dtrigg

Lately when I start my '86 w/140,000 I get a ton of white smoke for a minute, and then it all goes away and the car is fine. Also, it only happens in the morning when it's cold, not in the afternoon when I start my commute home.

What gives? No water problems.

dragonfenix

i got an 87 it does the same thing. cant figure what it is either. someone told me it was normal for 7s with high mileage to do that. i'm not really sure though

HeffBoost

A minor interior coolant seal leak maybe? Do you see bubbles in the filler neck? Does it go thru any coolant?

I wouldn't worry about it if it isn't running hot or using a significant amount of coolant.

dtrigg

No, it doesn't run hot and the coolant is fine. I started it this morning after not using it for two days and I thought someone would call the fire department. Smoke was everywhere!!! Two minutes later...it was fine.

knight1976

Your car doesnt have to overheat for it to be a dying coolant seal. It just depends on how bad it is. Does your morning smoke smell sweet? If it does its a coolant seal.

SureShot

All hyrocarbon fuel engines do that, especially when the outside temp is low or near the dew point. However, that initial cold exhaust condensation can mask a real problem- like a small internal coolant leak.
So, just keep doing your normal checks for low coolant and overheating.

dtrigg

Thanks guys. Really appreciate your help. It's what makes this forum so great.

Amur_

As was said, smell the smoke. You'll have your answer right there.

Matlock

Condensation!

dtrigg

The smoke does have a kind of sweet/pungent smell. If it is a coolant seal, how much does that cost to fix? Is it difficult? Thanks in advance.

Amur_

Uh oh. You're burning coolant. You can try to 'patch' it, but ultimately you're looking at either rebuilding or replacing the motor. The coolant o-rings, once they fail, cannot be repaired. The motor has to be torn down and the o-rings replaced...

The patch:

https://www.rx7club.com/forum/showth...threadid=93737

86OrangeRx-7

basically you have a seal that is going on its way... it could be tomorrow.. it could be next week. it could be a year from now.. but that smoke will be there till you have the engine rebuilt

awitte

Try running heavier oil in it... Like 20w-50. I got about 10 months out of my '87 GXL running like that, and the smoke was almost negligible with the heavier oil....

cryptowave

I have the same issue here, it just appears like condensation from sitting outside (rains here a lot). Put your hand against the exhaust and smell it, probably smells like normal exhaust eh?

Has it rained a lot in your area lately?

cryptowave

Here is a test that will probably work....

Just wrap a plastic bag around the exhaust pipe, put a couple small holes in it to allow the exhaust to flow through without blowing the bad up... see if you see any water condense inside the bag.

I'll try it with mine next time I start it to see if any water condenses.

Maybe double bagging it and put some crushed ice in between the bags (so it cools down faster)?

Amur_

Where did you come up with this one???

Of course he's going to find water condensing on the inside of the bag. Water is a by-product of combustion. This is why exhaust systems rot from the inside out.

dtrigg, you put a bag on your exhaust and I'll come down there myself and beat you like a red-headed stepchild.

cryptowave

One gallon of gas will yield one gallon of water or so, but you should notice the difference during startup, when intake is minimal eh?

Use the bag!

DJChunter

my 88 GXL does the same thing.. but it eats no coolant and has no bubbles in the filler neck but it does run a lil hot on the warmer days..
Dave

dtrigg

Well we got 7" of rain last weekend and "ltttle red" sat outside the entire time. It didn't smoke like this before the rain.