White smoke from exhaust manifold

[Rommy]

Originally Posted by theWeezL

While the smoke could be from the powersteering fluid burning off on the exhaust, it wont effect your preformance.

Perhaps you have two different problems. Are you losing oil or water? is your oil milky? are you getting white smoke out the end of your exhaust? If you answer any of these questions yes...you have a BHG. however if you answered no to all of them, then you have a more preplexing proplem.

You say you see smoke out from under the exhaust manifold shield? Have you tried taking this off to get a better look? The lack of power may be a completely unrelated issue, but start with your outward signs and work it from there.

I'm not losing oil or water. Absolutely no leaks whatsoever except the power steering fluid.

I took the exhaust manifold shield off today, and there was white smoke coming from right under the manifold. On the right side was the most obvious, when the car was hot, it would be steaming right out of there. I DID see some white smoke coming out of the exhaust, but that was when we first started the car early in the morning. Might've just been the weather/cold car.

I don't see how the power steering fluid could be dripping somewhere where it could burn, though.

Oh, I just remembered. If I had a BHG, would I still pass smog? Because I'm in California, and I passed smog the other day with no problems whatsoever, my emissions were actually lower than average.

[theWeezL]

Well the smoke has to be some kind of fluid vaporizing, so PS seems like the most likely culprit. dunno how it could be getting there, but what else could it be?

[suprra_girl]

could be the distributor seal leaking oil onto the manifold?
does it look like it's coming from below the manifold and up or what?

[Rommy]

Originally Posted by suprra_girl

could be the distributor seal leaking oil onto the manifold?
does it look like it's coming from below the manifold and up or what?

Looks like it's coming from below the manifold, yes. Very much doubt it has anything to do with the distributor. In between the manifold piping, the smoke comes out. Mainly on the side towards the front of the car.

[theWeezL]

just thought of another diagnostic question to ask...what does the vapor smell like? Coolant has a sort of sweet smell to it, oil burning is acrid and obviously petrolium based, and powersteering fluid or ATF is kind of a sharp sweet petrolium smell.

what does yours smell like?

[suprra_girl]

then i would say it's the hard coolant line underneath the manifold bolted to the block has gotten a pinhole or cracked or something, you could try looking at it with a mirror or you will need to remove the exhaust manifold to clearly see
it could be the front flange where it bolts onto the back of the front timing cover, that gasket may have let go
have a good look with a mirror all around therer and see if you can see any leaks

[Rommy]

Originally Posted by theWeezL

just thought of another diagnostic question to ask...what does the vapor smell like? Coolant has a sort of sweet smell to it, oil burning is acrid and obviously petrolium based, and powersteering fluid or ATF is kind of a sharp sweet petrolium smell.

what does yours smell like?

It's definetly not coolant. It's either power steering fluid or oil. I'm not sure it's oil though, as oil usually has a stronger smell; this has, like you said, a half oil/sweet smell.

I'm going to have my mechanic check it out this week and see if he can do something about it. I have to change the power steering line either way, I'm putting a bottle of fluid every week as it is, dripping like crazy.

[theWeezL]

gotta be a PS line somewhere then...they do criss cross under the engine. Maybe its a pinhole in the high pressure line and it squirts onto the exhaust manifold from time to time.

[corrosivecopper]

Ya said you took the manifold off? Perhaps I misunderstood.. nonetheless, could you notice any cracks in the manifold? Sounds like exhaust maybe leaking, and something like that shouldn't interfere too much with emissions