Hey guys. First of all, I want to say thanks for taking a look. Any advice you might have is much appreciated. I have a couple ideas on the issues I have going on, but I really don't know enough about these things to make a call and I need some pointers.

The first and major thing I have going on is a smell that is coming through the air vents inside the car. It seems to be the worst when the engine is cold. I'm thinking this is a blown gasket or something along these lines and oil is burning? This really concerns me and I know I need to get it fixed soon, but I don't want to take it somewhere and have them charge me some insane price for this. I did have the oil changed recently and there was some fresh oil that was on the skid plate, not a whole lot, but a little bit. Also, the guy changing the oil, I had him try and look at it, said he saw where a part of oxidizing due to an oil leak from a valve cover and to fix it, you'd have to take the head off the engine and replace the gaskets? If this is the case, how can I be certain that this is the issue? I've been reading about people replacing bolts and gaskets that have fixed an issue similar to this.

The next issue I have is a "shake" or misfire of the engine. It's only noticeable when the car is idling and most noticeable when the car is at an incline, either up or down, doesn't seem to matter too much, although down does seem a tad worse. You can feel it in the chair, like quick shakes back and forth, like it's not getting enough gas to the engine or something along those lines.

Any ideas, tips, questions, much appreciated, I love this car, but right now I am a bit concerned.

OH, and I was thinking about picking up a diagnostic tool for the car, to see if anything shows up. Any suggestions on a nice one (not too cheap, but not super expensive).

 

well, welcome to the greatest car forum going....first post is problems....lol

Anyway, I am sure many will chime in...so I will take a stab at it....what you are smelling is more than likely that valve cover leak you have seen already....no gaskets, you just use a good sealer, easy fix with a little work. The shaking, could be a lot of things...throttle body needs cleaned, maf sensor needs cleaned, or worse case, crankshaft position sensor is starting to go...and easy fixes as well....
one other thought, would be the fuel filter....good luck...but, that is a start, that should keep you busy for a day....

 

awesome, thanks for that. The leak/smell is obviously my largest concern at the moment. Would you happen to have some info/guide (pictures) on this, I don't even know what a valve cover looks like really, or where it's located. I am very handy, and I am sure I can fix it if I know what I am looking at.

Yea, I hate that my first posting is problems! I have some other things I want to do with this car, that is, after I get it running well. Thanks again.

 

go to the search feature above....put in "valve cover leak fix"....you will see a thread by MikeR...about 3 or 4 down from the top.... this will be a great guide for you and it teaches you to use the search feature....try it out....

 

When i saw the title "Couple Problems, Just Purchased", I thought it was a relationship issue with who gets to drive it.


The solution to that is simple, Buy one for her.

But since this is not so serious as "Couple Problems" I'll let the others chime in.

Meanwhile Ojacoobo, welcome.

roadster with a stick

 

Doc, thanks for that, great thread. Franc, nice. Luckily that's not a problem I have to deal with.

 

https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...ver-m112s.html
this should get you started. please deposit 1$ into the i shoulda searched first jar!

 

sorry about the should have searched deal, I do know the drill. I didn't know what the problem was really, although, this does sound like it could be the issue. I appreciate all the help. I gotta make sure I can collect all the parts and tools for the job so I don't get stuck with a disassembled car and have to make a part run...

 

Before you get all worked up on the leaking oil issue you should check to find exactly where the oil is coming from. It could be the recirculating cover(s) these use a sealant , valve cover(s) these use a gasket, or the area around the base of the oil filling fitting.
Look before you leap, in some cases tightening the screws has fixed the leak. Just be careful not to exceed the torque settings or you will break a bolt.
See the Repair Manual, available on this site.

 

heres a quick lesson in oil detection.. clean the engine the best you can . spray the engine liberally with soft and dry spray deodorant. it will dry white. drive the car. any leaks will be absorbed by the deodorant and turn black. leaks found!

 

Now this is what I call a great tip ...... and worth the cleanup effort afterwards

 

excellent tip!

 

Wow! Done, no sweat.

 

I thought you were supposed to use flour. Wait.... that's a different kind of wet spot.

Nice tip.

 

And you motor won't sweat lol !

 

and leaves your engine smelling fresh all day.....

 

Well, turns out it is def the valve covers that have been leaking and looks like they have been leaking for a little while now, although, I don't really know how to tell how long it's been. There was some fresh oil sitting in some of the bolt holes behind the valve assembly near the head. I've cleaned it up about as good as I can do in a garage without making an utter mess, and looks pretty good now. Cleaning the valve covers like the OCD person I am to ensure that the new gasket sticks very well.

I read on here somewhere that someone was using a wire brush to clean their valve covers and others chimed in saying that was too harsh for their liking. Well, I can report that whoever said that, has obviously never actually done this b/c I couldn't imagine getting these things clean without a wire brush, and the brush did nothing to the metal, except get the grime off it.

Anyway, went ahead and decided I would tackle the spark plugs at the same time... my god, what a pain in the *** those things were! Especially that back on on the drivers side! Still waiting on my cables from needswings before I put it all back together and fire her up. I'll report back. I appreciate all the info so far!

 

Just took the car for a drive, and the rough idle problem is now basically solved, very difficult to feel now, which means it was either the leak in the breather covers, the spark plugs, ignition cables, or even the air intake as the airbox seemed a bit loose from the throttle body. I haven't been able to really test out the car too much, wanted to just do a nice easy heat up on the engine and then let he cool down a bit. I will take another run here in a bit. Thanks again for all the help.