changed disty, lots of smoke

[Haley]

Changed my disty, and got some new plug wires cause found two of mine screwed. So, car runs good, nice and smooth but i have quite a bit of white smoke coming from exhaust.checked the oil, it looks fine, dont smell coolant. Could this be from the car sitting for a few days? Or could it be running rich and i just need to change some settings?

[Inodoro Pereyra]

If the smoke is white, it's coolant getting into the cylinder(s). That means you either dropped some coolant in the cylinder when you took the spark plugs off, or you have a head gasket problem.
Leave the engine running for a while. The smoke should dissipate. Then keep an eye on it.

[stereoking15]

If the smoke is white, it's coolant getting into the cylinder(s). That means you either dropped some coolant in the cylinder when you took the spark plugs off, or you have a head gasket problem.
Leave the engine running for a while. The smoke should dissipate. Then keep an eye on it.

It could also just be some condensation from it sitting for a while, if the smoke goes away when it gets warm should be nothing to worry about. If it gets worse then I would lean towards a head gasket issue. But this all came about after disty change and wires? Also check the pcv valve because that is responsible for releasing crankcase gasses into your intake which can cause it to smoke those are like $6 and need to be changed every 30k or so.

[Daninski]

Is the oil over filled? My ex added like two liters too much and it happened to her.

[Haley]

The smoke is gone, think it was just from sitting, or excess fuel unburnt from trying to start it so much before changing disty.
Anyway, problem is, I changed my plugs last night and it is running lean. They are white/grey.
Im sure this is just a matter of adjusting stuff due to the new disty???
Where should I start? TPS? Or would adjusting the air screw on top help ?

[wytbishop]

Give it a week or so before you decide for sure on the color of the plugs. Whatever was sitting in the cylinders that made the white smoke is all over them right now. Let that burn off and then give it a day or two to show the true condition of the engine.

[Haley]

Good point, I put new plugs in last night so they are fresh and I can get a more accurate reading from them. I just dont want to drive too much if it is running lean and risk seizing up.
I'll check tonight, that will be almost 100 km on the new plugs.

[stereoking15]

If your plugs have a little bit of white buildup on them thats normal it is just the additives they have in the fuel that sometimes harden during combustion. Look at the porcelin after 500 miles and if it is a light brown/ caramel color your fine even if you do see some clustering of white spots and white buildup. Let your car auto learn the new conditions it is seeing to make any real adjustments.