Hey all,
I just fired up my 68 (347 stroker) for the first time in over 3 weeks. It started up right away and warmed up just fine and felt great out on the road. BUT my concern came about when I First started her up.... the exhaust pipes were blowing out a fair amount of white smoke that smelled just a lot like burning fuel, nothing else. It was hard to tell for sure that is was smoke because it dissipated (sp?) pretty quick but I dont think it was simply "steam". It only did this for maybe 2 minutes and then all my fumes were clean... or at least i couldnt SEE them!

We have had a LOT of rain in the past weeks..think 5"... and the car is not fully protected from the elements so certainly had a lot of water on it and sat around in the damp air for over 3 weeks. I suspect there was some condensation buildup and am hoping that is all this is but I am still looking for pointers from the pros.

I understand that white smoke would probably indicate water but I get paranoid about head gaskets and cracked blocks and all that more serious stuff. This stroker has about 20k miles on it and when she gets warmed up, she sounds and feels perfect... and I am trying to keep it that way. I know you can relate.
I am planning on starting her up again tomorrow and seeing what happens.

I am going to check the oil after she is warm and see if it is frothy for the presence of water/antifreeze.
I am going to run my finger along the inside of the tailpipes and sniff test her (when she is cool, of course!) to see if the exhaust smells like antifreeze at all...
ANYTHING else you think I should do?



Another thing that I should mention is that when I start her up cold she leaks a bit of coolant from where the lower radiator hose goes into the engine. It seems to stop after a couple minutes but I have been adding coolant. As far as I can tell, the leak is due to the hose slipping off a little but I have not had the tools or experience to successfully stop that leak.

Thanks for your thoughts on this one, all. I do appreciate it! Cheers.

 

Sounds like condensation to me. Try using a nut driver or small ratchet on the rad hose, you can get it tighter than a screwdriver. Sounds like to me you just need to drive it.[sm=itsok.gif]

 

There was a recent thread covering this topic.



Water Vapor

 

Thanks guys, I feel better. Thanks for linking up the water vapor thread, oxnard. That was some good info.

So to use a nut driver or small ratchet wont risk cutting into the hose with the clamp? ...I did tighten it down with a screwdriver as tight as I could but I was afraid it was not good for the hose or the clamp would not hold up...

Cheers, all!

 

Sometimes the only way to stop those "cold water leaks" is to replace the hose.

Try tightening it first of course. Sometimes theseleaks will start after the hose hardens over time, and sometimeshoses tend to leak from the get go... It is hard to figure sometimes.