QuestionI have a 1990 Chrystler LeBaron and it smokes all the time i thought it was no big deal because i got an oil change and everything is running right but today when i was about to go to work my car didn't start. So what can be wrong with my car?
AnswerHi Nikki,
If the smoke you have seen was white (steam) then that indicates a water leak, most usually a head gasket leak.
If the smoke was blue that means oil burning due to worn valve guides usually. If it was black, that indicates bad control of fuel mixture. Any one of those needs attention.
But you might also have a separate problem involving the engine controls. And there is a way to find out:
Try using the ignition key: turn it "on-off-on-off-on" and leave it "on" (doing this quickly, no longer than 5 seconds). By "on" I mean just the normal position when the engine is running, not the cranking position. The 'check engine'light will remain on when you leave the key in the "on" position with the engine still not running. But then watch the 'check engine' light to begin flashing, then pause, flashing, pause, etc. Count the number of flashes before each pause and keep track of the numbers. Repeat the readout and verify the counts are correct. Then group them in pairs in the order that they came out, thus forming two digit numbers. You may notice that the pause is shorter between the digits of a given number, and longer between the numbers themselves. Then send me a 'follow-up' question telling me the results of your readout. By the way, 55 will be the last number (two groups of 5 flashes each) and that is the code for "end of readout".
I have the troubleshooting manual for several engines and we can look up the possibilities of what is wrong based upon what fault codes you show. When you write back tell me what engine is in the car you are driving.
There is also an essay on fault codes at the site:
http://www.allpar.com/fix/codes.html
So get back to me with the answers and we'll go from there.
Roland
