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White smoke only when starting


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thesasquatch77
New User

Sep 4, 2010, 6:23 AM

Post #1 of 2 (1414 views)
White smoke only when starting Sign In

Car History:
I bought a '89 Chevy Conversion van w/350 back in April 2010. Had my mechanic check it out and he said it was in great shape. It has 64,000 actual miles on it. The title that the previous owner gave me showed that it had 48,000 miles back in '94 so he only put 16,000 miles on it over the last 16 years. He claimed that it was only used as the family's trip vehicle and he was pushing 90 years old so I am sure that it got almost no use over the last handful of years. The one issue I had to fix right away was that the fuel filter had never been changed in 21 years. It actually stalled out on me due to the filter being so clogged.

My Concern:
The Van smokes pretty bad upon starting. After about 5 seconds it is fine and doesn't appear to smoke at all while driving. My mechanic, friends that seem to know a fair amount about engines, and auto store sales people do not seem to think this is a big deal. What is causing this and is there a way to stop or at least limit the amount of smoke that comes out without spending a ton of money? It is kind of embarrassing. Thanks.




Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Sep 4, 2010, 8:17 AM

Post #2 of 2 (1405 views)
Re: White smoke only when starting Sign In

With the age of the vehicle you can bet that nearly every rubber seal in the engine is dried out and deteriorated. The smoke is likely coming from bad valve seals but don't be surprised if you see a lot of oil leaks in the near future.



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