Originally Posted By: sky7
If you're not mixing oil and water and you're not pouring coolant into a cylinder, I wouldn't sweat the head gasket. This ones a liitle off the wall, but how's your brake fluid level? I have seen start up "puff" caused by a leaking master cylinder and brake fluid getting sucked in by the booster vacuum. Can't hurt to check.
The "Puffs" are a color hard to distinguish. its aliteral "Puff" though, if the car sits for 30 minutes sometimes, it "Puffs" and floats in the air like special effects smoke staying in its own little cloud, small, floating away.. its a "greyish" color ?
it DOESNT smell sweet
i DONT see "bubbles"
i HAVE amonster vacuum leak, duct tape gave out, i see smoke more when it starts to go (i found the actual "air pipe" and "check valve"
The way the car runs, i suspect everything from fouled plugs to bad vacuum to weak coil, maybe all three, who knows. runs strong when warm
the brake booster ? Well it is a vacuum item and i get "Check engine" light if it idles for like 15 minutes or so, pperhaps nmy exhaust is backing up, idk
02 sensor
TPS
Carb itself
.. brake booster if vacuum controlled COULD be, brakes work well
i think i need to park the car and get it towed in. FWIW, if i "tape up" that air valve again it will run ok, but it still has a weird thing i can put my hand in front of the exhaust and "Feel" puffs of air, sometimes it goes away
something isnt adjusted quite right, my Head Gasket seems to pass all tests. no signs in oil either, except for fain smell of gas if the car sits and slightly gasseous oil, not too much.
Its parked for now, tape gave out while driving i "sputtered' home due to vacuum leak, need to get some $ together to sort it out. Ran well today before this.
Might even be a failing Water Pump ? ? ? maybe i need WP/timing belt/timing/carb job.. at a shop with reduced labor i can maybe do this, nice little engine freshen-up.
ok i wrote a book i am sorry please chime in.
Just needs tune, plugs, wires, maybe coil, it appears to have ""weak spark" and then the carb tune up is needed. (Smell of gas from the front, faint.)
