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No i was not attempting to break any world record or pass the sound barrier but i damaged my car yesterday. It happened yesterday really although the car has been acting kinda strange since sunday nite. but once i hit 60mph yesterday, i saw a thick white smoke come out the exhaust, then as i look under the hood, i saw oil was comin out of my intake for god knows wat reason and my temp gauge went down to nearly cold when it usually stays in the middle. I noticed something was wrong sunday nite but i drove around the block and noticed nothin different but yesterday before i saw the white smoke, or oil coming out of my intake, the car showed two signs, the batt and oil then died on me. i started it up rgiht away but checked my oil. i knw the car has been leaking some oil on the bottom of the engine and under the distributor cap since i did the oil change a month or so ago but i didnt know it was that bad. i was planning to take it back to sears and get them to fix it since whoever worked on it last fucked up somehow. but now i have a possible blown piston and now since i have to take the engine apart anyway (not me, the mechanic) is there any engine upgrades i can have them do as well since they will be working on that part of the vehicle anyway? i have a 96 camry 4 cylinder with dual exhaust (i know, i know, loses perf and kills any engine mods but it looks and sounds great and i might get rid of it soon eventually)
I also agree that it just might be a head gasket. You can have the tech pull the head off of it and check, or try to do it yourself. If you really think the engine is gone you have little to waste except a few hours of your time. You can't break it any worse if it really is a blown piston. Maybe you'll get lucky and a new head gasket is all it will take to fix it.
Oh that might be a good idea. Im a newbie but im learning quick so do you think i can actually pull the head off on my own with the proper tools? how much would a head gasket cost as oppose to a piston? lemme check some prices. thats probably the best news ive heard all day.
From what I have been reading on this forum I have two assumptions to make on why my car is releasing white smoke out of my exhaust. 1. hopefully it is just a head gasket which i can live with if that is the problem. me and a friend can do the work and replace it with some labor over the weekend but if 2. the engine is gone, which im fearing and hopefully thats not the cause, i will need a new engine. but if that is the case, then can i just get an engine swap? it might be expensive to get a perf engine put in but to rebuild this one might be around the same numbers. i already bought a new timing belt, i changed the radiator and water pump last november so those parts are pretty new. I am interested in getting an intake manifold and probably a new throttle body so will my current engine be able to handle these mods?
is my assumption on a head gasket correct? it is a piece that sits between the head manifold and the engine itself, circling the pistons?
am i going crazy by saying i would rather an engine swap then a rebuilt or new standard camry engine?
can somebody shut me up with the actual facts cuz right now my mind is all over the place.
btw, i have an 96 4 cylinder camry with dual exhaust (i know, i know), DIY intake, new timing belt, new radiator, new water pump, DIY PCV valve and white smoke coming out of my exhaust if i go more then 60 mph or hit 6,000 rpms nd my temp gauge went down to almost cold instead of sitting in the center of temp gauge as it usually does.
Theres other gaskets/seals that need to replaced in the process.
The complete gasket set is probably upwards of $200. I just blew my head gasket. It took my mechanic two weeks to fix. A friend of mine has fixed a few head gaskets himself, but it took him over a month both times. Unless you know what youre doing, it will take you a ton of time, but its a ton of money if you have someone else do it.
[quote=dfault312] It took my mechanic two weeks to fix. A friend of mine has fixed a few head gaskets himself, but it took him over a month both times.quote]
You need a different mechanic! And obviously your friend is not one!
Gary
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Don't worry about what other people think....as most of them don't!
just a little tip, your symptoms could be another item. have you performed a compression test? simple test to compare the cylinders. if all 4 test with similar numbers, i would check your intake gasket. it would leak coolant into the intake stream, and result with white smoke just like what you are describing.
if it is the head gasket, it really is not that bad of a job, but professional installation is always a good call, if not for the warranty on the work.
If you blew a hole in the piston - you will see damage to your plugs when you pull them and the water jacket would have to be compromised. Usually when this happens it cuz you have a hole in the cylinder and/or hole in the cyl head. Probably not the case here unless you ran it LEAN by adding boost (Turbo/SuperCharge) or had a Plugged injector.
Is the crankcase full of water?
Did the oil level go up?
Have you drained the oil and coolant yet?
All of these will tell you more about what happened.
PS - if the crankcase is full of water (oil level to high) DO NOT drive it to the shop. Water is not a substitute for oil. You will trash the motor cuz oild floats on water.
If it is just a head gasket and you DIY, remember that the exhaust/muffler/CAT are all full of water and it will smoke for like 10-20 mins even though you fixed the head gasket. You still have to dry exhaust out by running it.
Good Luck!
/ra
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95 Cam, V6 1MZ, Auto A541E, LE >245,000 miles!
Yeah 1200 for a headgasket is a little excessive. Shop around at some othe shops to see waht you can get it for elsewhere. I am assuming it is a 4 cyl. if it is a 6 then that may be a decent price since they are probably quoting you both cylinders.
You can do it yourself but like others have said you need to follow directions very well.
Pull your plugs to see if there is any coolant residue on them. It will be visible or you will smell burnt coolant on them.
THe temp guage dropping like it did is a good sign that you lost all of your coolant because the coolant sensor has nothing to read if it is empty. Therefore you get no reading on the temp guage.
You could also fill your coolant up and get a coolant system pressure tester. I think you can rent one at Autozone or maybe even buy one for farily cheap. pull your plugs and fill the cooling system. pressurize the system and try to find where the coolant is going if the pressure drops. If it is in the cylinders then it is most likely a headgasket.
If you dont fell comfortable doing it your self then have it towed somewhere and jsut pay for it to be fixed.
IF it was a piston you would probably hear a lot of noise and I dont see you mentioning a lot of noise from the engine.
WHile you are in there you might as welll plan on replacing the timing belt and all associated parts.
Hope that helps some.
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Chris
PLEASE DO NOT GET RID OF THE OLD TN AS WE KNOW IT.
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