great! I'm glad that it wasn't a coolant seal.

 

& for those of you scratching you heads about the smoke from the engine bay... turns out the bolts the last owner used on the downpipe were too long, so the bolt on the top-front hole did even go all the way in & the downpipe was simple leaking exhaust

 

For the record- the next time you're behind a smoking mini-van. (usually a Dodge Caravan of 1990's vintage) and it's blowing smoke take note of the color. 9 times out of 10 it's oil. Any time you're behind a smoking car is a good opportunity to learn something.

 

Glad I ran across this thread. I finally got my fd deflooded today and these exact symptoms started once I finally got it started. But, mine is a bit different. As soon as the car started, the coolant light came on and the buzzer was sounding.

I checked the filler neck and AST and both were full, as was the overflow. This car has never leaked a drop of fluid since I have had it and I noticed oil dripping on the ground from the turbo side of the car.

I did just add the downpipe a few months back, so the gasket could be the issue. But that does not explain the oil. Any suggestions?