blowing white smoke

[R32's Kick ass]

hi i'm planning to buy a 1990jap spec Mitsubishi Galant VR4, theres a couple of problems, first its blowing a puff of white smoke under full throttle and only wen i up shift, also steering wheel shudders when under brakes. any help would be appreciated

Tom

[curtis73]

Big no-no. white smoke is coolant burning. Blown head gasket is a best-case diagnosis, cracked head or block is worst-case.

Skip it, or pay accordingly.

[R32's Kick ass]

well i no it wouldn't be a cracked head or block cause it was reconditioned 5000km's ago, there was one problem after that, a valve cracked, he got that fixed and its still under warenty. he said it could be the valve seal is leaking or something like that, i didn't really unserstand what he said tho

[curtis73]

don't ever assume that recent work means that it can't be the problem. In fact, recent work is often an indicator of what's wrong. If you suddenly find yourself with a dead battery after you replaced the alternator, chances are its a bad alternator.

White smoke is burning coolant... period. If its blue-ish smoke its oil. Drive it and have a friend follow you with his windows open. If the smoke is steamy white and smells sweet, its coolant. If its blue-ish and smells like a chainsaw or other 2-stroke engine, its oil.

the most common cause of coolant leaks in a reconditioned engine is either improper cleaning of the deck surfaces making the head gasket leak, or a warped head that they thought they could get away with. It honestly sounds to me like the owner had it reconditioned for as cheap as possible, it started burning coolant, and now he's trying to unload it as fast as he can.

Run (don't walk) as fast as you can and find another car, or at least expect that you'll need a complete remanufacturing of the engine (or a replacement) and budget that into your purchase.

If in doubt, find a mechanic to drive it for you and have him check it out. I know you're excited about a rare car, but keep your wits about you. White smoke is a big deal.

[Moppie]

Listen to Curtis.

Lots of wonderful things are often said about how strong and reliable the 4g63 is, whats not often said is how good they are at going bang when they are not looked after.


And remember if its only just been rebuilt, then it shouldn't be smoking at all, ever!
Valves shoudn't crack either, that speaks of some serious engine abuse, or an engine that really shouldn't have left the factory, or has been very poorly rebuilt.

Either factor the cost of a NEW motor (not a rebuild of the one in there) into your sale price, and remember that the rest of the car will need work as well. I wonder what the diff's and g/box are like?
Or, as Curtis said, run away and leave it for another sucker.

[UncleBob]

Originally Posted by curtis73

Big no-no. white smoke is coolant burning. Blown head gasket is a best-case diagnosis, cracked head or block is worst-case.

Skip it, or pay accordingly.

white smoke MAY be coolant. White smoke can also be raw fuel, oil, or water vapor.

The only way to know for sure with ANY exhaust smoke, no matter the color, is to smell it. Have a friend follow you with their window down.

Simply: if it smells like oil, its oil. If it smells like gas, its gas, if it smells like coolant its coolant. Etc

I know that there is a well-established belief that color = content, but I'm trying to make an important point: its false. Completely false. ESPECIALLY when its white. White smoke could be any one of the 4 substances. Do not assume