Hi

Starting about a week ago, my car is having some trouble when i warm it up. Turn the key, it will start then die almost immediatly if i dont hold the rpm's up myself for 10-15 seconds. Also the amount of white smoke coming out has significantly increased since i got the car. it still does stop at one point ( about 5 minutes ) . I dont think the seals are done, but probably the turbo?? What symptoms would there be of a blown turbo other than the smoke?

thank you

 

Coolant seal?

 

sounds like a coolant seal.

let the car sit over night and test it when the engine is cold, remove the EGI fuse and crank the engine for 5 seconds and remove the spark plugs, check them for coolant.

 

side note : the motor cranks much slower than it did a few weeks ago.. would this have anything to do with the spark plugs having coolant on them? if so, I doubt I'd even have to check the plugs
that would make sense at this point

Also, would replacing the coolant seal constitute a rebuild? how big of a job is that

thank you

 

Rebuild-yes. You could do it yourself if youre feeling adventurous.
white smoke=coolant bluish smoke=oil
Are you letting it sit for a while inbetween starting it up?

 

it starts up really slow regardless of down time btwn starts, whether it be overnight or 20 minutes.

once its warmed up it runs smoothly...

but yes, for the last 3-4 days it has been starting verrrrry slowly

 

oh snap..coolant seals for sure..and your starter might be going out..as far as the slow starting..for the white smoke? listen to karack..rebuild here you gooooo....good luck

:AA:

 

check your voltage, you battery could be low, causing your slow starts. just something to look into.

sometimes burning oil can be mistaken for coolant. does the smoke smell sweet? I'd check to see if you have bubbling coolant. does it smoke when you're driving or just at idle? check your TID and see if there's oil in there.

Has your low coolant buzzer been going off?

These are just some ideas to look into before looking into a rebuild.

 

thanks for the info/ tips everyone

The car died last night in parking lot, got it started again by hitting the starter with a hammer, so that answers that question. At this point im sure the coolant seals are the culprit. I check the DP and the inside of it, as well as the 02 sensor were covered in a white residue.

so basically, like all you said, that means rebuild...just what I was dreading

thanks for the help everyone

 

Is coolant getting pushed into the overflow? Any overheating issues?

I would get your cooling system pressure tested before jumping to any conclusions.

 

I know I'm a noob and you guys seem to have this figured out, but could it not be sticky fuel injectors? Unburned fuel smokes white too right? It would also make it hard to start. My old N/A used to flood all the damn time and it got pretty hard to start. It too would blow glorious cloud of white smoke for a while. Just try'n to help.

 

very little white smoke in cold mornings is normal, but like big clouds and smoking alot of white smoke is bad, and increase of smoking is a definite sign of blown coolant seal. Compression check to double check.

 

do you have water coming out of the overflow, or exhaust piping? does the smoke smell like an industrial power plant, or is it a sweet smell?

 

Pfft...Ive been driving just fine with "blown" coolant seals for 15,000 miles. It only smokes if I dont drive it for a day. Good thing its my DD

 

White smoke usually only means one thing guys, coolant, there really isn't another alternative, for some reason i thought unburnt fuel was black? I can't remember, but check your overflow tank, you may not be able to smell anything sweet from the tail pipes, the only sure fire way is to get the coolant system pressurized. Make sure the car is warm when you pressurize the system. I too drove around for about 1,000 miles or so on a motor with blown coolant seals wasn't the best time of my life thats for sure, hot starts and emitting smoke screens in the school parking lots were my cars best traits. In my case though i had oil and coolant issue which made the smoke smell disgusting. Good luck, a rebuild can only mean better things for you. (If done correctly..)

 

a few minutes worth of testing is much better than giving up and saying it needs a $1500+ rebuild, cut people some slack with all the "yup, you need a rebuild!" BS.

the bubble test can sometimes be misleading unless you know how to do the test right, usually there is small amounts of air in the system but not 20 seconds worth of small bubbles or a geyser. obviously though if it is hard starting then there may be coolant being forced into the engine overnight which would easily show on the spark plugs.

some white residue in the exhaust is normal, it should be almost a light tan color at the exhaust ports which is just carbon deposits from the combustion process, if it is plain white and chalky then yes it likely is coolant and would support what we think to be coolant seal failure.

 

thanks for all the info

the inside of the exhaust is pretty much plastered white. I havent smelled the smoke yet, its pouring out everytime i start it, maybe every like 2-3 x i start it

I appreciate the info, but in my case at this point im pretty sure its time for a rebuild. Or very soon at the least, it should run ok long enough for me to save though
thanks again for the info

 

.

 

i vote pressure test, and i'm not trying to be one of those "Yup, you need a rebuild people", but it sounds like your seals are done if the smoke is just billowing out, this sounds VERY similar to my issue i was having, are you having any hot starting issues?

 

I had a similar thing happen with my car. I would start it in the morning and it would smoke bad and wouldn't hold idle untill it wasfully warm and been driven for like 30 min. I took it to the shop and it turned out to be a stuck open injector. replaced that and no more problem.