taffelman

So there are two scenarios evolving in my head:

1.Worst case:
- Blown waterpump
- Timebelt slipped
- Blown headgasket due to heat
- Maybe some bent valves (even though I cant hear any bad noises)

2. Best case
- Timing belt needs retension
- There is a water leak in a hose/radiator

I am still not giving up the hope that this might be a series bad coincidents. Because the car was only started for a few minutes after bein parked outside in cold weather (just above zero degrees celcius) tonight. the smoke might be from moisture in the intake and exhaust.

So the smoke might be from starting a cold moist engine, and the low coolant warning might be caused by a leaking hose, and the cambelt service warning might just be that it needs re-tension 3-4000 km after its been changed.

Therefore I have a plan for tonight:
- Inspect cambelt and waterpump
- If they look okay, start engine and let it get hot to see if the smoke dissapears

Is there any way to do a quick insepection to determine if the waterpump is gone? Assuming I am not willing to start the engine before this is verified.

blown 87

white=coolant
oil=gray
fuel=balck

White smoke is coolant

AO

I doubt the warning are related. The head gaskets are pretty strong on these cars. The first thing to do is to check the condition of the coolant in the resevoir and the condition of the oil. If the coolant looks oil contaminated, or if the oil look like a capaccino, you obviously have a leak. Most likely cause is the oil cooler. Do a search and you will find a lot of info on that.

If they both look good, then re-tension the belt, add some water to the coolant, and start the car and let it warm up thoroughly. Check for leaks. If you have leaks, fix them. If none, take it for a drive and enjoy!

WallyP

Coolant in the exhaust has a very distinctive sweet odor. Normal vapor on a cool morning smells like normal exhaust.

Do a LOT of checking before deciding to pull the engine or the heads!

SharkSkin

Assume the worst till you prove otherwise to yourself. Look for traces of coolant around/under the crank pulleys. Pull off the upper TB covers -- 10 minutes effort, then you can see the WP & tensioner pulleys to see if they appear to be tracking straight, and make sure the wire is connected for the TB warning.

Good advice from Andrew & Wally above.

blown 87

They make a prouduct called block check, (most call it a chem test) we use it all the time to check for blown head gaskets, cracked heads, etc.

I would not pull the heads untill I knew for sure that I was getting cumbustion chamber gases into the cooling system.

taffelman

Thanks for all the advices.

I will try to inspect the cambelt/waterpump tomorrow and maybe post some pics here to get some feedback, since I've never inspected it before.

I have printed out the instructions from the Workshop manual, and John Pirtle's article and will study them before removing anything.

I will also check the coolant for oil and the oil for coolant, and buy the chem test if I find anything suspicious.

the flyin' scotsman

It is very possible the 'white smoke' is indeed condensation from a cold engine.............0 degrees; ask me how I know (Canada). Still observe your coolant level and ensure there's sufficient quantity.

Most important; you cannot check your cam belt without the proper tool. You could take off the cover etc and visually inspect and then leave it alone until the tool arrive............if you're in a desperate hurry have it shipped express but don't drive the car.

All going well you'll top up the coolant to the correct level and reset the cam belt tesion and your back on the road.

BTW............genuine white smoke is burning coolant.

SharkSkin

Is it really smoke, or steam? Steam disappears into the air; smoke doesn't.

taffelman

Hmm It only ran for a few minutes but when thinking back it did dissapear into the air, so I think it might have been steam.

I have just popped the hood and both coolant and oil levels are OK, and the are no traces of coolant in oil or vice versa. There are no signs of leakage on my garagefloor either.

I am getting eager to start her up just to get some more facts verified, but I guess I shuld do a visiual inspection of the cambelt first. Are there any inspection holes in the cambelt covers? or must they come off?

taffelman

She's been started up....

I had checked the following:
- Oil level ok, and no obvious leaks
- Coolant level a bit low (1-2 cm below mark), no obvios leaks
- Timing belt is still there (checked through vent holes on covers)
- Last time she ran there where no bad engine noises

So to keep me from going insane wondering if the head gasket had blown, or even worse if the valves had been damaged, I topped up the coolant and fired her up.

- She fired instantly (as usual)
- No bad noises
- No smoke from exhaust
- Oil pressure at max
- No warning lights (except RDK)

I let her run at idle to get her heated up, but after 5 miuntes when the temp guage just about started to move, the "cambelt service" warning light came on, and I shut her down.

After a quick inspection everything looks ok, except I found a small coolant leak on the bottom of the right hand side of the radiator.

I now belive that the engine is OK, but got a small coolant leak in the radiator or hoses, and the cambelt needs a full inspection and re-tensioning.

I can bearly describe how happy I am that the engine is ok

But I will not drive her until the campelt has been fully inspected. I'll try to find a mechanic that can come to my garage and do the inspection, as I am feeling a bit novice around this engine. Somehow it feels much safer to wrench on the 924 :-)