Date: Sun, 01 Dec 2002 17:58:29 GMT From: Paul Halliday <pjghnopsamyonder.co.uk> Subject: Re: Erratic Idle and exhaust smoke...
in article klekuu4fqahurfn7djk2e88gv98d7utn8knopsamcom, John Davies at johndaviesNOSPAMnopsam.net wrote on 01/12/2002 16:43: > On Sun, 01 Dec 2002 13:51:01 +0000, Matt Gibson > <gothicknopsamick.org.uk> wrote: > >> Took my car in to have its throttle damper replaced the other day; since >> then I've noticed it idling rather roughly. Just went out to check it out, >> and if I leave it to reach operarting temp, it idles rough (erring on the >> side of slow rather than fast), sounds a touch unhealthy, and I'm getting >> quite a lot of white smoke coming out of the exhaust at that stage. > > White smoke is bad. Are you positive that it isn't merely > condensation? Moisture from normal startup will dissipate pretty > quickly as it drifts away. True white smoke will not - it is usually > associated with a blown head gasket. Coolant is entering the cylinders > and burning, causing the white smoke. > > I think you need to get this looked at ASAP - do not delay! Coolant in > the cylinders can cause a lot of damage if left for long. A blown head > gasket is usually easy to diagnose - there may be crud in the oil and > you may also get exhaust gasses in the coolant, which may be visible > as bubbles, and are certainly detectable with a simple emmissions test > probe. A compression leak-down test is probably the definitive method. > It requires a source of clean compressed air and a special gage set. Agreed, sounds like a blown head-gasket to me. White smoke when it's fully warmed is not a good sign. With the engine cold, take a look at the oil in the dipstick. If it looks like mayonnaise, water is getting into the oil. [See 'crud' above] This will, at least, confirm it to you and impress upon you the urgency. Best of luck, Paul 1985 900i 16V 1989 900 Turbo S http://pjgh.go.dyndns.org/saab/index.html
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