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Followup To
Question - it's white smoke it comes out when i first start the motor then after it starts to warm up it comes out heavy, the teanny has been rebiult and the motor has been worked on gaskets abut not a complete engine redo. any help would be great !
Hi i own a 1966 thunderbird 390 v8 lately i been getting alot of smoke coming from the passenger exhaust what is the best way to find out whats going on with this ? is there any thing i can add to tone this down ? Thanks ..
Answer -
I responded to this last night, but I guess the system lost it somehow.
I need to know what color smoke, and when it occurs (cold engine, warm engine, accelerating, idling, coasting - and so forth).
Give me some more data, including what you know of the history and condition of the engine, and I'll try to guess at which of about 10 possible causes is right.
Dick
AnswerWhite smoke is either coolant or transmission fluid, probably coolant. The cause is probably a failed head gasket on the right head. Have you been watching your coolant level closely? If so, do you notice it using any? If so, the diagnosis is pretty well confirmed.
If it is not using any coolant, then have the transmission shop check for a failed modulator diaphragm.
I'd say, since you've recently had work done on both areas, the chances are about 50-50 for either cause (most problems on cars are caused by people poking around the affected area).
Don't waste your money pouring anything into the car. You've got a failed part, you need to replace it.
The modulator is a $15 part, and so is the head gasket. There should be little to no cost for labor on the modulator, but the head gasket replacement can run into money, depending on why the old one blew.
If you want to replace these items yourself, the modulator is easy, the head gasket requires strong arms and quite a bit of knowledge, but you can do it and I'll advise you if you want.
Take care of these problems before you drive the car more than a few miles - they can cause further problems if you ignore them.
Good Luck.
Dick
