Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2003 15:04:29 -0300 From: Dexter J <lamealameadingdongnopsamlamelame.org> Subject: Re: Smokin' exhaust - the plot thickens.....
Salutations: Andy Evans wrote: > > It's a long shot - but it sounds to me like you are burning a coolant stop > leak additive> > Yes - I did put in an anti-leak additive, and coolant (but not recently). I've > replaced quite a bit of water since then, though. How would the coolant get in > the exhaust? > > I think that you may have a head gasket or > a bearing face in the turbo somehow out of torque.. You say that when it warms > up enough it stops for the day? > > Yes. So the turbo is a possibility? Will this get worse or just carry on like > this? > > === Andy Evans === > Visit our Website:- http://www.artsandmedia.com > Audio, music and health pages and interesting links. Well - the turbo is always a possibility brother Andy - kinda like 'the butler did it' sort of thing.. My take is that sister Laura may also be onto something as the smell may not be coming out the exhaust pipe but rather from in the engine bay itself. But - your subject suggests that you are seeing plumes of steam at the back end - which it will do if you have a weak gasket or worn bearing on the head or turbo or if the system is over pressurizing on a bad thermostat (sister Laura's advise) with an old gasket or high mileage turbo bearing respectively.. All that said - I'm being more careful with my 'utility classic' these days by looking for small problems first rather than condemning whole systems and replacing them outright.. I think the old water cooled turbo is quite a but more robust then they give it credit for - but I have the same kind of chat ever spring when I go in for my annual - ".. what do you mean 'humm'.. it's cancer! Right?.. Cancer?".. My doctor has taken to teasing me in hopes of getting me to give up on cigarettes I fear.. Anyway - it's tricky to do - but often you can keep a SAAB going for some considerable time without milling and re-gasketing the head or junking the turbo by simply adding a pound of torque to the bolts.. You have to be VERY careful about it though as you never know if the previous owner did just that before you bought it.. SO - pull and replace your thermostat just in case it's over pressurizing something and yes, it very probably will get worse as time passes even it this fixes it now.. The outstanding question being how *long* this will fix it.. If it is strictly coming out the tailpipe - my first guess would be that you are looking at a head gasket as the gasket will sometimes re-seal as the engine heats up. The smell would be the additive starting to burn out of whatever it sealed - and you may want to look at giving it another dose *before* you replace the thermostat.. Do it by pulling out the old thermostat and dumping the additive (I use BarsLeak exclusively) in - then leave the old thermostat out, reattach housing and take a solid drive on a warm day - let it cool down and then repeat a couple of times - then park it overnight - then install the new thermostat the following morning.. You will probably have to clean up the edge where the thermostat sits before putting in the new one and pay attention to see if it starts steaming on start-up instead of later on as you have been seeing.. Work on the assumption that you will gum up your heater core, but you might get lucky.. If it still is making steam and smelling bad as before after all this - then I would be looking at the head gasket first with an eye to replacement and having the head checked at a reputable machine shop (have them 'flux' it).. Now - I could not help but notice that Radio Free Dexterdyne (my hobby bitcasting site) is pointedly missing from you online resources for arts and media folks.. I have a surprising number of fans in the UK (I think they go in for the Dean Martin/Sammy Davis Jr. stuff myself) and while this link music pages link is dead: http://www.artsandmedia.com/muslinks.html - would I ever appreciate a link if it ever goes back up.. :) .. Best of luck - I'm at 330,000kms and counting.. -- J Dexter - webmaster - http://www.dexterdyne.org/ all tunes - no cookies no subscription no weather no ads no news no phone in - RealAudio 8+ Required - all the Time Radio Free Dexterdyne Top Tune o'be-do-da-day Martin Lee - You Was http://www.dexterdyne.org/888/098.RAM
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