White Smoke on start-up

[Shawna]

Hi everyone. I just bought a 93 MX-3 with a 1.6L 16v DOHC engine and noticed that I blow a LOT of white smoke out the tailpipe when the car first starts up. When the engine warms up the smoke goes away. This car passed the Ontario Clean air test so I don't know what is the issue. My boyfriend thinks head gasket?? (But what does he know - he drives a 240!! LOL) We looked at the oil on the dip stick and it looks clean - nothing making the oil dirty - but the oil was just changed before I bought it so that might not tell me much. Although the little stick was clean anyway.

Is changing a head gasket a big deal - like serious money?

I love the car and have owned it only 4 days! I already have a new radio and speakers in it and a new paint job!

The clutch feels fine to me but my dad who has raced cars at Mosport says it's slipping but not too bad - yet. Is a clutch a lot of money? Over $500?

Thank's everyone, I found this page this past weekend - what a great place!

[Tunes67]

Check to see if you are losing any coolant.. If your coolant level is dropping.. you have a blown head gasket. Burning coolant is indicated by white smoke. However.. if it was a blown head gasket.. it wouldnt stop smoking after warm up.. it would only get worse. So most likely the white smoke you are seeing is just condensation in the exaust system burning off. This is very likely considering the time of year and that you have only owned the car for 4 days and wouldnt be aware of this tendancy.

So that takes care of the car problem.. as for your BF.. well.. there are a lot of dudes in the ontario area that drive mazdas ya know LOL Friends dont let friends drive Nissan's Clutches arent too bad.. under $150 easy if you can do them yourself.. about $300-$400 if you pay a shop to do it.

Tunes67

[TREVO123]

My oem replacement clutch cost me $134 CAD at lordco.

[DreamSpawn]

If there is alot of smoke then it is the vavle seals starting to go out on it.

[Tunes67]

If there is alot of smoke then it is the vavle seals starting to go out on it.

See the thing is.. she stated that it was white smoke.. if it was valve seals.. it would be blue smoke.

Tunes67

[mzdamx3rsdohc]

id say its definatly just condensation. since ur in the oshawa area, cause u mentioned mosport. i just got my clutch done total under 500$ and havent had a problem with it so if u want to kno a shop locally just message me at mzdamx3rs@hotmail.com. also make sure u go in king of the hill at mosport since its a pretty peppy car with some mods and has good handling. i went this past summer and cleaned up till i faced a gtp in the final round but i had him off the line (he spun) slippery track. and i out cornered him he just flew by after the first corner on the straight... i need a turbo and if u win i think its 200$- its just around the oval track too.

[mzdamx3rsdohc]

id drop the bf too cause who wants to date a nismo guy... just kiddin around-but id tell him to worry about his car b4 urs as ull find it will be reliable except for when ur distributor goes, but theres a cheap place for em in toronto-lucky star engines. also DOMS and Standard Auto Wreckers have the spoilers, and a buddy just told me at ps auto wreckers theres a few front lips and bumpers. Do u drive the pink mx3 if so i was the guy at play it again in whitby driving the red lowered mx but that ones not mine.

[Shawna]

also make sure u go in king of the hill at mosport since its a pretty peppy car with some mods and has good handling. i went this past summer and cleaned up till i faced a gtp in the final round but i had him off the line (he spun) slippery track. and i out cornered him he just flew by after the first corner on the straight... i need a turbo and if u win i think its 200$- its just around the oval track too.

I flag at Mosport (road course) and have seen the King of the Hill guys. Scary!!

As far as the smoke: I'm bringing it into my Dad's mechanic this Friday for a check up. I have no records and my Dad says we have to make sure the timing belt is in good shape along with a check over of everything.

[Shawna]

FYI: Update - just to let everyone know. My Dad's mechanic found that the coolant temp sensor was N/G and this was allowing the car to go to full rich mode what ever that means. The used car dealer is going to pay for the part and install free after we called him. It still seems weird. I am told that it could not have passed a clean air test as the machanic says that at full rich there would be too high a hydrocarbon count or something. We do have a "pass" test sheet - but he said there are many ways to "help" a car pass these tests that are not quite on the up and up. He was willing to bet the guy adjusted the car manually just to pass the test which your not supposed to do.

I don't care as long as it is fixed cause if I had to pay for it the bill would have been $200 bucks. Are all mazda parts this expensive - the part was more then the labour? The clutch was fine even though my Dad thinks it suks. He's used to 400-500HP and clutch petals you can barely push down on.

Thanks for everyone who tried to figure out what was wrong. Maybe someone else down the road will have the same problem of white smoke and remember what the fix was on mine.

[Tunes67]

Even if the car was running in full rich mode.. that wouldnt account for white smoke. It would show black smoke. And $200 for replacing a coolant temp sensor is patently ridiculous. The part costs no more than $50 and takes about 5 minutes to install. So.. if you will pardon the pun.. someone is trying to throw you a smoke screen there

Tunes67

[SuperK]

Hey, did that temp sensor take care of the white smoke problem? I seem to have the exact same problem. add "billows" before white smoke, though :S

If someone knows how to replace this, please let me know

[nos92mx3]

its the green plug sensor right behind the Thermostat, i think its a 17mm socket/wrench.....

[Mnemonic]

why did you revive a 2 year old post?

[nos92mx3]

woah thats freaky, i had no reason to bump an old a-- post.I thought it was recent.