A family friend gave me a 1992 Chevrolet Corsica, 3.1 V6 engine....starts up smooth, but we were told had some problems with it. It's puffing out white smoke, and it shut off once on the way to the mechanic. Now, I have 182K miles on it...and I really need a car. Is it worth paying for whatever damage it might have? I know a little about cars and remember that whtie smoke has something to do with head gaskets....but is there any other potential cause (and no, it's DEFINATELY not cold where I am).
2006-07-01 16:29:39 · 9 answers · asked by lilsedalemami 3 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
BTW...when the guy at the shop pulled up info on my car...there were so many numbers and letters beside the type of engine I have. It said 3.1 L...then V6 later on in that line. What do these things mean?
2006-07-01 16:32:34 · update #1
Lol....sounds like some people are hating. The car still runs...and she told me it needed work before she gave it to me, so thanks a lot. And I'm a new college student....if you can give me a couple thousand to buy a cheap used car, send it my way. If not, go to hell.
Thanks to the people who actually tried to help, like Tim.
2006-07-03 14:37:02 · update #2
Im gonna try to answer and not knock on your car. First 3.1L and V6 is the size of the motor its a 6 cylinder 3.1 liter engine common chevy engine. Does the smoke have an antifreeze odor? If not you may be looking at the wrong thing. Check the oil to see if its thick and sludgey if it is water is in your oil sign of a blown head gasket does your car run hot?? They make a tool to test your cooling system for leaks not a die its called a leak down test check into it will diagnose a blown head gasket. In conclusion white smoke dont always mean head gasket oil burning sometimes gives a blueish white smoke also running the car to lean or rich on fuel could cause smoking?? Hope this helps some look into getting it fixed first heck you got it for free dont junk it. Any more questions email me cricket84_02@hotmail.com be glad to help if i can. Dont forget to shop @ Advance Auto Parts!!!!!!!!!
2006-07-01 17:35:08 · answer #1 · answered by Tim_Ark_Male:{ 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
White smoke means the engine is burning antifreeze. No other real causes for this besides headgaskets. Plan on 500-1000 dollars to replace and check the heads for warpage. Changing them is a fairly involved process. Could be cheaper to get a new car. The corsicka will likly need more money later on down the road. You should find an older subaru in my opinion.
As for the 3.1 v6. 3.1 means the engine has a displacment of 3100 cubic centimeters total across 6 cylinders arranged in a v configuration with 3 on each side.
2006-07-02 00:02:13 · answer #2 · answered by ThisJustin 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
May be why your "friend" gave it to you. A head job (no pun intended) on a Chevy Corsica is not going to be cheap. The gaskets are the least of the problem. Those aluminum heads are going to have to be milled. That's why they "leak" in the first place and blow the gasket(s). They warp.
You need to get at least two or three quotes and then decide if the car is worth it.
2006-07-02 00:19:23 · answer #3 · answered by Dusty 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
ok i would start looking for a new car or used. A temp fix would be to get new head gaskets they can range from 20$ to 100$ depending on the engine. Now like i said its a temp fix there could be more stuff going on that noone will know bout till it happens. I would also change the oil if u haven't already. Get the shop to do a tune up also (New spark plugs, plug wires, Etc) This will give ur car a lil longer.
2006-07-01 23:38:27 · answer #4 · answered by albert44 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The first problem is that its a Chevy Corsica...The white smoke...means that its ready for the junk yard. Its not worth fixing.
2006-07-01 23:36:48 · answer #5 · answered by mamawarbird 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
white smoke means engine is overheating. Check coolant. Thats not good.
2006-07-01 23:40:22 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you can afford it, have the head gaskets replaced
2006-07-01 23:36:38 · answer #7 · answered by Rob C 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
ok, well when somebody just up and gives you a car, there's lots of problems...learn from your mistakes, junk the car and find another...
2006-07-01 23:33:25 · answer #8 · answered by alfjr24 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If somebody gave it to ya, its probably a piece of crap....
2006-07-01 23:34:08 · answer #9 · answered by Gizmo 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋