QuestionI just started my 3000GT 1992 after 6 months of storage. There is white smoke coming from the tail pipe when the car idles. I also notice that my oil guage needle drops when the car idles and then picks itself up to a normal level when the car is in motion. I did not have this problem when the car was in storage. I did add a fuel and oil addative and also changed the oil. But still have the problem.
Can you please help me resolve this.
Tony
info@objectmind.com
AnswerTony,
Most old Mitsubishis show a very low oil pressure reading when the car has warmed up and left to idle. As long as you do not have any oil leaks, you should be ok. Be sure you have enough oil in your engine and use at least 10W-30 weighted oil. In the summer months, 20W-50 may be even better.
White smoke coming from the tail pipe after the car has been sitting for a long time is quite common. I store my Eclipse in the winter months, and I see a lot of white smoke when it's idling. Check to see if it's actually smoke or if it's stem.
If it's smoke, it will have distict smell; perhaps that of unburned fuel or oil. If it's steam with a sweet smell to it, that means it's anit-freeze. If that's the case, that could indicate a warped or cracked head gasket. But if it's merely stem with no strong odor to it, then it's normal. Usually, if the smoke goes away after the engine has warmed up, you'e fine. With old engines, oil can leak past the valve seals and guides. During start up, you may see some smoke due to oil burning off in the combustion chamber. But if it goes away after driving and the engine is warmed up, your engine should be fine.
Oil and fuel can break down, chemically, if left to sit for a long time. Before you stored your car, you should have given it a clean oil and filter change, and added fuel stablizer to a 3/4 full (or full) tank of gas. That will preserve your fuel system and gasoline.
Since you've changed the oil since removing it from storage, you can probably rule that out. I would now let your fuel run down to almost empty and refill it with high-octane gas (at least 91 octane) and use a bottle of STP Complete Fuel System cleaner in the tank. There are a lot of fuel system additives and cleaners out there, but I found STP to work great. Also, if it's been over 2 years since you've last flushed out your anti-freeze and refilled it with clean coolant, I recommend you do that. Coolant can also break down, chemically, over time and cause internal engine components to rust because the coolant becomes mostly water. If your car was stored in an area where temperatures drop below freezing, some of the water in the coolant can crystalize, causing ice. Ice crystals can bend and cracks seals, gaskets and enough can even crack your engine block.
Good luck!
