New Car Problem
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Teching In
Joined: Apr 2005
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New Car Problem I'm looking at a 2002 Pontiac TransAM WS6 with 30,000 miles and its a used car. I went to test drive it today at the dealership, as I have already put a deposit on it to hold it because it is the last one in my state.
So I went, and the car is heavily modified. It's got a borla exhaust with corsa premium tips, bbk headers, ls1 intake manifold, new yokohoma tires, ls1 edit programming, k&n air filter, and a few other mods. I like the car cause it has all the aftermarket products ill need, but I have a PRETTY BIG problem.
I turned the car on, gave it like 1-2 minutes popped the hood. Then I noticed smoke, white smoke, coming from the conveyor belts of the engine. I'm thinking it might be rain/ condensation because it had rained the night before and it was still damp out. It eventually stopped after 3 minutes
Then I took it round the block, and at 5000 rpms and 2nd gear, I could smell it smoking again. It also stopped after a minute once i shifted and lowered the rpms. But I wasnt really near redline???? i think 6500 is redline.
But on normal driving, the car runs fine. no smoke no problems, but I dunno whether the problem is that the engine is broken. I'm having a mechanic look at it, but I REALLY NEED Feedback as to what is wrong???
What's ur guess? Is it just rain and bad driving or is the car damaged? The guy bought an SRT-4 as his trade in car, so he obvious knows what hes doing. He changed the tires, which could mean he dogged the car and needed to change em... who knows? ANY FEEDBACK ASAP = MUCH THX
So I went, and the car is heavily modified. It's got a borla exhaust with corsa premium tips, bbk headers, ls1 intake manifold, new yokohoma tires, ls1 edit programming, k&n air filter, and a few other mods. I like the car cause it has all the aftermarket products ill need, but I have a PRETTY BIG problem.
I turned the car on, gave it like 1-2 minutes popped the hood. Then I noticed smoke, white smoke, coming from the conveyor belts of the engine. I'm thinking it might be rain/ condensation because it had rained the night before and it was still damp out. It eventually stopped after 3 minutes
Then I took it round the block, and at 5000 rpms and 2nd gear, I could smell it smoking again. It also stopped after a minute once i shifted and lowered the rpms. But I wasnt really near redline???? i think 6500 is redline.
But on normal driving, the car runs fine. no smoke no problems, but I dunno whether the problem is that the engine is broken. I'm having a mechanic look at it, but I REALLY NEED Feedback as to what is wrong???
What's ur guess? Is it just rain and bad driving or is the car damaged? The guy bought an SRT-4 as his trade in car, so he obvious knows what hes doing. He changed the tires, which could mean he dogged the car and needed to change em... who knows? ANY FEEDBACK ASAP = MUCH THX
TECH Veteran
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 4,012
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From: Beaumont, TX
If you're sure it's actually coming from the belts, perhaps the belts are just worn or the tensioners aren't working right, so they were slipping when things got going faster? 
Heavy 'billowing' white smoke can indicate a problem with the cylinder heads, water/coolant getting into the oil, generally bad news. I would think it would probably be smoking all the time if this were the case, but not sure.
A little white smoke at startup is usually just from condensation in the exhaust system, doesn't apply here though.
What is your state? Surely there's more than one used 2002 (or 2001s are very similar) WS6 TA available, just take some looking around... if you're unsure about the condition of the car, it'd probably be better to find a different car than to gamble on this'n, could have additional problems show up later down the line.
Heavy 'billowing' white smoke can indicate a problem with the cylinder heads, water/coolant getting into the oil, generally bad news. I would think it would probably be smoking all the time if this were the case, but not sure.
A little white smoke at startup is usually just from condensation in the exhaust system, doesn't apply here though.
What is your state? Surely there's more than one used 2002 (or 2001s are very similar) WS6 TA available, just take some looking around... if you're unsure about the condition of the car, it'd probably be better to find a different car than to gamble on this'n, could have additional problems show up later down the line.
Last edited by ACW; Apr 25, 2005 at 09:23 PM.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Apr 2005
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So that would mean I would need to replace the entire transmission :-/ Not cool. Any other possibilities for problems.. It looked like the smoke came off right next to the belt feed... like towards the left wheel brake, but just under the engine. I sure hope your wrong.
TECH Veteran
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 4,012
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From: Beaumont, TX
I'm sure it's hard waiting in suspense, but unless someone comes along who's experienced your exact problem on an F-body, you're best off just waiting to see what the mechanic's inspection determines, instead of me throwing random possibilities around more 
Last edited by ACW; Apr 25, 2005 at 09:23 PM.
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 12,829
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From: Central Indiana Honors: 4th grade spelling bee contestant
Originally Posted by ACW
I'm sure it's hard waiting in suspense, but unless someone comes along who's experienced your exact problem on an F-body, you're best off just waiting to see what the mechanic's inspection determines, instead of me throwing random possibilities around more
