1993 lesabre, shuts off & smoking!!!!!! Help!

[swhite914]

I have a 1993 LeSabre Limited, in very nice shape. It has 80,000 miles on it, and it started acting crazy last week! While I was on my way to work, the car just shut off. All of the dials lit up(temperature, oil, and battery), and then it just shut off. I thought it was because I needed gas, because the gas light just came as I was driving to work. But, I started the car right back up, went to work, and got some gas at lunchtime. No problems until I'm on my way home, and the same thing happened, the dials lit up again, and the car just shut off. I also knew it was time to get my oil changed, because the mileage was right at something like 80,375, (which is what the sticker said), I am right there on miles. So, after the car died when I got home, I added oil, and also noticed that the antifreeze was low, added some of that, too. The thing is, I spilled a little oil down the front of the engine, and it started smoking! So, I turned the car off, and let it cool until the next day. I went outside, and turned the car on to see if it was overheating OR WHAT, I let the engine just run for like 5 minutes in park, it didn't overheat, but the engine started smoking, and I smelled something burning, similar to a plastic smell. I also saw the "check engine soon" came on, so I just turned the car off. My friend came over and said there was some kind of leak, but that's all. My car has been parked for like a week, and I don't know what to do!!!!
What's wrong with my car???
And how much is it gonna cost???
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

[rustbucket]

If you spilled oil down the front of the engine, then smoking is normal, if may take 10 minutes of running to burn all the oil off the exhaust manifold and quit smoking. As far as the service engine, you need to get the codes read (Auto zone may do it for free).

[buickmastermind]

In advance, the coolant temp sensor may be the problem, but might not be. The oil light came on because when the motor died, the oil pressure dropped to zero, thus turning the oil light on. That is normal. The battery light also comes on in the event that the motor is stopped and the the key in the "on" position. That is also normal.
How does the car ride? Does it vibrate under heavy accelerations? Does it have a not normal acceleration? Things of that nature could point to other problems if they are present.

[swhite914]

Hey, Thanks for responding! Um, no, it does not vibrate at high speeds or anything, it was absolutely fine before this happened! The acceleration is fine as well, everything was running just fine. Nothing irregular happened, the car just died on me!
And ok, if there is oil on the engine, is it supposed to smell like plastic burning? Or something. And should the smoke kind of seep up through the cracks?
Duh, obviously I am a little mechanically challenged, but I really don't know what is wrong with it, and hate to take it somewhere, because I have been ripped off before!!!!!!!!!

[pirho451]

Originally Posted by swhite914

And ok, if there is oil on the engine, is it supposed to smell like plastic burning? Or something. And should the smoke kind of seep up through the cracks?

Yes, especially if it's new oil, it can smell like plastic. I usually have this problem right after I change my oil. I'd let it get up to normal running temp and then let it run for 10-15 minutes, and that should burn everything off.


As far as your check engine light, you can check the codes yourself if you have a paperclip. Here's a link on how to do it.
http://www.geocities.com/dann8785/se...nginesoon.html

[the_doctor]

You might want to check and clean your battery terminals for the heck of it. I was once driving my 89 Lesabre at night and had the engine die on me because of dirty terminals. After it died all the dash lights came on, of course, because the ignition was on and the engine was not running. When I checked the terninals they were EXTREMELY hot due to the poor connection. They are the "screw into the battery" type of terminals. The threaded part . . .actually the whole thing can really corrode badly.

[avatar307]

If you spill oil on your exaust manifold, it is going to smoke. It's oil. It burns. Especially on a 500 degree exaust manifold. Open the hood, turn the car on, and just let it run for 15 minutes or so. It has to get up to operating temp.

Make sure there your coolant is at the proper level. I.e. The mark in the coolant resevoir marked FULL HOT or FULL COLD depending. Watch your coolant level as the engine runs and make sure it's not getting lower.

Buy an antifreeze tester and test your antifreeze. I'm guessing you've never changed it, and thus it's probably not providing all the heat protection it could be. (Coolant is supposed to be changed every 2 years or 30,000 miles I do believe. No one does though... cause it's a pain.)

If your engine is dying becasue it is overheating, then the Coolant Thermostat is most likely to blame. $5 and it probably needs to be changed anyway. (Though it will require some engine knowledge, removing a couple bolts, and adding some antifreeze to do it. Buy a Haynes/Chilton manual.)

Also, VERY important question. How far do you drive to get to work? Highway or city? Lots of stop lights? How hot is it outside? (I'm trying to determine if you regurally drive far enough to let you engine overheat. On the day in question, did you drive farther than normal? If your car did indeed die from overheating, the thermostat should be replaced no matter what. Overheating permanently damages them.)

Your crankshaft sensor may be to blame, as it is only read after the engine comes to operating temp. If the sensor is bad, the engine will die. (Not sure if the camshaft sensor is read only after reaching operating temp... but maybe.)

No need to go to that extreme as of yet, unless your engine diagnostic codes (see above post) reflect a bad sensor. (Changing a crackshaft sensor will be a very... involved repair.)

Also, your fuel filter. What about your air filter? Have you ever changed them? They probably need to be changed. Would make your engine run better, but probably not the cause of your problem.

Cleaning and inspecting your battery terminals is a good idea. This will involve a 6mm or 5/32 socket, some baking soda and water solution. Baking soda is a base, it will disolve any acid buildup on your battery terminals. It's also fun to watch is fizzle.

In reference to your battery terminals, corrosion, etc, etc. Dry cell car batteries are filled with sulfuric acid and water... both of which corrode and eat away at steel. The bolts going into the battery are steel alloy and will corrode when exposed to acid... that's why the connectors are made of lead.

So... steps.

1) Let engine run with the hood up for at least 15 minutes. Observe what happens with your engine. (Don't worry, the smoke should clear up within a couple minutes of it starting.)

-Look for evidence of leaks:
---Weird smells (after the smoke clears).
---Fluid dripping or running from the bottom of the engine (if so, what color, texture, etc).
---The engine using coolant or oil at a more than normal rate.

-Feel the radiator hose, when does it become warm, hot, really hot?
-When do the cooling fans turn on?
-Do the cooling fans turn on after the engine gets hot? (You need to let it run for at least 15 minutes to get it hot enough to turn them on.)

-Does the car die while during the time your observe it running (idling, in park, with the hood raised)?
-If so, when does it die? How hot is the engine? Before or after the cooling fans turn on?
-Does the Temperature light on your dashboard turn on before it dies?

2) Check for diagnostic codes from your engine computer. Someone here will be happy to provide definitions and explinations.

If the check engine is lit when the engine is running then you definately have trouble codes stored. (Note I said running, not after it dies. It's normal for all the lights to turn on when the engine dies)

3) Buy a Haynes/Chilton manual if you really want to know more about cars in general.

4) Other items for consideration:
-Replacing engine coolant thermostat.
-Flushing radiator and replacing coolant.
-Cleaning battery terminals.
-Replacing fuel filter.
-Replacing air filter.