Car seems to be missing at idle and smokes white

[chris89]

Ok, so i got my car up and running again, but now it seems to be missing at idle but after u give it some gas it doesn't seem to miss... why would it blow white smoke off a stop light, but when ur driving it doens't smoke and when u start it up, it's doesn't smoke... I'm guess maybe my head isn't torqued down all the way and causing some coolant leakage into the combustion chamber. Any thoughts?

 

[AJ'S 88NA]

Ok, so i got my car up and running again, but now it seems to be missing at idle but after u give it some gas it doesn't seem to miss... why would it blow white smoke off a stop light, but when ur driving it doens't smoke and when u start it up, it's doesn't smoke... I'm guess maybe my head isn't torqued down all the way and causing some coolant leakage into the combustion chamber. Any thoughts?

What have you done to it since you just got it up and running? And how many miles do you have on it since then?

 

[chris89]

i have about 10-15 miles on the car since i got the charging problem fixed... It kind of worked it's way out once i got it warmed up the battery light went away. I haven't done anything to it since and the new engine has only 10k on it... I'm guessing my head bolts my have loosened up since i torqued them originaly.

 

[Kckazdude]

Any idea how hot the engine got when the water pump locked up? With no w coolant flow there were some really bad hot spots being created.

 

[cuel]

Are these symptoms more pronounced in the morning, when you first start it up, but seem to go away for the rest of the day? I had a T-bird in the shop a few months back with similar symptoms. Wound up the head gasket had a tiny flaw in it, and coolant was weeping into the cylinder when it sat over night. Once the motor was warmed up, it would seal closed.

 

[Kckazdude]

Cuel, I have only seen that symptom once before in my career. Oddly enough it was on a Ford product as well.

 

[cuel]

lol, go figure. I consulted a Ford tech I know, and he told me to look for that.

 

[chris89]

it drives like crap before it's warmed up but it always seems to be missing at idle and up to like 2500rpm. after that it seems to rev fine but when it misses usually a huge cloud of white smoke pours out of the exhaust. Could it be that my head bolts loosened up enough to let coolant into the combustion chamber? When my water pump seized up the car didn't overheat, It's only been over heating since i put the new water pump and fan clutch on... And the coolant resevoir is boiling .... I think i just need more coolant to fix the overheating i think, But what's up with the boiling resevour?

 

[Kckazdude]

Your gauge was giving you false information when the WP locked up. The water at the temp sending unit may have only been 180-220° F. The temp around cylinder #5 or 6 could have been 300-360° F which would have been enough to burn the headgasket. The coolant wasnt flowing and therefore not cooling your engine. The boiling resovior suggests overheating which could also suggest BHG.

 

[SupraSabre]

My first Supra (87 N/A) that I bought (back in 2001) had a BHG and I didn't know it at the time. But since I only paid $750 for it I wasn't too concerned when I found out it had the BHG. The way I found it was when I drove the car for a short distance, the overflow bottle would fill up and then coolant would be all over the ground. ::bhg::

It probably wouldn't hurt to check the torque on your head bolts.

Since I was unemployed at the time, I would work on it when I felt like it and I was very surprised that it started the first time I cranked it over! ::w00t::

I bought ARP head bolts and torqued them to 84ft lbs. That car ran for three years without any major problems. It had over 230K on it when it got to the point that it needed replacing. That's when we bought the 89. :icon_bigg

 

[chris89]

this sucks since i recently rebuilt the engine, i guess it's an expensive lesson learned. Anyway my car has the exact same problems as what your car had. Where could i find a set of arp bolts? how many are there? and what's the factory rated torque spec for the head bolts? That's awesome though, 3 years with no marjor problems! my car has never been that reliable.

 

[Kckazdude]

this sucks since i recently rebuilt the engine, i guess it's an expensive lesson learned.

You rebuilt the motor and didnt replace the water pump? I always replace a water pump on a rebuild. Think of it as cheap insurance. Then I think of how loud that pump was squeling before it locked up.

 

[Solle]

if your still having issues with the idle
check the MAF
if its just the smoke
sounds like a BHG to me

fix the head gasket, bolt on arp
and your motor will never blow a head gasket again

itl be like a new motor

 

[kntmikado]

Factory spec is 52 ft/lbs.

Factory spec also shoves BHG up your ass when you're not looking.

Therefore, correct spec is no less than 72 ft/lbs.

 

[cuel]

If you didn't clean all the coolant, oil, and trash out of the holes in the block for the head bolts, the bolts won't seat all the way down when you torque them.

Most of the vendors here sell ARP bolts and stud kits. Make sure you read the directions, as they have different torque specs, iirc.

 

[chris89]

Do I have to get my head resurfaced?

 

[cuel]

If you don't have it at least checked, and you put it back together with the head warped, you'll be fixing it again in a few weeks(if that). Cheaper to take it to the shop and get it at least checked.

 

[AJ'S 88NA]

If you don't have it at least checked, and you put it back together with the head warped, you'll be fixing it again in a few weeks(if that). Cheaper to take it to the shop and get it at least checked.

+1, 2, & 3.

 

[ms07s]

^^^Agreed do it right and you won't have this problem again.

Also I replace my water pump, rad hoses, rad cap, and thermostat every year. It maybe a little over kill....but I'm paranoid that way.:crazy1:

 

[supramad77]

I had my hg torqued down to 95 pounds with a metal hg.