my car has blue smoke coming underneath the hood, can i still drive it short distance?

Question

i havent driven it for 4 weeks and it might get some water into it since there was heavy rain a couple of weeks ago. It started to have smoke when i drove it today and when i turned the car off even more smoke came out. The surface of the hood(the paint) even burned it a little and the hood was popped open a bit. i dont know why. there's a repair shop a mile away, can i still drive it there or do i have to call a tow truck?

PS:it's an old car, 95 toyota corolla, only 58,000 miles though

Answer 1

If it was just smoke, it is usually the valve covers leaking and is harmless (as long as you maintain your proper oil level).

However, sometimes if you don't have enough coolant, you'll get smoke too. Check the radiator level when it has cooled down.

But if you say the hood paint appears burnt/bulged - tow it!

Answer 2

Blue smoke and heat from under the hood sounds like an oil leak, with oil getting onto the exhaust manifold.
If it were me, I would not drive it. With the vehicle moving and the fan running, all of the smoke is blowing toward you. You could be overcome by the fumes.
If there is an engine oil leak, you could risk damaging the engine as well.

Answer 3

Blue smoke is buring oil, you obviously have a leak, if you have to drive it a short distance, check the oil level, make sure it is full then drive. It will be fine till you get to the garage, as long as the oil isnt pouring out of the engine. If it is a small leak then it will be okay to drive for a very short distance.

Answer 4

sounds to me you have an oil leak probally the vaulve cover gasket get it repaired if its smoking that bad get it towed dont want to blow your engine

Answer 5

Don't think you should drive it unless you bring some hot dogs and marsh mellows with you. Fires can be a bit of a pain.