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199 suzuki esteem with smoke under the hood
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davisnlaura
New User
Mar 11, 2013, 8:11 PM
Post #1 of 2
(1369 views)
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199 suzuki esteem with smoke under the hood
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1999 suzuki esteem
1.8L engine
170,000 miles
Was driving home the other day and noticed a burning smell coming through the vents. Got home and opened the hood and there was some very thin white smoke coming from the back left area of the engine near the alternator. Let it sit for a day and then started it again and didn't see any smoke so I drove it around for a while and after about 5-10 minutes it started again. It is obviously an old car and it has had a slow oil leak for quite a long time. It was never too bad until 3-4 months ago it got bad enough that there would be drops of oil on road after being parked overnight. I changed the oil and put in an engine leak additive and it helped in that I haven't seen anymore oil spots on the road and the oil level has stayed the same. However, there is a lot of oil and grimey buildup all over the bottom of the engine.
Here's what I have so far
The smoke smells bad like burning rubber or oil, not sweet like coolant
The belt is in the area of the smoke but is fairly new and still in great condition
all of the belt pulleys are freely moveable
The engine oil level is fine and it doesn't smell like burning or look bad or discolored
The radiator is full and coolant level is normal in the reservoir, fluid looks normal, not dirty or discolored
THe alternator itself is only 3 months old, is working properly, and the smoke does not appear to be coming directly from it. The battery also tested normal on a crank test and the cord between the alternator and battery is working.
There does not appear to be any frayed or damaged electrical wires in the area.
I am thinking that the oil has leaked onto something that gets hot (maybe the exhaust pipe?) and its burning is causing the smoke. Any other ideas? Are there other parts that could get hot enough to burn the oil? There has been a lot of oil on the engine for a long time but never had this smoke problem before. Thanks.
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