car there is white smoke for about 5-10 minutes at idle and whenever you rev up? And then it goes away? That sounds normal to me...Look around at any car on the road, they smoke white on a cold startup too. I would only be concerned if your coolant level was going down, or if it smelled like coolant.

~T.J.

 

My car doesn't smoke at all on startup, and it's 25 degrees here.

 

Mines smokes at startup..a bit blue and whitish/greyish exhaust.

My car is an 82..it's old...and it's normal for it.

I'd check the coolant level and all that jazz to see what's going on. Does the exhaust smeel sweet to you?

 

thanks but i have flushed the radiator and refilled it and it still did this and the temp guage goes a a bit past the normal temp what do you think is wrong??

 

If your location is correct, I would assume it's not cold in Florida at the present moment. That being said, the thick white exhaust is not a encouraging sign. I can only parrot what others have said, because it's quite important. Check your coolant levels. If the exhaust is indeed coolant being burnt, your levels will go down. If you are burning coolant, it's a sign of advanced engine wear, which will necessitate a new/rebuilt motor. That being said, search the forum and archives for other possible reasons for the white smoke, you may find a simple problem/fix there.

Good luck

Matt
1979 SA22C

 

oh it is real cold here its in the 35s and 40s but my coolant temp is always getting high when i idle in my drive way and doesnt cool off

 

If you are indeed burning coolant (faulty gaskets) your levels will drop and you'll end up with air pockets in the system. This causes the water pump to be unable to pump at times, and both can result in higher than normal engine temperatures

 

check your oil filler tube. is there a shitload of white gunk lining the inside of the tube? a LOT of gunk might mean there's excessive water in your oil and would mean an internal coolant leak. some white gunk is normal and it is only harmless condensation on the inside of the tube. stick your finger inside the muffler. is the inside black, damp and oily? that might mean your car is burning oil. sometimes it's hard to see the bluish hue of oil smoke just by looking. if it's running too rich the smoke would be blackish. if it's fuming pure white smoke and the smoke has a sweet smell to it it is definately coolant.

 

ok thanks

 

That sounds like something expanding/contracting while the car is warming up.

 

you think the head gasket needs replacing??

 

You DO know that there's a ROTARY engine in your RX-7, eight? there's no head gasket, valves, rockers, pushrods, or cam shafts....


It sounds like it could quite possibly be a water seal, but it's DEFINATELY not the head gasket


Jeff

 

ehehe...had a good laugh there.

Dude...sounds like a water seal.

 

Yes. Replace the head gasket. That's definately what's wrong. (sigh)

Matt
1979 SA22C

 

a'ight, I think he meant gaskets and might have said 'head gaskets' out of habit

There's a producer I work with named Ellen (El for short) and her last name starts with Mac... so naturally on occasion someone slips up and calls her El MacPherson (her name actually rhymes with that, too)

 

I think/hope so too

Jeff

 

it is what i meant i recently replaced a head gasket on my 626 250 bucks so ijm still thinking about it pricey

 

A complete gasket set is only $150 for the Rx-7.

 

oh my gosh this is expensive