Blowing smoke after oil change

[Vinces87]

Hello out there! Glad I ran into this forum. read a lot of what everyone has to say and thought I'd throw this at you.

My first mistake was trusting Jiffy Lube to do an oil change. I was in a hurry because I'd planned a weekend trip. They finsished the job, and I was on my way. Not very far though. I got maybe 20 miles down the road (if that) and looked in the mirror. The car was blowing considerable smoke out of both tail pipes. The smoke appeared white and almost looked like steam as it seemed to dissapate quickly instead of leaving a "smoke trail". I did not notice any big change in the motor audibly but pulled it over none the less. I got it home and popped the hood. I didn't see anything out of the norm. No oil spattered anywhere, oil filler cap was there, fan clutch was working (yes, I started it )

1987 Convertible

There's a little over 108K miles on it. They used 5-30W in it which I think was a mistake but the old timer convinced me that's what should be used.

Anyone have any idea what it could be? From what I have read white smoke could almost mean anything. Who better to ask than those that have been there- done that. Thanks in advance for anything you can add.

 

[gmjunkie]

Did you check the Coolant???? Maybe it was steam!!!! A gasket can go anytime!!

 

[vett boy]

White smoke indicates coolant from what I know.

I used 5-30 Mobil 1 in my 87 and no problems.Only problem I had was rear main seal when I sold it at 90,000 miles.

 

[John Robinson]

Yup I agree with the others blown head gasket. Water vapor sometimes looks like oil but the fact it did not hang in the air would have me looking at the heads. Good luck and welcome to the forum

I have a question did you get out and look at the exhaust pipes or did you assume the vapor was from both pipes. The reason I ask is when my upper radiator hose let loose I would have bet it was from the exhaust.

 

[Louis Bartay]

White smoke indicates coolant from what I know.

I used 5-30 Mobil 1 in my 87 and no problems.Only problem I had was rear main seal when I sold it at 90,000 miles.

White smoke can also be from a auto trans that has a bad vacuum leak either at the passing gear kick down diaphram on the trans or the vacuum line that runs to the intake for vacuum. It will draw the auto trans fluid into the intake and burn it with the fuel,(white smoke).

Edit: If auto trans, check you trans fluid.

 

[Edmond]

I don't think the use of 5W or 10W will cause a problem either way.

 

[vetteboy86]

What does the exhaust smell like? What are the odds that a gasket would go right after those guys at Jiffy Lube worked on it. Are you sure they didn't spill oil on the manifolds? It could have dripped down off the valve cover, and they just wiped the valve cover.

 

[drippingwithgold]

If its coming out the tailpipes then its probably a head gasket. Does it smell or taste sweet like antifreeze?

 

[Vinces87]

Thanks everyone. Got her to a shop yesterday and got the call this morning. It is the head gasket. Could have been worse I guess. I should have been a mechanic. They quoted me 15 hours of labor which sounds reasonable. Tim to hit the boss for a raise now :/

Thanks again and have a great week!

 

[Phill]

a little late but did you check the dip stick for proper level? they could of overfilled it.

 

[Fast Freddie]

Is there any mixing of coolant and oil? If there is coolant in the oil, you could have damaged the main and/or rod bearings. ( happened to me on a bonneville. fixed the melted plastic intake and a month later the durn thing had a rod knocking. ). Also, I hope that 15 hours came with a kiss, especially if they have that high labor rate that seems so widespread. my labor guide calls for 7 hours on the high side. ( but that sounds a little low to me.... 10 hours is more like it. ) don't forget to check the heads for warping.

 

[vett boy]

Thanks everyone. Got her to a shop yesterday and got the call this morning. It is the head gasket. Could have been worse I guess. I should have been a mechanic. They quoted me 15 hours of labor which sounds reasonable. Tim to hit the boss for a raise now :/

Thanks again and have a great week!

Hope you don't mind but I talked with your boss about the raise.Sorry to say quote "fat chance in hell".Oh, then I told him you'd quit and he said"good"

I really think he's bluffin' though.

 

[gmjunkie]

Is there any mixing of coolant and oil? If there is coolant in the oil, you could have damaged the main and/or rod bearings. ( happened to me on a bonneville. fixed the melted plastic intake and a month later the durn thing had a rod knocking. ). Also, I hope that 15 hours came with a kiss, especially if they have that high labor rate that seems so widespread. my labor guide calls for 7 hours on the high side. ( but that sounds a little low to me.... 10 hours is more like it. ) don't forget to check the heads for warping.

I agree,I know I could do it in 8-10 hr's,and I'm getting Old,But then again it did take Allmost a year to get around to getting the Z finished!!!

 

[Vinces87]

Just to clear up the 15 hours, now they're quoting more than the 15. I'm going to have them do a valve job while they're at it. So, now I find out that they want my car for 2-3 weeks. I really hope they're as good as they claim to be.

Thanks for trying to get that raise for me and the scary part is that's exactly what he would have said.

I'll look into the amount of time they need for the job. 15 hours sounds to me like a few too many but I am not a mechanic, unless you ask me to work on a pre 1975 dirt bike.

No matter the cost, this car is still costing less than my ex

I did not see coolant in the oil, and the oil level was fine. I've never had this type of problem before with any of my cars and feel pretty stupid at the moment.:bash

 

[Fast Freddie]

you could look into getting a GM longblock .....