I get off the freeway and at the first stop light I notice white smoke from back of car. So I pull immediately into the strip mall, and the car is stumbling all the way to the parking space.

I shut off the car immediately, and got out to see where smoke was coming from. I couldn't tell where, it stopped, and didn't smell like anything but rich exhaust.

If I primed the fuel pump and turned the key to start, the car would do nothing at all...dead. (all electric on though)

If I just turned the key (no prime fuel pump) then it would crank, but not start.

My wife shows up, and I try just for the heck of it to jump it. Well then when I turned the key, it would grind like when you try and start a car that is already started (starter flywheel).

I had to have it towed to chevy dealership nearby since I was far from home and in a shady neighborhood.

Any thoughts on what it could be? I just want to be as knowledgeable as possible when talking to them tomorrow. I have my own theories, but you guys probably know more. BTW, its my 94Z A4.

Thanks, I'll be here all night

 

Fuel Pump?

 

the only part i dont like is the white smoke, that could be an issue

 

Since you mentioned starter, maybe the starter gear had gotten hung in the flywheel? A starter will smoke like crazy if that happens.

 

The white smoke was happening before turning the car off. Sounds odd, I can't wait to find out what it was... I hope everything is ok.

Did your car make any noises before you shut it off the first time?

 

No noises. No previous symptoms. The only reason I looked out the rear view is I was getting a strange look from the lady next to me.

Maybe fuel pump, but I can hear it hum when I prime it. Still could be bad. Yeah I don't know about the smoke.

If the starter, would it go while driving normally?

Okay, what do you think about blowing a head gasket? Temp did not rise, no coolant, no fluid of any kind under or on the engine. But white smoke ....... it is so windy here that by the time I got out of the car, it was gone, and I didn't get a good whif. Nothing on the engine.

This is the original opti. Could that have finally went?

 

My starter went bad when I stopped at a light. The starter was engaged while driving. No smoke though. Even after I turned the engine off, the starter continued to rotate.

I gotta think Shoebox knows what he's talking about.

 

I don't doubt shoebox, just trying to learn.

I hope it is the starter. I bet its a cheaper fix than head gasket or opti change at a dealership. Could have changed it on my own though

 

Don't believe me. Seriously, I am just offering a guess based on your post. It is hard to troubleshoot stuff over the 'net.

Post back what they find, so we can all learn something.

 

I'll definitely post up when I find out.

At the least then, you've given me hope.

Thanks for the help!

 

Let us know what you find out. You can rule out the Opti and a head gasket. If the opti was going bad you will have hestiation and miss firing. If you have a blown head gasket you'd have coolant/oil leak bad, especially if the white smoke was coming from your tailpipe---which it would've been coolant burning.

But we'll find out.

 

I just go the call from the dealership,

The starter was destroyed, but when they put the new one in and tried it, it blew that one up too.

Now they find that I blew the head gaskets and coolant got in the cylinders. They don't know if I ruined any of the heads but the head gasket job is $2K. If they head are ruined, then $5K.

I can't believe my car got totalled in a few seconds. What do I do? Have it towed home?

 

$2K for head gaskets! Holy crap! Have it towed home! Do it yourself for $90 most. If you need new heads then it's a good time to buy some aftermarket ones that flow better anyways for less than the price of the deal doing head gaskets alone!

Your car is not ruined. Just have it towed home and take your heads to a machine shop and have them checked. Then decide. Dealers are A BIG RIPOFF! Been there done that....

 

Sounds good to me. I have been sitting here reading past posts/books about blown head gaskets. I still have two questions:

1. I pretty much figure it takes some time to do. But is it hard to do? Do I have to remove the intake/exhaust manifolds or just disconnect them? How long do you think it would take me, just the one side with cyl #8?

2. How do I get all the coolant out of the cylinder (#8) when I am done?

Thanks for help and confidence!

 

Ok, sounds like what happened was you blew head gaskets. That hydrolocked the engine after it was shut off. When you tried to start it, the starter could not spin it and broke. Same thing happened to the new starter.

You will have to dismantle the top of the engine. If coolant only went into the cylinders and not much got in the oil, you probably won't have bearing damage. Otherwise, you will need a complete tear down.
IMO, I would get a factory manual to help you through the work. It will be one of your best tools, since you don't have a lot of experience.

You can do the work way cheaper than what the dealer will charge you.