Engine smoking and problems( running like crap)

G

Greenemachine

Registered
so yeah comming home tonight my car suddenly started acting like crap. really horrible idle and crazy engine vibration when accel( like accelerating and sputtering the whole time) , even under lightly the car runs like serious crap. and when i open the hood i smell oil or something buring and I see smoke from the back end of the engine but can't see in to find out where its comming from. at first i was thinking the rocker arm.... cause in my 93 same type of vibration and crappy performance I took it to a shop and they said the rocker arm in cyl 1 was hiting something, so they fixed that... and same symptoms happeing here in my 96, however i didn't see smoke from the back of the engine then with my 93 and I didn't smell anything burning and now I do with this car. So i am thinking maybe head gaskets, however wouldn't the temp gauge go up if it was that? the temp reads normal and doesn't go to hot so what the heck could be the cause of this? any ideas on where to start?
 
RE: Engine smoking and problems( running like crap)

could be you have a clogged up catalytic convertor on that side of the motor thats smoking, cat gets hot and oil burns off etc.

Check the the plug boots where they go into the head at in top of the valve cover, oil is known to leak from the valve covers and you may find plug floating in oil and shorting out the spark.

Another item could be fuel pump, causing major lean condition over heating the exhaust and smoking.

Is oil pressure good? is oil full and clean?
Any trouble codes/ MIL light?
 
RE: Engine smoking and problems( running like crap)

it may be the cat cause I kinda had the car floored and all of a sudden i see smoke pour out the back of my car through my exhaust.. i'll check the plugs later on today.
 
RE: Engine smoking and problems( running like crap)

so nothing in and around the plugs and the valves look clean, however I took the air intake tube off and theres oil everywhere inside there and around the throttle body and I guess all inside the intake. do I have to take the whole intake apart again to clean it?
 
RE: Engine smoking and problems( running like crap)

That explains the smoke. Now where did the oil come from? PCV? Introduce it to SeaFoam.
 
RE: Engine smoking and problems( running like crap)

You had it floored when it began running like crap?

Black inside the t-body and intake is normal and Ford states dont clean it becuase its and anti stick coating to prevent carbon buildup.
Now oil is problem and you need to find out where its coming from.
PCV is a good source.
Clogged or pinched breather line
Engine overfilled with oil?
Check all plugs and read them any looked oil fouled?
Check all injector harness and plugs going to injectors.
Mine has a whacky injector plug on #5 that drops out and stops firing once in a while.
Listen to all injectors with a screwdriver to your ear and end on the injector they will click and you can hear them cycling tik,tik,tik,tik etc.. if one sounds off or not clicking then wiring or injector is bad.
How does it idle? smooth normal or shaking?
Check the MAF make certain nothing is blocking it or broken any of the filament in it. Clean it etc.
Last but not least Compression test if all else seems ok.
 
RE: Engine smoking and problems( running like crap)

I have used seafoam before on this car.
-pcv valve working fine, has suction and no excess oil.
-not sure what a breather line is
- engine is actually down a quart of oil since this happened.

The idle has been crap lately since its been getting cold, its idle rough but no rpm surges, well none after the first 2-3 minutes of a cold startup. However it used to stall out a few times, even when the car was warm.. like if I pulled to a stop sign it might stall out, that happened a few times but not more than once at a time. I'm getting the car to a shop tommorrow. I am just hoping there isn't a piston blown or some damage inside. Now the car since this happens has crappy throttle response and it keeps stalling out, we'll see what happens or what they say.

On a side note I should have never bought this car. this 96 has been nothing but problems from the moment I bought it. My 93 had virtually no problems for a good 40 thousand HARD miles except for the rocker arm which wasnt a costly thing. in this car the trans went after I had it only for a month, this happens... I havn't even had the car for 6 months. this is gonna be the never ending money pit of a car I can feel it. (edit) I forgot to mention that most of the stuff that had been done to this car(alarm, Stereo, gears) where done half a$$. gears they didn't put the right speedo gear in, I'm just waiting for the gears to go next. the door panels are screwed in cause the stereo shop broke all the door tabs on the back.. the alarm is a thousand dollar nightmare.
 
RE: Engine smoking and problems( running like crap)

so yea they said it needs a motor. soem internal damage, probally a piston. to be honist I think I am giving up on the marks. I'm already over 9 grand in debt with this car and there goes the engine. thanks for the replys
 
RE: Engine smoking and problems( running like crap)

Before you trash it do a compression check. It's cheap and easy and will tell you if your oil problem is from a worn engine. I'm not convinced.
 
RE: Engine smoking and problems( running like crap)

I brought the car to a shop that is very honist and they told me there is knocking from deep inside the engine. like a piston, even still its gonna cost over a grand. meaning for a 96 I'd be in over 10 grand in debt
 
RE: Engine smoking and problems( running like crap)

oh and I wouldn't trash the car, but I seriouslly should be thinking of my future plans and stop wasting all my damn time and money on my car. I mean I don;'t want to, I loved my car but I only make 12 an hour and i am almost 23.. I need to go back to school. may have the car sit there till I have enough to build a crazy motor... I can't see fixing the same tired motor when I want more power.

I should add I have the motor in my back yard from my 93, which I could swap in the spring/summer but idk that motor had 150k on the clock and I'd hate to spend so much effort and time doing that in my damn yard with no lift, just a stupid engine hoist, and have the engine maybequit soon after. right now I am just too upset/pissed to think about what I am actually gonna do.
 
RE: Engine smoking and problems( running like crap)

look for a cheap used motor. better then folking over 10g. motor will cost from but 700-1200
 
RE: Engine smoking and problems( running like crap)

yea 700-1200 plus you gotta have someone install it. could cost upwards of 2 grand for a used motor installed. and at least in my eyes there is very little differece between $2000 and $5000 when you have 0 dollars to your name and in order to get the car fixed you'll have to take out another loan on top of the $6500 loan I already have on the car. so IF I took out a loan, I'm not getting some used motor, I'm going to get a brand new worked motor, or have my old motor stroked and get some better internals and maybe head work.
 
RE: Engine smoking and problems( running like crap)

IF you have a chip in the car, check it. This kind of sudden issue is common when the chip becomes unseated on the board.
 
RE: Engine smoking and problems( running like crap)

[div class="dcquote"][strong]Quote[/strong]
Before you trash it do a compression check. It's cheap and easy and will tell you if your oil problem is from a worn engine. I'm not convinced.
[/div]

Me neither, I would look for a second opinion. Not saying thats not what it is, but when you look at the kind of money you will have to spend -what do you have to lose? Besides can some of the knocking be attributed to those inherently weak cam tensioners?
Either way I've never heard of rod knock on a 4-cam mod motor.

Best of luck to you
 
RE: Engine smoking and problems( running like crap)

[div class="dcquote"][strong]Quote[/strong]
IF you have a chip in the car, check it. This kind of sudden issue is common when the chip becomes unseated on the board.
[/div]

Now that you mentioned that I do have a chip. and also when I ordered it from dennis he told me that something might go wrong with the engine with the chip and my LMS maf. would just taking the chip out to see help?
 
RE: Engine smoking and problems( running like crap)

A rod knock wont cause it to run bad.

Compression test results are a must.
 
RE: Engine smoking and problems( running like crap)

the car does not turn over. i brought it to my shop and they said they changed the oil and tried to see what the problem was and after a few minutes it just wouldn't start. the motor is seized
 
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