GS400 Sat For More Than A Month..Now White Smoke!!
12-30-07, 12:41 PM
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GS400 Sat For More Than A Month..Now White Smoke!!
Hey guys,
I have a 98 GS400 and it has sat since some time in November (13-20) and hasn't been driven, but maybe turned on once or twice. I went to turn the car on today and a huge puff of white smoke came out of the exhausts. It smelled like gas and kept coming out of the exhaust for a few minutes. I went to drive the car around the block and when I returned it seemed to go away. Are there any ill effects of me letting it sit for close to 2 months? It has 1/4 tank of premium. The only reason we let it sit was because the dumb dealership where we bought the car still hasn't given us the registration and they are located too far to go every month for a temporary tag.
Thanks for any help you can provide!
I have a 98 GS400 and it has sat since some time in November (13-20) and hasn't been driven, but maybe turned on once or twice. I went to turn the car on today and a huge puff of white smoke came out of the exhausts. It smelled like gas and kept coming out of the exhaust for a few minutes. I went to drive the car around the block and when I returned it seemed to go away. Are there any ill effects of me letting it sit for close to 2 months? It has 1/4 tank of premium. The only reason we let it sit was because the dumb dealership where we bought the car still hasn't given us the registration and they are located too far to go every month for a temporary tag.
Thanks for any help you can provide!
12-30-07, 05:14 PM
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This wasn't condensation based on the duration of the smoke....
....what kind of mileage does this car have? I'm guessing close to 100K...the white smoke was oil that made it past the piston rings. You've got a worn piston ring (which is no big deal at all) and a bit of oil made it into one (or more) of your cylinders. Upon starting the car you saw the oil burn off. When your car is being used regularly, there is insufficient oil built up to make much of a puff of smoke, but I'm sure it's there. Nothing to worry about at all.
Your other question asked what ill effects there may be as you leave the car dormant...generally none for a relatively short period of time (like 2 months). However, you should ensure that the car is run and gets up to operating temperature at least once a month (better still, every 3 weeks). You've got to move the car and apply the brakes so you don't get pads bonding to the brake disks. You also want to move the car so you warm the transmission & differential fluids, and when you do, brake fairly powerfully so that you scrape the rust off the (iron) disks. If the car is outside, you should cover it with a car cover that reaches all the way to the ground. Rain bounces when it hits the ground and hits the brake disks unevenly, rusting the lower sections faster than the upper sections - over a longer period of time, that's a real problem and your brakes can freeze (through metal corrosion, not temperature).
You should also put a scented dryer sheet (like Bounce) under your car seat. The fragrance will keep the air inside the car smelling fresher, and will deter rodents from setting up shop in your car. Lastly, make sure everything is clean (paint, seats, carpets, wheels, etc)...brake dust can chemically bond to metal (wheels) and corrode paint....bugs and other organic deposits can etch paint over time. There is a pretty low bar on this...a quick cleaning is all that's needed, not some obsessive level of polish. One last suggestion, run the air conditioner while you're idling the car - it will keep the compressor seals lubricated and compliant.
Good luck!
dd
Your other question asked what ill effects there may be as you leave the car dormant...generally none for a relatively short period of time (like 2 months). However, you should ensure that the car is run and gets up to operating temperature at least once a month (better still, every 3 weeks). You've got to move the car and apply the brakes so you don't get pads bonding to the brake disks. You also want to move the car so you warm the transmission & differential fluids, and when you do, brake fairly powerfully so that you scrape the rust off the (iron) disks. If the car is outside, you should cover it with a car cover that reaches all the way to the ground. Rain bounces when it hits the ground and hits the brake disks unevenly, rusting the lower sections faster than the upper sections - over a longer period of time, that's a real problem and your brakes can freeze (through metal corrosion, not temperature).
You should also put a scented dryer sheet (like Bounce) under your car seat. The fragrance will keep the air inside the car smelling fresher, and will deter rodents from setting up shop in your car. Lastly, make sure everything is clean (paint, seats, carpets, wheels, etc)...brake dust can chemically bond to metal (wheels) and corrode paint....bugs and other organic deposits can etch paint over time. There is a pretty low bar on this...a quick cleaning is all that's needed, not some obsessive level of polish. One last suggestion, run the air conditioner while you're idling the car - it will keep the compressor seals lubricated and compliant.
Good luck!
dd
12-30-07, 05:41 PM
#5
....what kind of mileage does this car have? I'm guessing close to 100K...the white smoke was oil that made it past the piston rings. You've got a worn piston ring (which is no big deal at all) and a bit of oil made it into one (or more) of your cylinders. Upon starting the car you saw the oil burn off. When your car is being used regularly, there is insufficient oil built up to make much of a puff of smoke, but I'm sure it's there. Nothing to worry about at all.
Your other question asked what ill effects there may be as you leave the car dormant...generally none for a relatively short period of time (like 2 months). However, you should ensure that the car is run and gets up to operating temperature at least once a month (better still, every 3 weeks). You've got to move the car and apply the brakes so you don't get pads bonding to the brake disks. You also want to move the car so you warm the transmission & differential fluids, and when you do, brake fairly powerfully so that you scrape the rust off the (iron) disks. If the car is outside, you should cover it with a car cover that reaches all the way to the ground. Rain bounces when it hits the ground and hits the brake disks unevenly, rusting the lower sections faster than the upper sections - over a longer period of time, that's a real problem and your brakes can freeze (through metal corrosion, not temperature).
You should also put a scented dryer sheet (like Bounce) under your car seat. The fragrance will keep the air inside the car smelling fresher, and will deter rodents from setting up shop in your car. Lastly, make sure everything is clean (paint, seats, carpets, wheels, etc)...brake dust can chemically bond to metal (wheels) and corrode paint....bugs and other organic deposits can etch paint over time. There is a pretty low bar on this...a quick cleaning is all that's needed, not some obsessive level of polish. One last suggestion, run the air conditioner while you're idling the car - it will keep the compressor seals lubricated and compliant.
Good luck!
dd
Your other question asked what ill effects there may be as you leave the car dormant...generally none for a relatively short period of time (like 2 months). However, you should ensure that the car is run and gets up to operating temperature at least once a month (better still, every 3 weeks). You've got to move the car and apply the brakes so you don't get pads bonding to the brake disks. You also want to move the car so you warm the transmission & differential fluids, and when you do, brake fairly powerfully so that you scrape the rust off the (iron) disks. If the car is outside, you should cover it with a car cover that reaches all the way to the ground. Rain bounces when it hits the ground and hits the brake disks unevenly, rusting the lower sections faster than the upper sections - over a longer period of time, that's a real problem and your brakes can freeze (through metal corrosion, not temperature).
You should also put a scented dryer sheet (like Bounce) under your car seat. The fragrance will keep the air inside the car smelling fresher, and will deter rodents from setting up shop in your car. Lastly, make sure everything is clean (paint, seats, carpets, wheels, etc)...brake dust can chemically bond to metal (wheels) and corrode paint....bugs and other organic deposits can etch paint over time. There is a pretty low bar on this...a quick cleaning is all that's needed, not some obsessive level of polish. One last suggestion, run the air conditioner while you're idling the car - it will keep the compressor seals lubricated and compliant.
Good luck!
dd
12-30-07, 06:11 PM
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Originally Posted by diamondmit
....what kind of mileage does this car have? I'm guessing close to 100K...the white smoke was oil that made it past the piston rings. You've got a worn piston ring (which is no big deal at all) and a bit of oil made it into one (or more) of your cylinders. Upon starting the car you saw the oil burn off. When your car is being used regularly, there is insufficient oil built up to make much of a puff of smoke, but I'm sure it's there. Nothing to worry about at all.
I couldn't have agreed more! Thanks for all the help guys!
01-01-08, 05:16 PM
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ll, I would not open As long as the engine is running weit up to do a ring job....
...to begin with, it's expensive, and secondly, there is a whole range of other problems that you might have to (or want to) address once you open the engine. It's really costly and just not something worth doing on a car with 180,000 miles, unless it is necessary just to get the car running.
You should switch to a higher viscosity oil (the dealer can suggest the weight) and that change alone may solve your white smoke issue.
dd
You should switch to a higher viscosity oil (the dealer can suggest the weight) and that change alone may solve your white smoke issue.
dd
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