slidekin Posted April 6, 2005 Share Posted April 6, 2005 Yesterday I bought a sc400 that has 124,000 miles on it. I men everything looked great, it even drove nice when I took it out. Then I drive by this truck, and I see and smell smoke. I thought it was the truck, but then I pulled up to a stop light and saw it was the car (alot of smoke)coming out of the mufflers.....I was like s*** Im not going to buy this. Then I get back to the seller/dealer; who also sells engines for a living, he seems like a pretty reputable guy. I ask him about the smoke and he said "You know what that is? My stupid mechanik didnt lable the gas cans correctly and accidentally put in deisel in the tank"(which was empty so it made sense). And he said that once the deisel is burned off after I fill the tank up w/ regular gas the smoke will leave.......... Now I have done some research to find out what else it could be and I have read that the smoke is black when its deisel and not white. Please help I really dont want to pay for something expensive as I just bought the car Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlisted Posted April 6, 2005 Share Posted April 6, 2005 i think that means they have a new pope.... i dont think diesel will ignite in a gas engine. seems like some kind of leak or a sludge problem from not changing oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slidekin Posted April 6, 2005 Author Share Posted April 6, 2005 i think that means they have a new pope.... i dont think diesel will ignite in a gas engine. seems like some kind of leak or a sludge problem from not changing oil. ← Looks like I chose em.......or my junky car did anyway......How do I get rid of it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DomLee Posted April 6, 2005 Share Posted April 6, 2005 Honestly, I don't know the effects of putting in diesel fuel into an unleaded fuel vehicle. I will ask this though. Was there a sweet smell? The reason I ask, is if this was coolant...coolant has a sweet smell to it. A few things that will create "white smoke" when burned in the engine: 1) Coolant - characterized by sweet smell. 2) ATF fluid - characterized by large plumes of white smoke. My opinion would be to siphon the diesel fuel out of the gas tank. Then, along w/ putting the proper fuel into the car...dump in a bottle of fuel system cleaner. See if that will remedy your situation. He (the dealer) could be lying to you though. You may have a broken headgasket...which could cause you to burn coolant. Get it inspected by a mechanic that you trust. Perform a compression test and that will clue you in to what is wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slidekin Posted April 6, 2005 Author Share Posted April 6, 2005 I dont even have the car yet just made a large down payment so I cant really back out. I get it on Sat. So I will let you all know, I called him today and he said he Put some premi in it w/ some inj cleaner and cleaned the plugs. Says there is no smoke. But I have seen stuff at the Discount Auto Mart that says it stops the smoke so I dunno. Compression test sounds like it a good Idea .Any info on how much is costs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WadeLovell Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 Take it BacK! White smoke is typically the byproduct of COOLANT which means you have a blown head gasket. $$$$ Yesterday I bought a sc400 that has 124,000 miles on it. I men everything looked great, it even drove nice when I took it out. Then I drive by this truck, and I see and smell smoke. I thought it was the truck, but then I pulled up to a stop light and saw it was the car (alot of smoke)coming out of the mufflers.....I was like s*** Im not going to buy this. Then I get back to the seller/dealer; who also sells engines for a living, he seems like a pretty reputable guy. I ask him about the smoke and he said"You know what that is? My stupid mechanik didnt lable the gas cans correctly and accidentally put in deisel in the tank"(which was empty so it made sense). And he said that once the deisel is burned off after I fill the tank up w/ regular gas the smoke will leave.......... Now I have done some research to find out what else it could be and I have read that the smoke is black when its deisel and not white. Please help I really dont want to pay for something expensive as I just bought the car Thank you ← Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sluggo Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 I've only had one experience with plumes of white smoke, and it was a cracked headgasket on a Mazda. The smoke would just pour out of the exhaust when the car was started after sitting for an hour or so, but less so when underway. Check the coolant overflow tank for any film, and (when cool) check the inside of the radiator cap and neck for any oily white snot. This indicates oil in the coolant. Also check the dipstick for anything out of the ordinary, like bad color or any foam which would indicate coolant in the oil. Burning oil is gray/black. Burning coolant is white/blue. The residue left on the muffler tips is a dead giveaway for color - just wipe it with a white cloth. If the engine ran fine otherwise and the performance seemed okay, then the line about the diesel is a steaming pile of pig flop. If he still insists that it was just diesel and insists that you perform to the contract (complete the sale), then he owes you for: 1. New fuel filter 2. New plugs 3. New injectors 4. New catalytic converter ... as he has damaged those items through negligence. If he balks at any of those, then you cancel the sales contract for non-performance, as he's trying to deliver you a car that is substantially different than the car that you put the deposit on. I'd take a very, very hard line with this guy. Car salesmen stay employed by "seeming nice", while selling anything they can to whoever they can. sluggo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
914lps Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 I had something like this with a new car about 15 yaers ago. I signed the contract, gave them a check, and they went to pick up the car for me on dealer trade. The next day I went to pick up the car. It was parked with the pasanger side very tight against a block wall. I asked them to pull the car out. I got a song and dance. I looked down the pasanger side. The car had been creamed. Seemed it got hit on the drive over frpom the other dealer. Told them to bad. Really wanted that car. But to bad, they damadged it. So, not the car I agreed to. They told me no it was my car, but they would fix it for free. I told them I needed to use the rest room. On coming back from the head I asked to make a call on a speaker phone to a freind with them listaning. I called my friend, the phone was answered "Law office thank you for calling"... I asked for jim and told them it was mike calling. Jim came on the phone. We BS'ed like friends for a few then then I told him about the car and that we were on speaker phone. He asked the dealer if the car was damadged after I agreed to bu it. They said yes. My friend told them, come on guys you know the law, undo the deal or you are going to be buying this guy a fleet of new cars. I got my money back right then and there. Oh, and that law office I called. Well when I was in the head I called a freind, told him what was going on and he agreed to answer his phone for the next few rings as "Law Office" and play the part. Hay, who said the customer has to nicer then the dealer B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlisted Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 tht cant hold your deposit . get it back and get out. secondly the car would nt pass inspection in most states . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DomLee Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 Wait a minute. Let me back up for a second. I made a reply yesterday when I was half asleep at work and not caffeined up. Problem #1 - "My stupid mechanic didnt label the gas cans correctly and accidentally put in deisel in the tank". This may sound stupid...but generally speaking...people don't use gas cans to fill up cars anymore. Unless they are in an emergency situation (like they ran out of gas on the road), or they are filling up a lawnmower. Problem #2 - Burning coolant creates white smoke. ATF creates white smoke too, but this must be purposely put into the engine for this to happen. Although I haven't SEEN the effects of diesel fuel in one of our engines...this is my guess. Diesel fuel doesn't burn white. Do you see buses, semi trucks, u-hauls, and even old school tank-like mercedes burn WHITE SMOKE from their exhaust pipes? I SURE DON'T! They are PITCH BLACK plumes of death clouds. Problem #3 - You test drove it...and you said it drove fine. Putting in diesel fuel into our sensitive engines would not run properly at all. (Engine would probably knock) If a car has a slightly broken headgasket and coolant is slightly getting into the engine...the engine will still run okay/fine. I know...as my Saturn has a broken headgasket. It runs okay. It passes smog (miraculously). No real smoke. It just runs okay. But please don't think that coolant in an engine is okay. This is NOT good at all! As sluggo mentioned, check the following items for telltale signs of a broken headgasket. 1) Dirty coolant. Signs that oil is mixing w/ the coolant. Check the reservoirs, as this is simple to spot. 2) Dirty murkish oil. Coolant is mixing w/ oil. This is not as simple to spot. Look at the dipstick, oil cap, etc. If I were you...I would issue an immediate stop payment (assuming you paid via check). I would begin to call an attorney (even if you were just inquiring)...and make it known to the dealer that you are in correspondence w/ your attorney. BTW...please check this out and make a filing if you have not already done so. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/dealers_fl.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orlousy Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 Sounds likes load of bull from the mechanic. No mechanic is that stupid. I am acutally surprised the car would run. If it did, I would think the engine would run really rough if deisel was in it. White smoke is ussually caused by coolant getting into the combustion chamber and burning off. It can be a very serious problem, it can just be lack of maintenance on the car or old oil. I don't think this an uncommon problem with older cars. Just beware of the severity of the smoke, if it's pouring out as you drive, I would definately not buy the car or get another mechanic to look at it. A cracked headgasket can be a leading contributor to this problem. (Sorry eddited this from the first post, I always get the two backwards) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DomLee Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 Burning oil burns black. My previous car...had bad piston rings (I bought it used). I had larger amounts of soot on the exhaust pipe and the oil would turn black really fast. Let me put it to you this way. The engine is supposed to run on 5w30 or 10w30. I was running 20w50 and I was still burning this oil at a rate of about 1/2 quart per week!!! 20w50 is used on turbocharged engines...not typical na engines. Get out of your contract now. The dealer is playing you for a fool. And that car...will only be a reminder of this for as long as you own it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knmaynard Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 How did you make the downpayment? If you used credit card, just call you card company and tell them what happened, that you are not taking delivery of the car and want the charge reversed. By the contract that merchant sign with Visa/MCard, all disputes AUTOMATICALLY are ruled in favor of the consumer, when dealing with faulty or undelivered products/services. Then the burden of proof is on the merchant to come after you, which they never do if they were trying to screw you. I've used this twice, getting screwed buying stuff online. Even a website that looked reputable, address, etc. screwed me, so I screwed them back. Trust me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DomLee Posted April 7, 2005 Share Posted April 7, 2005 Read these two links: (but focus on the 2nd link) http://www.mkiv.com/faq/faqtt.html#engineexhaust1 http://www.mkiv.com/faq/faqtt.html#engineexhaust2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don_juan_miami Posted August 15, 2005 Share Posted August 15, 2005 wow bro, i hope you didnt buy it.... If you did, you are in for one expensive overhaul.... Definetely coolant or water in your engine from bad seals.... Ouch... My uncle has a 91 toyota 4cyl pickup. Ran it too hard towing one day and then white smoke down the expressway. The seals were gone and a mix of water and coolant spilled into the engine. he came home the next day with a used 3.0L V6. The engine was useless afterwards... even though it drove 5 miles home... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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