[Nelson]

My ZO6 came on tonight with the Check Engine light... about 5 miles later, it starts to flash, DIC said 32 PSI oil pressure... so I do not panic... I come to a stop and the engine died... all kinds of white smoke out the back... a few cranks later, we are off and running, check engine light still blinking... Passenger checks the manual.. a flashing check engine = missfire? which makes sence, the car feels like it is running on 4 or 6 not all 8...
Lots of white smoke... parked the car, the smoke was very sweet smelling, did not smell like oil...

I also dumped in a quart of Mobil 1 which I carry with me...

Any ideas?

Will be taking it to dealer in the AM.

 

[CP]

The only sweet smelling liquid in a car is antifreeze - and that generates white smoke. Sounds like the engine is leaking antifreeze into the combustion chamber. Could be a bad manifold gasket. Needs to go to the hospital ASAP.

 

[mgarfias]

I agree, get her in now. Also, don't drive it, or start it. If you let it sit, a chamber could fill with water and when you crank, you'll toss a rod out the side.

(this is assuming that it is leaking coolant in)

 

[HarleyB]

Actually... I think the white smoke means a new Pope has been chosen.

HarleyB(Z)
...another reason I'm not a mechanic.

 

[Guest]

My vote is head gasket, specifically, a leak between a coolant passage and the cylinder. Having blown a few in the past, I seem to recall taking off the radiator cap (when the engine cools of course) and seeing oil floating on the coolant, as well as copious amounts of white smoke and loss of power due to loss of compression and coolant injection.

I second the recommendation to flat bed it to the dealer. Engine coolant will not compress in the cylinder, but your connecting rod sure will. Don't crank it!!

 

[fcalmes]

Good advise here!! Soumds like a head gasket!!

 

[DanA_F99_1977]

Sounds like "limp mode" Can anyone explain limp mode? It is a mode that allows you to get off the main drag in an emergency mode. If the oil pressure dropped to 32 that should tell us something. I would agree, do not start it until you find out whay it went into limp mode and it is resolved.

Good luck!

 

[Guest]

Oh, and one more thing I forgot. If you've got oil in your coolant, then you might have coolant in your oil. Pul out the dipstick and look for a milky appearance. Let us know how you make out.

 

[Nelson]

Damn.. good advise fellas, you all should work for GM... since they told me to DRIVE it there (like 30 minutes from where the car was)... they said that I could get a flatbed if I want, but that GM would only pay for the 1st $50.00, that would barely get the flatbed to where the car was.... so I drove it up there, it has been at Team Chevy for about 5 hours now, Jason up there (supposed to be a REALLY good corvette person) asked if I was "Nelson" he is on the forums as well, said some nice things, and said that he would see to it that it was done well. So that made me feel good.

What you are saying makes sence, but let me throw this out there as well. The "White" smoke was only comming out of the left side exhaust, if that helps any.

Also, the "smoke" came and went as I drove.

but I do not like what you all had to say about the hole coolent in my oil part /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_frown.gif that would NOT be good.... glad I put in that quart I had with me.

Thanks again for the reply fellas.

 

[Guest]

Nelson,
Forgive me for my ignorance (I've finally decided to order an '02 Z06, so I'm still a poser), but unless the Z06 has an H or X-pipe crossover tube on the exhaust system, you will only see the smoke out of one tailpipe, i.e. the side/cylinder bank that has the leaking head gasket.

The fact that it comes and goes is somewhat encouraging, as it may only be a small leak. Sorry if I freaked you out about the coolant/oil mixing, but it is probably not a serious issure in your case. I'm not sure of your level of engine knowledge, but if you think of the cylinder and coolant passages in your 'Vette as parallel tunnels, a leaking head gasket would correspond to a tiny tunnel that connects a coolant passage with the cylinder.

Obviously, the coolant should not leak over into the cylinder, but on the intake stroke, cylinder vacuum will suck in coolant throught the leaking gasket and then it burns during cylinder ignition.

If the leak in the gasket is large, then you will get a LOT of white vapor out the tail pipe, like a fog bank. Since some coolant can leak down past the rings into the crankcase, oil contamination is a concern.

However, since your smoking was intermittant and you did not flog the engine, I'd say you had a small leak, and the engine will be fine. Make sure the dealer changes the oil, just to be on the safe side. Good luck!!

 

[Silver Bullet]

Danger Will Robinson Danger!!!!

 

[Nelson]

ok, now THAT was kinda funny!... /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif

On 2001-06-13 17:47, Silver Bullet spewed forth this drivel:
Danger Will Robinson Danger!!!!

 

[Nelson]

Keystone... good advise, I kinda know a thing or 2 about the motor, so what you said at least made sence as far as I knew what you where talking about...

Here is the "Extra" kicker...

Here in Chicago NBC Channel 5 is doing a little segment on Corvette's during THIS Sunday's News Broadcast, from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM... now they have picked about 25 people to interview over a 22 minute period for the segment on Corvette's etc... Due to my racing the ZO6 and the times that I run etc, they tracked me down through other people that I know, at 1st I was not going but they really wanted me to come to be interviewed... as soon as I realized that this was not going to be some "park the car's and the weather man is going to say "sunny ahd 80" in front of them" I wanted to go... but that same day is my 1 year wedding date... but the Wife understands and I get to go to be interviewed by NBC about racing a ZO6 (kinda cool)...

but KINDA LAME if I have to go down there and say "well, it is in for warrenty repair!"

I talked to my dealership to explain the situation to them, you figure they would make sure a ZO6 was there for me to stand in front of... NA... I want to get ahold of the District person but do not know how to contact them... I mean, it is REALLY to their advantage to make sure that I'm there to talk about the ZO6... (At least I think so)

and JC - Don't you worry my man, if they ask me where someone would be able to find more information on a Z06... This place will be the 1st thing out of my mouth (The check is in the mail Right JC? /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif hehe)

 

[Nelson]

Update to Car.

Spark Plug wires where melted / bad.

Cylinder 1-3 where out
Cylinder 6-7 where out and full of fuel (ouch)

Bottom line, Melted some lines on the Fuel Rail

Car is DONE - Will have it for this Sunday Whoo hooo.


Shew... nothing major... I got lucky this time by what others have said...


Jason from Team Chevy (Chicagoland area) did a fast job for this Sunday.

 

[bsteinhagen]

Great news...but what did they tell you made the wires melt down? What generated that much heat? Something had to have happened. What caused the wires to come in contact with the fuel rail?

_________________
Bob
1978 Silver Anniversary
1993 Torch Red Convertable
1996 Grand Sport
2001 Speedway White Z06
1990 SS 454 Chevy Truck

 

[chrisj]

Just curious, but if all those cylinders were out, does that mean you were running on only two???
I had a plug wire go bad on me in my firebird and it was running on only seven cylinders and that was a horrible experience. I can't imagine what it would be like to run on two. I must be reading it wrong.
chris

 

[Nelson]

Turns out it was rubbing on the block and wore through... I asked if this is "common" and the dealer said they have never seen, nor heard of such a situation...

Lucky me I guess /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif

Car has about 50 miles on it, seems fine...

On 2001-06-14 13:13, bsteinhagen spewed forth this drivel:
Great news...but what did they tell you made the wires melt down? What generated that much heat? Something had to have happened. What caused the wires to come in contact with the fuel rail?

_________________
Bob
1978 Silver Anniversary
1993 Torch Red Convertable
1996 Grand Sport
2001 Speedway White Z06
1990 SS 454 Chevy Truck

 

[Nelson]

Nope - your reading it right, it was at times only fireing 4 of the 8... You could get a really good backrub leaning on it... of course the crap comming out of the tailpipe was strong enough to light on fire... so I would not suggest breathing it very long /phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif... But it would come and go, depending on where the wire was, and the block, to see if it would short out or not...

They kept the wires to send to GM, I did not even get a chance to look at them... if I was thinking I would have taken my digital camera.

On 2001-06-14 14:20, chrisj spewed forth this drivel:
Just curious, but if all those cylinders were out, does that mean you were running on only two???
I had a plug wire go bad on me in my firebird and it was running on only seven cylinders and that was a horrible experience. I can't imagine what it would be like to run on two. I must be reading it wrong.
chris

 

[DanA_F99_1977]

Glad to hear that you figured it out and it wasn't serious. I did a little checking about "limp mode" and here is the best ddecription I could get. I thought I woudld post here just to feel somewhat useful since I never have anything to contibute. Hope is helpful for someone, somewhere.

--limp-home mode essentially shuts down 4 of the 8 cylinders.......and rotates
which 4 are running
(I believe) every 15 seconds.....so that 4 fire and 4 push air........it is
obvious when you go into limp-home mode because it sounds like a 4-cylinder
engine......nothing like a V8...

 

[2k Cobra]

Nelson,

It is usually good practice to change oil after a misfire problem. Raw fuel sometimes gets in crankcase and thins things down.

Glad your problem was minor. (No teardown)

2k