I am a proud owner of a 1995 chevy camaro Z28. I have a serious problem that i need some advice on what it is and how to go about repairing it. I never really drive on the highway much so it could have happened earlier but anyways i was cruising at about 70mph (2000RPM) for about 30 minutes then when i pull off onto the exit ramp and slow down to about 1000 RPM white smoke is pouring out ot the exhaust so thick and white I couldnt see the car 10 feet behind me. It last for about 2-4 minutes and the engine hesitated as i gave it gas. Then i ran it for a while in town and it never did it again. So later that day i went back home on the highway and it did it again on the exit ramp and it was even worse so i went the back way at 55mph (1600RPM) for about 15 minutes and it didnt do it when i stopped. It is only around 2000RPM for a extended period of time that it does it. PLEASE help, i dont know if it is a blown head gasket or what, the lt1 has 123.000 miles on it and runs like a champ and just has a whole new ignition system put on with wires and plugs. And there is no smoke at all comeing from underneath the hood, just the exhaust. the whole dipstick looks normal and the cooland is normal. Thanks

 

Water is getting into one or more of the combustion chambers. It could be a blown head gasket or a leaking intake manifold gasket. Try to take compresiion reading & see if you have any weak cylinders, before taking the engine apart. If you have a blown gasket, have the head resurfaced otherwise there is a good chance it will blow again in a short time.

 

How do i run a compression test and where would i go to do that? Also i talked to a chevy dealer mechanic that i know personally and he said let it go until it happens more often like in the city because it isnt worth the time and money to try to fix it if he has no idea what it is and what he is looking for. he said he has never heard of such a thing so when it gets bad then talk to him. What do you think? is it safe to drive on a daily basis in the city? Any other comments or advice i would really appreciate, thanks!

 

To run a compression check, you will need a some pressure gauge (you auto parts store will know what its called). Remove all the plug wires (so the car won't start). Then one by one you will remove a spark plug, screw the gauge in the plug hole, then crank the engine (letting it turn over for a few seconds). Check the pressure don't remember the exact specs as to what is good, but that is the basic how-to on compression checks. I wouldn't let your friend work on your car if he has no idea what he is looking for. Sounds like he is trying to get more money out of you, by telling you to wait til it gets worse.

 

I have gotten a couple of different opinions now on the smoke problem. I have driven it the last month or two with out any smoke what so ever BUT i havent taken it back on the highway since it happened. So i have heard that it is most likely a thottle body gasket or a intake gasket. People have said this because since there is so much white smoke it has to be burning the coolant on all eight cylinders. So know the question is, how long will it take for the gasket to get bad enough to start acting up all of the time. I am still not sure of this 100% but that is the best guess i have so far and if you guys have any more opinions they would be greatly appreciated. One last question, i have heard that the coolant does run through the throttle body then to the intake so there is a way to bypass the coolant from going to the throttle body and i was wondering if that would see if it was the throttle body gasket by bypassing it then driving it on the highway? Any advice?

 

The throttle body gasket is not involved with coolant. There are two small hoses feeding coolant to the throttle body, one in and one out.