please help with VR

[wdrury]

hi everyone...i did a 2100km trip 3 weeks ago and about 30min from home i noticed smoke coming from under the bonnet..engine light also came on...havnt driven it since...i checked the engine and there is oil all over the exhaust manifold (mostly the passanger side) looks like it is coming from somewhere above the sparkplugs..
i went to start it today to put it on stands and when i reversed it blew alot of grey smoke out the exhaust and hardly had any power even though i put my foot down a fair bit..

any ideas what it could be would be greatly appreciated..i was thinking rocker cover gaskets...but would that cause alot of smoke out the exhaust and loss of power?

[FstStig]

Sounds like you have a leak from your rocker cover gaskets. Grey/black smoke normally means your injectors need looking at. Check your dipstick and make sure the oil isn't a milky brown colour. Is there any noises coming from the motor?

[wdrury]

apart from the oil everywhere and not much power when driving and alot of grey exhaust smoke it is perfect...idles nicely.....starts well...oil is the normal brown oil colour..doesnt seem to be any moisture in the engine..

[FstStig]

Clean down your motor with some degreaser and see where the oil is coming from. Would dare say your injectors need looking at with for a service/clean or to be replaced.

[wdrury]

thanks for your quick reply....do you also think if it was the rocker cover gaskets that it would lose alot of power?

[hako]

It could also be coming from the transmission - if the oil overheats it will eject thru the filler tube and onto the ex manifolds....plus you will have a lack of power due to loss of transmission fluid. So I'd do a codes check: Checking error codes VR/VS (Revised) this will tell you if the trans overheated.
and also check the transmission fluid level. Rocker cover gaskets leaking should not cause a lack of power. Also check your coolant level just in case you have a head gasket or inlet manifold gasket gone.

[wdrury]

thanks hako...what would cause the transmission oil to overheat then?

[Brett_jjj]

Has the transmission had a service lately?Its easier and cheaper to service it yourself. If you can change the engine oil and filter,you can change the transmission filter and fluid. Did any error codes show up?

[hako]

thanks hako...what would cause the transmission oil to overheat then?

Long drives in hot weather or towing/carrying a load will cause the transmission to work harder and generate heat....sometimes it may get hot enough to boil/foam especially if it's old oil. Holden installed the locking dipstick to overcome this problem but with time the locking part gets loose and the dipstick can be ejected or just pop up and then spew oil.

[wdrury]

thanks guys ...your advice helped a heap...car is now going like a rocket...changed transmission fluid and now has power like it was a new car...changed rocker cover gaskets and now not leaking....
just one problem still remains...still alot of grey coming out of exhaust for about 1km then stops but smoke still pouring out of engine bay on passanger side only..cant quite tell where but it looks like its below the exhaust manifolds somewhere..could it just be old oil that i missed when i degreesed the engine? or could there still be a leak coming from somewhere that i cant see?
thanks again everyone..
thinking i might have to take it to a mechanic so he can get a look under it..