EA-81: thick white smoke appears, dissappears during warm-up

[jonlittleford]

Please help me solve this mechanical mystery. This is on an '84 D/R 4WD.

 

When I first start the car (after a couple flutters on the gas and a short 2000 rpm rev) it runs smoothly, with no visible exhaust or smell. Then after about 1 1/2 minutes of idling, with no audible change in the engine, it abruptly starts spewing a thick cloud of whitish smoke and makes the whole yard wreak of 70's-hot-rod concentrate. Over the next 5 minutes or so, the smoke gradually diminishes to "normal." After that (once it's warmed up) I haven't noticed any smoke, driving or parked.

 

History...

 

I bought this car with a bad engine, and had a good 140,000 mile motor put in it. Compression test results on the new engine were "excellent" according to the installer.

 

The engine ran poorly after install. No power and guzzling gas. I drove it about 30 miles over the next couple days. Then upon beginning a backwards roll into its parking spot it abruptly began spewed a thick cloud of white smoke. I quickly shut off the engine and checked the oil.

 

The dipstick read almost to the top. I had to double check, as it was showing literally inches above the full line. I put my 5+ quart oil pan under the engine and pulled the plug to watch black oil quickly fill the pan and overflow all over my driveway. I'd guess that about 6 quarts of dirty oil came out of the engine. I changed the oil and filter. The smoke remained, but only after start-up as I described above. There was no change in the engine performance. I took it back to the shop.

 

After a lot of time and effort it was discovered that the correctly routed vacuum line into the distributor was dead. No vacuum. This, I was told, was the reason for the power loss and poor fuel economy. A line from another source was routed to the dist, making it run much better. (Although still, when I remove the vacuum line from the dist at idle, there is no detectable (finger plug method) vacuum in the line, and no change in the idle. And how can one vacuum line be dead while another one isn't? This seems strange-- either you have vacuum or you don't, right?)

 

All of the vacuum lines, other EGR stuff was removed from the air filter, intake, etc- either during the engine swap or before, as I didn't notice whether they were on the old engine or not.

 

1. Was my new-old engine ruined when it was run over-filled with oil?

 

2. What can I do to stop the smoke and how much damage (if any) has been done?

 

3. Do I have work to do with the vacuum system? It does seem to have normal (or near normal) power and no hesitation that I would normally associate with distributer/ vacuum advance issues.

 

4. How can I figure out the routing to replace the EGR stuff? I couldn't find it in my Haynes book, but I like the idea of less smog, especially if there is no improvement in power/ fuel efficiency without it.

 

Thanks for any input! -Jon

Edited January 25, 2011 by jonlittleford

[naru]

1.Doesn`t sound like it.

 

2.Good question.Losing any coolant? I suggest a cooling system pressure test.(cold and hot)

Head cracked in the exhaust port is possible.

 

3.Not as far as the distributor is concerned.Vacuum signal seems normal.

Original line likely "failed" because something else hooked to it failed.

 

"all of the vacuum lines being removed" sounds scary.

 

4.Maybe with a FSM.Even just 1984 has 4 or 5 different routings.

Short version-The same ported vacuum line that goes to the distributor goes to the EGR valve.

 

Working EGR actually increases fuel efficiency a little.

Edited January 25, 2011 by naru
add test

[brumby420]

White smoke can often be water in the oil and can often even come from steam or other things getting in the motor. Does it smell like a bad head gasket?

[NorthWet]

Is the "white smoke" really smoke or water vapor? Does it dissipate in the air on its own after a few seconds, or only after the wind dilutes and disperses it?

 

White smoke typically only comes from burning ATF. Oil will produce blue smoke, gas makes black. Water will make white vapor that dissipates quickly.

[Cougar]

Replace the PCV. A leaky one can let oil flow through which will cause all kinds of white smoke. Enough to make a very good smoke screen.