Smoking Engine?

Question

I just changed the valve cover gasket on my 3.8 L V6 Buick regal becouse their was a little smoke and leak on passanger side of the car now that is fixed I noticed as soon as I started the car their was smoke comming from it engine driver side right away I figured it was part of the old gasket and junk from cleaning the car engine drove about 60 miles got home and still smoke I think I noticed it was comming from the flang that hookes to the mid pipe or the header, but witht the engine running it's hard to see where it was comming from their is no noise and the car seems to be running better then before minuse the smoke. But if that is the problem why is their no noise any ideas what it might be.

Answer 1

Most likely your valve cover gasket has deteriorated and you may have removed debris that may have actually been clogging the leak on the valve cover gasket. The smoke is caused by the oil leaking down off the head, onto the header(exhaust manifold).

First I would check the bolts on the valve cover. Tighten them if needed (DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN!) get a torque spec from a Chilton's manual. If this doesnt work, or they are tight, I would replace the valve cover gasket. Its a relatively easy job to do.

Or,

Other than the stink of the burning oil, and unsightly smoke, you could let it go and make sure you check the oil often, which can still cause problems if your oil gets too low, you can blow the engine.

Answer 2

There are a few things that could be wrong with your engine.

1) The bolts on the head may not be torqed to specs. This can cause leaking and smoking.

2) If you have an odd smell, it is possible that your car may be burning oil.

If it is not either of these things, I don't know what is wrong...

Hope I helped.

Answer 3

Keep aneye on your oil level. Had a 3.4 in my chevy and the o-ring where the distributor used to go was leaking on the exhaust manifold. Buy a telescoping mirror at your local auto store and look for your leak.