Topic: The Problems Continue...My new 1971 Trans Am

[N PRGRES]

Seems thats what was said on the board here.....

[pancho400cid]

I can buy that there is transmission fluid in the manifold that hasn’t gone into the engine yet…. but it should clear up pretty quickly….. and hopefully it will…

Old timer mechanics used to intentionally slowly pour transmission fluid into the carburetor of a running engine under the theory that it would remove carbon, free stuck rings, etc.  I have seen it done more than once.  While I have doubts about how much good it actually does, it did give me a very clear idea of how much transmission fluid correlates to how much smoke.  I agree that we are likely talking spoonfuls or so and not pints.

My thinking behind the drinking straw comment (no offense meant BTW) is this…. Normal manifold vacuum at idle is about 18 inches of mercury or so… that is equivalent to a water column of about 245 inches… and oil is lighter than water, so it is safe to say that an engine at idle can draw transmission fluid over 245 inches up a tube…. That isn’t my theory… that is just plain physics…

As far as dripping vs. residual oil in the modulator line… if there is ANY oil then a failed modulator is plausible. If you draw several spoonfuls of oil through the line, it will coat the inside of the line and settle in any low spots, etc.  It is going to be a good while until there is no trace at all….

Sorry for the Hi-jack….

[bobg]

As I said earlier, you may just have had a large amount that was still in the muffler and didn't realize until the RPMs were high creating more heat and pressure causing it to burn hotter and push the smoke out harder.A good mechanic should have no problems telling you what the issue is. I have seen similar issues with bad headgaskets that pushed antifreeze in the muffler.After the repair it took a little while to burn and push out. Under hard acceleration it was a cloud of white until it eventually burnt out.Also on turbo engines, sometimes the turbo goes bad and pushes oil in the exhaust and it takes a while to burn out once repaired.

[joe d]

Okay Striker, here is the deal yes what you have is tranny fluid as it is the only fluid in your car that will give as much white smoke as you describe, if it were coolant it would disepate immediately and if it were oil it would not be as much smoke as you describe, pull the vacuum line off the modulator and see if you have fluid in the line as it would be much more visible at the modulator then the manifold, and yes it could be a defect as who knows how long that modulator has sat on a shelf and it does have a rubber diaphram as for the possession of the car nahhh it is 40 years old and the parts you buy for it are quite old as well even though new in box have been in box a while, how many vac mods do you think napa sold last year, not many and yes there could be quite a bit of burn off left so if the mod is good and no fluid in the line at the tranny then take it on a good road trip and blow it out a bit. What you said about high rpms smoke and mid rpms no smoke does not jive because if the mod was leaking it is leaking all the time and not only under high rpms, check the line and let me know

[Tin Indians Rule]

Looks like Joe is wanting to walk you through the rest of the way so i'm going to unsubscribe. I'm sure you two can get it figured out from here.

[Striker]

I can buy that there is transmission fluid in the manifold that hasn’t gone into the engine yet…. but it should clear up pretty quickly….. and hopefully it will…

Old timer mechanics used to intentionally slowly pour transmission fluid into the carburetor of a running engine under the theory that it would remove carbon, free stuck rings, etc.  I have seen it done more than once.  While I have doubts about how much good it actually does, it did give me a very clear idea of how much transmission fluid correlates to how much smoke.  I agree that we are likely talking spoonfuls or so and not pints.

My thinking behind the drinking straw comment (no offense meant BTW) is this…. Normal manifold vacuum at idle is about 18 inches of mercury or so… that is equivalent to a water column of about 245 inches… and oil is lighter than water, so it is safe to say that an engine at idle can draw transmission fluid over 245 inches up a tube…. That isn’t my theory… that is just plain physics…

As far as dripping vs. residual oil in the modulator line… if there is ANY oil then a failed modulator is plausible. If you draw several spoonfuls of oil through the line, it will coat the inside of the line and settle in any low spots, etc.  It is going to be a good while until there is no trace at all….

Sorry for the Hi-jack….

Don't be sorry for anything. Everything I read has been relevent. Thanks for the Feedback and suggestions. I am new to this, so trust me, everything helps

Okay Striker, here is the deal yes what you have is tranny fluid as it is the only fluid in your car that will give as much white smoke as you describe, if it were coolant it would disepate immediately and if it were oil it would not be as much smoke as you describe, pull the vacuum line off the modulator and see if you have fluid in the line as it would be much more visible at the modulator then the manifold, and yes it could be a defect as who knows how long that modulator has sat on a shelf and it does have a rubber diaphram as for the possession of the car nahhh it is 40 years old and the parts you buy for it are quite old as well even though new in box have been in box a while, how many vac mods do you think napa sold last year, not many and yes there could be quite a bit of burn off left so if the mod is good and no fluid in the line at the tranny then take it on a good road trip and blow it out a bit. What you said about high rpms smoke and mid rpms no smoke does not jive because if the mod was leaking it is leaking all the time and not only under high rpms, check the line and let me know

Thanks to Everyone for the Comments/feedback!! I will look at the lines tmrw afternoon, and then maybe take it on a little drive and see what happens.

[joe d]

I can buy that there is transmission fluid in the manifold that hasn’t gone into the engine yet…. but it should clear up pretty quickly….. and hopefully it will…

Old timer mechanics used to intentionally slowly pour transmission fluid into the carburetor of a running engine under the theory that it would remove carbon, free stuck rings, etc.  I have seen it done more than once.  While I have doubts about how much good it actually does, it did give me a very clear idea of how much transmission fluid correlates to how much smoke.  I agree that we are likely talking spoonfuls or so and not pints.

My thinking behind the drinking straw comment (no offense meant BTW) is this…. Normal manifold vacuum at idle is about 18 inches of mercury or so… that is equivalent to a water column of about 245 inches… and oil is lighter than water, so it is safe to say that an engine at idle can draw transmission fluid over 245 inches up a tube…. That isn’t my theory… that is just plain physics…

As far as dripping vs. residual oil in the modulator line… if there is ANY oil then a failed modulator is plausible. If you draw several spoonfuls of oil through the line, it will coat the inside of the line and settle in any low spots, etc.  It is going to be a good while until there is no trace at all….

Sorry for the Hi-jack….

very well put as i stated way back you will get loads of smoke from a small amount, may ne wise to replace the vac line to see if the residue returns or if the shop you used has any knowledge they can check the mod with a vac pump

[Striker]

Ok, So I checked the vaccum lines, and they are cean with no oil or resdue. I took the car out and runs fine with no smoke a t3500 RPM. Once you get to 4000 and you let off, thats when it smokes. I even ran up to 4700 RPM with no smoke until i let off the gas, On the underside of car, there is burnt fluid dripping from muffler, which never leaked anyting prior. There is also Trans fluid coating the exterior of pipes around the clamps and gas tank. Trans Fluid is still full, and clean. If there is a pool of fluid in the muffler, wouldn't it smoke all the time and not just on deceleration from a high speed?

[bobg]

Does the smoke look blue at all. Are you running regular oil or synthetic in the motor. What is the engine oil level.You could be pulling oil through the valve seals at high RPM. Do you have a PCV valve hooked up and does it seem to be working.

[Striker]

Does the smoke look blue at all. Are you running regular oil or synthetic in the motor. What is the engine oil level.You could be pulling oil through the valve seals at high RPM. Do you have a PCV valve hooked up and does it seem to be working.

The smoke does not look blue at all. I had my dad following me to see if the smoke got any better. It is def white smoke. The oil level is full, and very very clean. The trans Fluid is still full as well. When the modulator was replaced, the shop said he added a qt of trans fluid, so there was quite a bit that was lost the first time. Since Monday, there has not been any loss of trans fluid.

[Striker]

Here are some pics of what the Exhaust looks like now. There is a small drip of burnt fluid now by the muffler. None of the fluid on the pipes, or the drip was there before the modulator went the first time last week.

[eroc022]

Is it condensation in the exhaust ? Black being carbon from running a little rich, which when you let off the gas it'll cause a rich condition even more so causing a little smoke, go through the carb, I'm sure it'll help

[Striker]

Is it condensation in the exhaust ? Black being carbon from running a little rich, which when you let off the gas it'll cause a rich condition even more so causing a little smoke, go through the carb, I'm sure it'll help

I am pretty sure its not condesation, because it def had the smell of burning fluid. My dad also lost sight of the car because the smoke was soo thick

[bobg]

If you are sure it is trans fluid dripping from the muffler then  probably there is still residual fluid in the exhaust system that hasn't burnt off.

[eroc022]

I doubt it's Trans fluid, at 4000 rpm the heat produced I. The headers/manifolds alone would burn it, if it's all the way back to your muffler then it is more likely to have poured a qt in the exhaust system on an uphill slope