ok here's my problem, whenever i cold start my 86 GXL, i can hear it missing steadily and when i rev over 4k-ish it it smokes real bad, white smoke and smells sweet. but once it warms up no smoke or miss firing, but still has a sweet gassy smell. my question is if I do have a blown or weak seal, what can i do to help prevent it other than tearing down my motor? (this is my DD)

thanks

 

If we are talking about smoke through the exhaust then:

White smoke= water seeping into the combustion chamber. Usually a bad seal.
This is most noticesable after the car has been sitting overnight. The seals will contract some during cooling allowing water to seep in. When you start it in the morning the water will create the problem you descibe. Once it warms up the seals will expand some making a better seal. The next thing that will happen is your water will start filling up the reservua. The sweet smell is the coolant/antifreeze. I am sorry to tell you this but there is no way to fix it other than opening up the motor.

 

Are you loosing coolant? If you are having to add coolant on a regular basis then you most likely have a blown seal or the o-ring retaining wall in one of your plates has deteriorated to the point that coolant is leaking into one of your combustion chambers. Typically you would also be experiencing coolant overflow at the resevoir in the front of the car.

 

I used to get the add coolant alarm almost daily, but it was due to a bad rad cap. i replaced it 4 months ago and only added coolant once. the motor has never overheated. my over flow tank is dry and has been since i got the car 10 months ago. is this good or bad? thanks

 

a back-yard-mechanic way to check the coolant seals are to fill your coolant right up when the engine is cold and crank the motor. If excessive amounts of coolant spill over (more than just the engine shaking causing spilling) then the coolant seals are gone for sure. Get your compression checked too, easy way to find out if anything is up with any seals

 

Your "overflow" tank should have coolant in it all the time up to the full mark. The tank is used to accommodate expansion and contraction of the coolant as it heats up and cools. If it's dry, you are low on coolant. You shouldn't have to almost never add coolant unless there is a leak either externally or internally into the other sections of the engine.

 

Not to threadjack, but I have the same problem but I never loose coolant. Does it still mean a coolant seal is bad?