'76 318 smoke...

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This picture is normal condensation evaporating and coming out the pipes.
I have another question.
When your's smokes does the cloud drift off down the street, or jus disapear suddenly after a couple of seconds?
 

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Hmmmm, maybe I'm just being paranoid....

It doesn't last too long, but it doesn't seem to act like any other car I've had when it comes to the condensation thing.....

The exhaust is very sooty, and the car shoots crap out the back end (plastered a buddy's front valance while she was warming up), and the old plugs were coated in old soot bad enough that one or two were completely non-functional they were so clogged with soot. Not sure if it matters....


- CK
 
ceekay said:
I do only drive short distances (a few blocks at a time), but I let her warm up fully before embarking, and it's a desert climate... Still, you could be on to something... I'm tempted to hack the y-pipe section out of the exhaust to see if the Cat isn't being too restrictive or something...


- CK
Click to expand...


You answered your question right there CK, unless the car is brought to operating temp and driven for a while it doesn't have a chance to burn off moisture. That I believe is the white smoke you see. Even though it gets up to operating temp it's only for a short bit then you shut it down.

The car needs to be driven for 20, 30 miles to effectively burn off condensation (moisture) that builds up.
 
Remove the cat if its on there and throw it away. Install valve guide seals. This can be done without removing the heads with proper tools and knowledge. Do not attempt this yourself. You need a compressor and valve spring tool. While this is being done have them do a leak down test since they will have the air tool installed for the guide seal replacement it is just a matter of writing the numbers down.
 
Unlike the vast majority of this forum, I'm not made of money.... I'm in the Army, and nobody joins the Army for the money. ;) Pretty much everything I'm trying to do to this car, I gotta wait for available funds before embarking; hence why I ask a lot of dumb-*** questions (making sure someone else mentions something I am forgetting), before I tear the engine apart and not have the means to make it to Pep Boys for a 38-cent part for a few days....

And that means I can't really take it in to someone for maintenance; that and I don't feel like paying far out the taillight-area for labor. :S


- CK
 
So I took a good hard look at the exhaust today while she was warming up to go home (yeah, in 80-degree weather, she still needs a minute to stop chugging and sputtering)...

Since I changed the oil using some Mobil-1 10w30 and about half a bottle of Lucas synthetic oil treatment, it has turned from a white/grey to a black, but only lasts until she stops coughing and wheezing... The exhaust system is extremely sooty, so it may just be blasting out 37 years of soot and carbon... I haven't pulled the plugs again yet, will do that tomorrow and report the findings. Also, I plan to hack the muffler off near the axle just for a "is this thing getting too much backpressure maybe?" test... It has a cat for no reason AND an oval muffler, and I've noticed a lot of dents in what looks to be 37 year-old exhaust piping... I was also tempted to hack it off at the y-pipe (cat is about 1.5ft from the y-pipe), but that may create more carbon monoxide in the cabin than desired...

The perceived knock is a definite knock, but what's really strange is it now only happens when the engine gets hot (after extended driving), and it sometimes stops when I turn right? o.O


- CK
 
Sounds like the choke on the carb may be sticking.
Pull the plugs and report back, I bet you find that they are black.

When you changed the oil, did it smell like gas?
 
Nope! No signs of any fluids mixing (oil, gas, coolant)...

Also, one thing I just remembered..... I found an old carburetor in the trunk that looks identical to the one under the hood. Knowing the previous owner's handywork, I figure it's not impossible that the carb might need adjusting... It seems to idle kind of high when she's warmed up, but I don't really wanna lower it for fear that it'll NEVER start cold ever again... Think I'll start playing with the carb tomorrow... I have a knack for carb tuning for some reason, except that I can never find the adjustment screws until someone points them out.... Anyone got advice as to where the adjustment screws are located and which are which? (idle is pretty obvious, any jetting or etc. that would need fine-tuning?)


Thanks
- CK
 
update: Pulled the plugs, YES they were sooty as hell...

Adjusted the idle, one full revolution, and the car quickly dropped idle down to what I'd consider reasonable. Also, the clunky shifting and knock have almost completely stopped.

Twisted around on a pair of spring-loaded screws a bit, and she gained probably 20hp!! D: It will take a bit of fine tuning to get it perfect, but she's got OODLES of power now, and throws you back in the seat like she's supposed to! REALLY makes me want to swap intakes for a 4-barrel, but I don't have that kind of scratch anymore. :(

She still doesn't want to bust the tires loose on a brake stand, and I have to wait until the engine fully cools before attempting to start it to diagnose the flu-like symptoms when cold, but already I've seen marked improvement!


- CK
 
The flu-like symptoms (coughing and sputtering and otherwise running poorly) are still there... I am not certain the choke actuator is working... I will have to check it out more in-depth tomorrow morning.

All I saw this morning for smoke was a generally grey stuff, most presumably just condensation... This tailpipe seems to put off more colors than a tie-dyed shirt in all-white laundry... X)

She seems to have a mostly random stutter or hiccup in the idle which is most presumably just a fine-tuning issue for the carb. I'll screw with it (no pun/sexual inuendo intended) tonight. The sand-to-oxygen ratio in the air is much lower than the last two days, so I feel better opening things that really don't like sand...


- CK
 
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