98 firebird problem

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joesperformance

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I have a 98 Firebird 3.8L V6 5spd T-top. While driving down the road and shifting gears no problems, but when I stop, the car starts smoking like crazy and temp slowly starts climbing up. Temp is fine while driving (highway) and no smoke while driving or shifting gears. The car smokes more and more as it warms up. Any ideas?
 
what color is the smoke, blue(oil), black(gasoline), white(antifreeze)?
 
smoke is mainly white with a lil blue tint to it, it smells like oil mainly tho. I opened the radiator cap and it looks oily looking and i pulled the oil dipstick and it looks kinda watered down a lil. I think it is the headgasket, but i dont think its fully blown yet and i never let the car over heat, so i think i saved it in time.

Do you think its the headgasket or could it just be the intake manifold gaskets?
 
try a compression test to determine what the cause is
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I hate doin compression test on these cars, dang plugs are a pitty to get to, but it needs to be done.
 
what is the easiest way to do compression test on the 4th gen v6 birds? under the car or certain things to move up top and do it from up top?

Also I ran car today with the radiator cap and oil fill cap off, no oil shooting out oil fill. Seems like a good amount of bubbling and steam/smoke coming out radiator fill cap, with cap off, did not smoke out exhaust pipe with cap off. Let car cool down and put cap on and warmed car back up again and it was smoking out exhaust pipe when it warmed fully up. Any ideas?
 
just rip out the little V6 and drop an LS1 in it. You'll be much happier lol...seriously, I'd try going from underneath the car for the compression test. is there more liquid in the radiator than in the crank case or the other way around?
 
It really sounds like a head gasket. If the fluids are mixing, that's not a good sign.
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mike8410 said:
just rip out the little V6 and drop an LS1 in it. You'll be much happier lol...seriously, I'd try going from underneath the car for the compression test. is there more liquid in the radiator than in the crank case or the other way around?
Click to expand...

Very very tempting, but I think it'd be more work then I really wanna do. Swap engines, Swap trannies, Swap wiring harness's, Swap computers, more work then just doin the headgaskets.
 
anyone know a reliable shop to change the headgaskets around Houston, TX? cheapest i have found so far is about 1400 + the gasket kit/head bolts, so about 1650 all together total, thats goin with O'reilly using felpro headgasket kit and felpro head bolts.
 
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Yea, thats kinda what I thought too, since its almost a 15 hr job by the mechanic book. between tear down, prep, put back together, and test. so 1400, really isnt bad. Im just debating if i should spend the 1400 + gaskets and head bolts, or I found a 63k mile engine for 1400 and just pull this engine and throw in the used one.
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Found a shop in houston that will pull my engine put in a rebuilt engine w/ a 3 yr warranty for 1800, so i think im just going to go that route, I dont see a point in spending 1600 just to replace the gaskets, then additional money to rebuild heads, when i can get a whole new engine w/ warranty installed for a couple hundred more.
 
Here are some pics of the smoke and this is with the car 100% warmed up. I noticed if I rev it up to about 2.5k rpm the temp will come down. I also noticed with it fully warmed up that there is no heat coming out my heater, its ice cold air. And the fans are kicking on, 1st fan kicked on around 210 degree's on temp gauge.

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well, had motor checked out in-depth. Found out its got a blown headgasket and bad rod bearing. So......

Fresh Built Motor:
Original block and heads
Clevite Bearings (Main, Rod, cam, and Crank)
Block bored .20 over
.20 over pistons
ZZP GT2 Cam
105# Springs w/ZZP retainers
Comp Cams Performance Pushrods
All new gaskets
New freeze plugs
ZZP valves
ZZP Single Timing Kit
Electric Water Pump
Ported/Polished Heads
Ported/Polished Intake Manifolds
New Oil Pump
New Hoses & Belt
All new sensors and fluids
ZZP Lifters
New Crank

Shop was going to charge me 1900 to rebuild motor with stock internals, with new crank, bearings, bored .20 over, gaskets, freeze plugs, water pump, oil pump, stock rebuild heads. Basically everything. With me buying the ZZP stuff, im saving a lil money on the shop side and im upgrading at same time, so overall im happy.

And I have a dyno shop that is going to dyno tune my car with the cam and everything for 250-350, includes removing the P0300 code, so engine light wont be on.

I am going to have a fully built motor minus the forged pistons and rods, only thing motor is missing, but im not goin to spray or boost, so I really dont need them anyways.

Also picking up a Magnaflow Hi-Flo Cat, Magnaflow Catback exhaust w/dual exits, and SLP intake locally to top the new motor off.

What kind of power you think I will be at on this setup?
 
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