My 1996 Firebird smokes from the exhaust when I start the engine- what is the problem causing...

[Fatdude427]

My 1996 Firebird smokes from the exhaust when I start the engine- what is the problem causing...

...this? The car has the 3.8L/ V6 engine. It has about 140K miles on it. It runs fairly well. I just had some major tune-up work done on it- new ignition module, coils, wires, plugs, etc.

When I first start the engine, white smoke bellows from the exhaust pipe. I think that Camaros and Firebirds are notorious for doing that, especially when the car and engine have high miles on them.

First of all, what is causing the smoke? Is it the valves? What repairs need to be done to stop the smoke? Approximately how much will the job cost me?

Thanks for your help!

 

[BFH]

If it's oil you probably need valve seals. If its coolant you probably need head gaskets. If you want an estimate take it somewhere that can tell you what the problem is first. That is the first step in figuring out the cost of repair.

 

[BFH]

If it's oil you probably need valve seals. If its coolant you probably need head gaskets. If you want an estimate take it somewhere that can tell you what the problem is first. That is the first step in figuring out the cost of repair.

 

[Paul]

If it's not water vapor you're seeing, an engine with those miles that's smoking is probably shot. It's pointless to do a top end rebuild when the REST of it needs rebuilding too, right?

Get a rebuilt or a new crate motor, change the oil regularly, and the motor will last 200,000 miles easily.

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[bear]

Probably The Valve Guide Seals Are Leaking. They Get Old And Brittle. You Can Change Them Without Pulling The Heads Off. You Might Want To Get Your Heads Rebuilt Because The Valve Guides May Also Be Bad With That Many Miles.

 

[carpesignum]

white smoke denotes coolant leaking into the engine. head gasket is a common cause. keep a few gallons of coolant/water mix (being winter you need to mix water with antifreeze) and keep an eye on your temp.

make sure its white smoke and not water vapor as stated before. oil will burn black.

check your coolant level and oil. make sure your oil is not a mocha color. bring it to a mechanic and have it checked. a lot of places will do this for free or cheap. if it is the head gasket either trade it in or swap it out and sell it.