Smoking ka24de trouble

[VTboyinFL]

So I've had my car for over a year and since I got it theres been an oil leak, got it checked out and the shop said it wasn't serious enough to need be fixed but I should just check the oil frequently. Been doing that for some time now but on the way home from college I noticed a weird smell so I pulled over at a gas station checked and there was smoke coming up from the side where it looks like burned metal I looked some more and it's oil. FML. So what I think is since I was highway for the drive home maybe the high speed on my older engine with a pre existing oil leak just decided to crap out and leave an even larger leak. I added a quart of synthetic and checked a few days later and its a little less. It makes a smell and smokes after a short while of driving.

A few questions.
- Is it ok to keep driving
- how much to fix it
- anything helpful?


I know there can be a million reasons why this is happening just anythings helpful.

Ill have pics up as soon as possible

Thxx.

[moso]

Is it ok to keep driving - in a perfect world you would have it fixed, realistically so long as you can keep ahead of the leak the motor will keep running. keep in mind that oil can catch fire under the correct conditions.
how much to fix it - that depends on which gasket has failed and what route you decide to take to repair it (yourself or a shop, a friend, whatever)
anything helpful - synthetic oil is thinner than conventional oil, in other words, it will leak more out of the same sized hole.

[VTboyinFL]

Im pretty sure the head gasket has a bad seal but it might be something more, the shop is one of those "somethings wrong" but never names what it is, just says bad and gives a price. Imma put pictures up today i just had to wait for daylight.

[VTboyinFL]

@ Biggie from the other thread, I posted accidentally in the general forum then realized it's more of a technical question

[compactfean]

Im pretty sure the head gasket has a bad seal but it might be something more, the shop is one of those "somethings wrong" but never names what it is, just says bad and gives a price. Imma put pictures up today i just had to wait for daylight.

By law, they have to give you a detailed estimate before performing any work..... Sounds like a red flag to me.

[biggie]

@ Biggie from the other thread, I posted accidentally in the general forum then realized it's more of a technical question

No problem, can just ask for the other to be moved or closed next time.

[VTboyinFL]

Im pretty sure the head gasket has a bad seal but it might be something more, the shop is one of those "somethings wrong" but never names what it is, just says bad and gives a price. Imma put pictures up today i just had to wait for daylight.

By law, they have to give you a detailed estimate before performing any work..... Sounds like a red flag to me.

That shop was always doing crap like that, $250 to do a catback exhaust, $1200 to fix ac, $800-$1000 to fix oil leak, $400 to fix the float in my gas tank.

I spent a total of about $40 and got 3 of these done myself. DIY>shop

[compactfean]

Finding a shop that has a healthy balance between honesty and making money is hard to find these days. Once when I was working 60 hrs a week I needed work done and had my car towed to three different shops until I found one that rubbed me the right way. Lol. Now that I'm not working like I used to I have time to do all my own work but definately opened my eyes to how some places are.

[compactfean]

To get back on track though, get in there and really clean the hell out of your engine. Scrape off any oil/crud and then use some engine degreaser and get it super clean. After that, check your engine for leaks every couple days to see where its leaking from. Also switch to a high mileage oil. It has additives that help swell seals and slow down leaks to a point that is unnoticeable (unless the leak is really bad)

[VTboyinFL]

Thx thats a good idea and I just went out and took some pics, theyll be up soon

[VTboyinFL]

Engine view


zooming in on the problem side


top view of leak with burn spot


closer view, you can see the black area where oils been smoking


the whole affected area