white smoke from throttle body/manifold?
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 2,310
From: Glendale, Ca
white smoke from throttle body/manifold?
while tryin to figure out why my car stumbles and dies in park after an opti swap, it started to stall out, and as his did, I See white smoke coming from the engine. When I open the thrttole blades, white smoke comes from there. what the **** is going on? 
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,770
From: Mishawaka, IN
Are you sure all the seals are good for your coolant? I know when I was screwing with my opti I didn't replace the gaskets for the pump, which led to tearing everything apart again (it takes me at least two tries to get anything right on this car). White smoke, squealing belt, and rapidly changing coolant temp. I don't know about the whole throttle body thing, unless some coolant got in there as well, or it may be the actual source of the problem. I would take the throttle body off and try to see what is making the white smoke. I know coolant can make white smoke, I don't know what else does.
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 135
From: Gassville, AR
I had the same problem after I changed my opti. I would try to start it and some times to would start and then die and smoke would come out of the TB. The problem was when I put the wires back on it, I crossed 2 of them.
Taylor
Taylor
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Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 8
Re: white smoke from throttle body/manifold?
Hey my car just started doing this, Did it turn out to be you head gasket? I just put this engine in a new car had it for 6 months no problem but a little while after the swap this started to happened 
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Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,942
From: Kissimmee, Fl, USA
Re: white smoke from throttle body/manifold?
It's likely an incorrectly indexed Optispark. The white smoke out the TB is just a mistimed spark. White smoke in the exhaust can be a head gasket.
Yes, it's possible for the opti to be installed wrong and have the engine still run. It'll be rough and stumble but it'll run....
Yes, it's possible for the opti to be installed wrong and have the engine still run. It'll be rough and stumble but it'll run....
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Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 8
Re: white smoke from throttle body/manifold?
hey hunter thanks for the reply, not trying to jack his thread but I noticed he was still active so I wanted to see what happened.
I have white smoke from the throttle body only, a lot, none from the exhaust, a few streams of vapor very faint from the oil cap tube with water at the top of the cap/not coolant and water in the line from the throttle body to the valve cover pass side, none from the dipstick, white smoke is a little thick in the body but it clears up immediately once passed the blades, barely has a smell.
what would be a stumble? and bog? please just so I know the difference for the future.
it doesnt fire on the first try all the time, when its running the idle goes from 1000 to 1200rpms constantly up down up down, for maybe 4 minutes then "stumbles"? down to maybe 3 or 400rpms and catches its self goes back to 1000, does that until it doesnt catch and just dies.
to tell the truth i would be just fine with replacing the opti if thats it, I have a new spare already, not really looking for the long advice until I make a thread and say what I checked/changed/cleaned(everything besides compression and leak down<--autozone said whats that?
I said your the experts)
I am planning on making my own thread if I cant resolve it with all the info on the net, saw his problem and wanted to know his solution. thanks again
I have white smoke from the throttle body only, a lot, none from the exhaust, a few streams of vapor very faint from the oil cap tube with water at the top of the cap/not coolant and water in the line from the throttle body to the valve cover pass side, none from the dipstick, white smoke is a little thick in the body but it clears up immediately once passed the blades, barely has a smell.
what would be a stumble? and bog? please just so I know the difference for the future.
it doesnt fire on the first try all the time, when its running the idle goes from 1000 to 1200rpms constantly up down up down, for maybe 4 minutes then "stumbles"? down to maybe 3 or 400rpms and catches its self goes back to 1000, does that until it doesnt catch and just dies.
to tell the truth i would be just fine with replacing the opti if thats it, I have a new spare already, not really looking for the long advice until I make a thread and say what I checked/changed/cleaned(everything besides compression and leak down<--autozone said whats that?
I said your the experts) I am planning on making my own thread if I cant resolve it with all the info on the net, saw his problem and wanted to know his solution. thanks again
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Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,942
From: Kissimmee, Fl, USA
Re: white smoke from throttle body/manifold?
hey hunter thanks for the reply, not trying to jack his thread but I noticed he was still active so I wanted to see what happened.
I have white smoke from the throttle body only, a lot, none from the exhaust, a few streams of vapor very faint from the oil cap tube with water at the top of the cap/not coolant and water in the line from the throttle body to the valve cover pass side, none from the dipstick, white smoke is a little thick in the body but it clears up immediately once passed the blades, barely has a smell.
what would be a stumble? and bog? please just so I know the difference for the future.
it doesnt fire on the first try all the time, when its running the idle goes from 1000 to 1200rpms constantly up down up down, for maybe 4 minutes then "stumbles"? down to maybe 3 or 400rpms and catches its self goes back to 1000, does that until it doesnt catch and just dies.
to tell the truth i would be just fine with replacing the opti if thats it, I have a new spare already, not really looking for the long advice until I make a thread and say what I checked/changed/cleaned(everything besides compression and leak down<--autozone said whats that? I said your the experts)
I am planning on making my own thread if I cant resolve it with all the info on the net, saw his problem and wanted to know his solution. thanks again
I have white smoke from the throttle body only, a lot, none from the exhaust, a few streams of vapor very faint from the oil cap tube with water at the top of the cap/not coolant and water in the line from the throttle body to the valve cover pass side, none from the dipstick, white smoke is a little thick in the body but it clears up immediately once passed the blades, barely has a smell.
what would be a stumble? and bog? please just so I know the difference for the future.
it doesnt fire on the first try all the time, when its running the idle goes from 1000 to 1200rpms constantly up down up down, for maybe 4 minutes then "stumbles"? down to maybe 3 or 400rpms and catches its self goes back to 1000, does that until it doesnt catch and just dies.
to tell the truth i would be just fine with replacing the opti if thats it, I have a new spare already, not really looking for the long advice until I make a thread and say what I checked/changed/cleaned(everything besides compression and leak down<--autozone said whats that?
I said your the experts) I am planning on making my own thread if I cant resolve it with all the info on the net, saw his problem and wanted to know his solution. thanks again
The stumble could be a variety of items that you can check before replacing the opti. Please go ahead and start your own thread asking specifically about the stumble, giving as much detail as you can about he car and what you've already done to resolve the problem. If if it seems insignificant, list it...
Good luck!
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Joined: Nov 1998
Posts: 71,094
From: Hell was full so they sent me to NJ
Re: white smoke from throttle body/manifold?
The water in the locations you describe is most likely condensing water vapor from a high combustion gas level in the crankcase. Check the PCV valve. If it's not working, there's no way for the piston ring blowby to get out of the crankcase except through the throttle body. If the PCV valve is working, could be excessive ring blowby.
Is the car frequently driven on short drives, in cold weather, where the oil does not get fully warmed up?
Is the car frequently driven on short drives, in cold weather, where the oil does not get fully warmed up?
Last edited by Injuneer; Mar 18, 2014 at 08:44 PM.
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Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 8
Re: white smoke from throttle body/manifold?
Ill start my own thread, But I would really like to know how to message op zack to see how it ended, there are a lot of open ended threads online.
It hasnt been driven since the swap only started and run for yes short periods while still working on the car, cleaning and swaping things and run it to see it.
It hasnt been driven since the swap only started and run for yes short periods while still working on the car, cleaning and swaping things and run it to see it.
Administrator
Joined: Nov 1998
Posts: 71,094
From: Hell was full so they sent me to NJ
Re: white smoke from throttle body/manifold?
Left click on his screen name. On the drop-down, there are options to send him a Private Message, or an e-mail.
He is still active on the site, having last been online on 3/12.
He is still active on the site, having last been online on 3/12.
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