1995 Ford Escort White smoke, then stalls

NIGHTSTYLE

MEMBER
1995 FORD ESCORT
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
98,961 MILES

I have recently replaced the intake manifold gasket,and the valve cover gasket. After I did this the car will not stay running, it will idle rough, and have white smoke come out the exhaust. The car will only idle for a couple of seconds then stall. I checked at the muffler

and saw what looks like oil on the ground. I had noticed some fluid had leaked into the oil and contaminated it, so I did an oil change. However, it still blows white smoke.

5 Replies

KHLOW2008

MECHANIC
41,814 POSTS

Hi Nightstyle,

Thank you for the donation.

Was the white smoke present before replacement of the manifold gasket? Did you check the coolant level?
Is the smoke completely white or is it slightly grey?

Engine unable to idle could be due to vacumn leakage at the manifold gasket. Check for vacumn leakage by spraying with gumout or any other suitable spray.

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Monday, May 4th, 2009 AT 4:21 PM

NIGHTSTYLE

MEMBER
11 POSTS

The car ran fine before I did any work. The smoke could be a grey color, I'm not a 100% sure. I have not checked the coolant level yet, I will do that first thing tomorrow morning, along with trying to see if there is a vacuum leak in the manifold.

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Monday, May 4th, 2009 AT 10:54 PM

KHLOW2008

MECHANIC
41,814 POSTS

If the smoke is slightly grey, it is oil being burnt in the cylinders, could have been there but not noticeable previously.

Working on the engine could have allowed some oil to accumulate in the cylinders and cause the smoke when engine is started. It should reduce after some running.

If it is white, it could be coolant getting into the cylinders. At the intake manifold, is there any coolant passages? If yes, coolant could be getting into the cylinders from there. That is the reason I enquired about the coolant level.

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Tuesday, May 5th, 2009 AT 12:13 PM

NIGHTSTYLE

MEMBER
11 POSTS

Well, I am happy to say that I did find the problem. When I replaced the intake manifold gasket the first time I did not get all of the old gasket off which in turn was causing the radiator fluid to leak in with the oil. I got the old gasket all off and now the car runs great! Thanks for all of your help! You will definitely be hearing from me again!

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Tuesday, May 5th, 2009 AT 7:08 PM

KHLOW2008