VS commodore blows white smoke

[elmaso]

My series 1 VS was running until operating temperature the other day, then it decided to start pouring out a lot of white smoke, had a strong smell of fuel to it as well, when I popped the bonnet everything looked fine, but the dipstick was covered in oil, like it just sprayed it upwards. also the exhaust tip was covered it black.

Have no idea what I should do and haven't used the car since, just wondering if someone can point me in the right direction as to what's wrong.
Cheers.

 

[Big-Al]

maybe a fuel injector stuck open. Has the oil level gone down?

 

[elmaso]

Well it has a few oil leaks.
How would I tell if an injector is stuck open?

 

[hako]

Does the car use coolant....what was the engine temperature when the white smoke appeared...Could be the PCV valve (Positive Crankcase Valve) blocked which will pressurise the crankcase and force oil 'everywhere'. Normally the PCV valve sucks air from the crankcase.

 

[elmaso]

It does use some coolant, mainly when sitting in traffic it get a bit hot, that might be a problem. It was sitting at under half when the smoke started.

 

[hako]

When you say the dipstick was covered in oil, you do mean the engine oil dipstick and not the transmission oil one?
The car should use no coolant - some possible causes may be a leaky inlet manifold gasket, radiator/hoses split etc etc....really there are many many things that can contribute.
Did the engine start running rough when the smoke poured out the back....and do you think the smoke was oil, steam or unburnt fuel?

 

[elmaso]

engine oil dipstick, should have been more clear about that.
well the manifold gaskets been changed and i can see that coolant leaks from the outlet hose.
the engine had a small misfire, then when i'd look at the distance to empty thingo it just went down, very quick.

 

[hako]

Check the fuel pressure regulator which is situated on the fuel rail towards the back of the engine - it's possible the diaphragm has split which can allow neat fuel to go straight into the inlet manifold. To check this you must remove the vacuum hose to the regulater and see if there is any petrol in the hose ....if there is the regulater is stuffed.

 

[elmaso]

okay, well it ran better today, gave it a 10-20 minute drive, didn't blow smoke or use fuel excessivly. it must have used all the coolant, because it needed a fair amount to fill it up again.
so you've helped me narrow it down to something cooling system related, gunna book it in and have it checked.
cheers hako!

 

[K-BAGZ]

White exhaust smoke = Coolant burning with air/fuel mixture.
Blue exhaust smoke = Oil burning with air/fuel mixture.
Black exhaust smoke = Overfuelling and/or rich air/fuel mixture.

Perform a compression test (Wet and Dry test) and a cooling system pressure test.

I'll put money on it that it's either a blown head gasket/s or leaking inlet manifold gasket/s. But proper troubleshooting and diagnosis will isolate the fault.

What's the condition of the oil on the dipstick? If the oil is milky/cloudy, there is coolant present in the oil.
What's the condition of the coolant in the radiator? If there is brown/black particles in the coolant of the radiator, there is oil present in the coolant.