Smoke from passenger tailpipe

-
D

DartSportDude

Old school A-body owner
Joined
Nov 30, 2007
Messages
138
Reaction score
0
Location
Western U.S.
I just took my 73 Dart Sport 340 in to have a couple of leaks fixed. The shop replaced the rear main seal and both valve cover gaskets, and fixed a leak in the tranny tail shaft. They also did some A/C diagnostics. When I picked up my car, I noticed there is now white/gray smoke coming from the passenger side tail pipe only. The smoke increases under acceleration. The car never smoked like this before. Any ideas what could be causing the smoking? I find it really strange that this problem would begin suddenly after having the leaks fixed.

Thanks in advance for any help.
 
DartSportDude said:
I just took my 73 Dart Sport 340 in to have a couple of leaks fixed. The shop replaced the rear main seal and both valve cover gaskets, and fixed a leak in the tranny tail shaft. They also did some A/C diagnostics. When I picked up my car, I noticed there is now white/gray smoke coming from the passenger side tail pipe only. The smoke increases under acceleration. The car never smoked like this before. Any ideas what could be causing the smoking? I find it really strange that this problem would begin suddenly after having the leaks fixed.

Thanks in advance for any help.
Click to expand...

How is it running? Is there water in the oil?

Could be an intake gasket or more likely a bad head gasket. It is more than likely just a coincedence that it happened after the shop visit.
 
White/gray usually means water, was the shop dicking around with the intake manifold, should ask them.

Terry
 
The car seems to be running fine, and it is not overheating. The exhaust out of the passenger side pipe has a dampness to it, but not a real strange smell. I couldn't detect the smell of antifreeze.

The guy at the shop this morning tried to tell me the smoking was "normal." I told him B.S.; I've owned this car for over 30 years, and it's never smoked before.

He suggested putting in a new grade of oil, since the grade they used when replacing the main seal may have been too light. Does that make any sense? It doesn't sound like they followed the factory spec.

Thanks!
 
DartSportDude said:
The car seems to be running fine, and it is not overheating. The exhaust out of the passenger side pipe has a dampness to it, but not a real strange smell. I couldn't detect the smell of antifreeze.

The guy at the shop this morning tried to tell me the smoking was "normal." I told him B.S.; I've owned this car for over 30 years, and it's never smoked before.

He suggested putting in a new grade of oil, since the grade they used when replacing the main seal may have been too light. Does that make any sense? It doesn't sound like they followed the factory spec.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

That depends on what oil did you usually use (grade and manu.) and what oil did they put in.

Terry
 
DartSportDude said:
The car seems to be running fine, and it is not overheating. The exhaust out of the passenger side pipe has a dampness to it, but not a real strange smell. I couldn't detect the smell of antifreeze.

The guy at the shop this morning tried to tell me the smoking was "normal." I told him B.S.; I've owned this car for over 30 years, and it's never smoked before.

He suggested putting in a new grade of oil, since the grade they used when replacing the main seal may have been too light. Does that make any sense? It doesn't sound like they followed the factory spec.

Thanks!
Click to expand...


I would try it, but unless the motor is just worn internally, I doubt it. It would have to be the equivalent of 20 or 30 weight oil in a very worn engine. It certainly seems as if the intake or head gasket is leaking. It may be running ok at the moment, as it has not fouled the plugs out yet (not bad enough yet).

Something doesn't seem right out of the shop. Did you pull and check the plugs yet? If not, do so and report back. A quickie compression test wouldn't hurt either.

Let us know.

Justin
 
Mopar J:

You have some good suggestions. No, I have not had a chance to check the plugs.

There's something real fishy about this deal. I know coincidences happen, but come on, this car has the original, unmolested engine and has always run great -- no smoking of any kind. I take it to this shop and leave it for 5 days for some work, and suddenly it's puffing out clouds of white smoke.

Is there some way they could have messed with the valves when replacing the valve cover gaskets? Could a problem in the valve area account for the sudden smoking?
 
DartSportDude said:
Mopar J:

You have some good suggestions. No, I have not had a chance to check the plugs.

There's something real fishy about this deal. I know coincidences happen, but come on, this car has the original, unmolested engine and has always run great -- no smoking of any kind. I take it to this shop and leave it for 5 days for some work, and suddenly it's puffing out clouds of white smoke.

Is there some way they could have messed with the valves when replacing the valve cover gaskets? Could a problem in the valve area account for the sudden smoking?
Click to expand...


My only thinking is that they may have messed with the intake gaskets, feeling that they were leaking, but maybe it turned out they weren't and they dropped the intake back on the old gaskets, and/or forgot to fill it back up with water quick enough and overheated it.

Far fetched possibilities, but possibilities none the less. Very well may still be a coincidence. We need to figure out the problem before attacking individuals, though.

-Justin
 
I acknowledged to the shop guy that it didn't seem possible that replacing the rear main seal and valve cover gaskets could result in this problem. Another reason for my concern: they somehow managed to tear off my shifter knob (automatic in the console) while the car was with them, and it was just sitting loose and backwards on the shifter arm when I picked up the vehicle. No explanation -- no apologies. Doesn't give you a lot of confidence!
 
DartSportDude said:
I just took my 73 Dart Sport 340 in to have a couple of leaks fixed. The shop replaced the rear main seal and both valve cover gaskets, and fixed a leak in the tranny tail shaft. They also did some A/C diagnostics. When I picked up my car, I noticed there is now white/gray smoke coming from the passenger side tail pipe only. The smoke increases under acceleration. The car never smoked like this before. Any ideas what could be causing the smoking? I find it really strange that this problem would begin suddenly after having the leaks fixed.

Thanks in advance for any help.
Click to expand...
Hey DartSportDude -
White smoke = water
Blue smoke = oil
Black smoke = fuel
As others have suggested, check the water for any signs of oil/water mix. Sounds like maybe a head gasket is either starting to go or has already gone. After all, this is a 30 year-old head gasket since it's an unmolested engine.
 
Sounds to me like someone got happy on the test drive.........
I bet they dogged the hell out of it.
 
+1 on the dogging. Thast the first thing i thought of. I hate taking any of my cars to shops...
 
crashcaptn said:
+1 on the dogging. Thast the first thing i thought of. I hate taking any of my cars to shops...
Click to expand...

Well, if it was me and they dogged one of my cars, I would probably bash their heads together.

Anyways, like said, lets figure this out first, before we make any sensationalist claims....lol.

It very well just may be an aged head gasket.
 
+2 on the dogging. Pull the plugs and see if any have extremely white areas at the poceline. Also, tell him that pre catalytic cars should not have consistent moisture coming out tailpipe like the newer cars. On newer cars this is normal.
 
Have you tried snugging up the intake manifold bolts? And how much rubber is missing from the rear tires?
 
sorry to hear this dart but 5 days to change valve cover gaskets and a leaking rear seal? they joy rode in it probably the other 41/2 days.
 
The only time I take my car to a shop is for a front end alignment and I wait for it while its there. Tires; I drop off the rims and pick them up later. I just don't trust the shops with my car. I see the stuff they do with the daily drivers when they work on them and thats enough evidence for me.
 
cuda67bnl said:
Sounds to me like someone got happy on the test drive.........
I bet they dogged the hell out of it.
Click to expand...
Hey DartSportDude -
Did the shop write up a 'work' ticket when you dropped your car off and note the mileage at the time? If they did, compare it to the mileage when you picked it up. If they're dumb enough to take your car on a joyride, they're probably not smart enough to disconnect the odometer.
 
Thanks, guys, for all of your input.

Here's the latest: I went to the shop, and the service advisor was trying to tell me the change to a heavier weight oil would solve the problem. We ran the engine for a few minutes, and it was still blowing a lot of white/blue smoke. The smoke seems to smell like fuel. Then we put the car up on the rack, and they discovered the fuel pump is leaking pretty bad. Their diagnosis: the fuel pump leak is putting fuel into the combustion, and that is the cause of the smoking.

Does this sound plausible, or is it another wild goose chase? The technician swears it's not as head gasket problem, since the engine is not overheating and there's no "sweet" smell to the exhaust -- indicating antifreeze.

I'm just really bummed, since this was a perfectly running, all original 340 with only 103,000 miles. I've owned the Dart for over 30 years.
 
DartSportDude said:
Thanks, guys, for all of your input.

Here's the latest: I went to the shop, and the service advisor was trying to tell me the change to a heavier weight oil would solve the problem. We ran the engine for a few minutes, and it was still blowing a lot of white/blue smoke. The smoke seems to smell like fuel. Then we put the car up on the rack, and they discovered the fuel pump is leaking pretty bad. Their diagnosis: the fuel pump leak is putting fuel into the combustion, and that is the cause of the smoking.

Does this sound plausible, or is it another wild goose chase? The technician swears it's not as head gasket problem, since the engine is not overheating and there's no "sweet" smell to the exhaust -- indicating antifreeze.

I'm just really bummed, since this was a perfectly running, all original 340 with only 103,000 miles. I've owned the Dart for over 30 years.
Click to expand...

Don't be bummed. These things happen to cars of this age.

I would almost believe the guy, but there is just one issue: it is not running like it is flooding out. If you can, rig in a fuel pressure gauge, or just pay $30 and install a new pump at home. Again, what do the plugs look like and what does the oil smell like? Fuel?

Let us know...

-Justin
 
And just when I was thinking about taking my Duster in to get stuff fixed... After reading that, NOBODY that I don't know personally is touching my car. EVER.

If it was me, I'd force them to check the gaskets anyway, because that's the only thing that makes sense. You beat their asses (verbally of course) and if they give you any trouble, do everything you can to make them look bad and go out of business.
 
well, as a shop owner i will say coincidence does happen and it sucks for both parties. but on the other hand, if they dogged it and didn't get your permission to, then that is no good. some customers tell me to go out and burn some rubber, because that's where a problem lies, in the higher rpm's. but crossing the line between diagnosing and screwing around is just not professional.

let us know the outcome.
 
I had an experience with a shop a few weeks ago when i realized i had screwed the pooch on my trans pan gasket fitting the tranny with a bracket for my shifter ...the shop changed the gasket and showed me while it was in the air that my "rear main seal was leaking"and i should do it right away ...i was scared **** at the time as that motor was still not even paid off yet .."stupid credit cards" ..went to a car show ..got a tip from a person there ...he said "look idiot your valve cover is leaking and dripping down and around the back of the block "
..bottom line is ..this shop may or may not have known that the rear main seal was not actually leaking ...but he was about to rape me for the parts and labor for something i diddnt need ....its a shame that we as a consumer are sometimes led or placed in situations that are unfortunate.

best of luck to you I hope it works out
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top