CARS MESSED UP!!!

[miataliker]

Alright. So today i took the miata to go get something and after flooring it just on first gear i stopped. Nothing seemed wrong after i got to the place about half a mile away the car starts to idle, up and down,up and down. Then after that i drove the car to this pet store, got out went to the store, came back out and started up the car. AND THIS IS WHEN IT HAPPENS!! The car started to idle and sounded like a muscle car. I went outside and white smoke was blowing out of the exhaust pipe. I then opened the hood and it looked like white smoke was burning out of the headers. Maybe something came loose and went down to the exhaust pipe? Oh and the car started bogging like it was gonna shut off and it felt like the engine didnt have any power to go forward. Head gasket maybe? I dont know but help PLEASE???!!

[Steampunk]

- White smoke = coolant inside the cylinders = blown head gasket as you suspected.
- "sounding like a muscle car" = at least one cylinder is not combusting properly which could mean various things; loss of compression, no spark to name a couple.

It sounds like something has gone terminal, but before you think all is doom and gloom, do the usual spark plugs, and spark plug leads check. You MIGHT be lucky and find a plug has either come loose and/or deteriorated, although the white smoke is a very ominous sign.

How many kilometres has your car done?, and what would you say is the condition of the engine, ie. how well maintained is it?

I'm guessing you are from the US?

[miataliker]

Looks kinda well maintain when i bought the car. But It was smelling like gas when i opened up the hood and it comes through the airvent into the car. And my car haves about 154,000 miles right now going to 155,000

[Steampunk]

that sort of mileage isn't huge and by itself usually not an indication that things will go awry. But then again, it may have had a hard life and lots of high-revving abuse.
Strong gas smell is also a bad sign.

- Check the under-side of the oil filler cap for signs of coolant (white residue)
- check the dipstick to see if you can ascertain if there is fuel in the oil. Smell it and see if you can tell if its less viscous than normal oil.
- check inside the radiator for oil and fuel contamination.

If you see any signs of the above, then fair chance you are right and head gasket has gone.

If white smoke, sluggishness, rough idle etc continues, then that pretty much confirms it.

[bruce]

Ahem, spark plug leads? EDIT; not likely.
The OP sounds like he is in America ie. Miata, miles, gas.
256,000 kays is getting a bit high.

[93_Clubman]

after flooring it just on first gear i stopped.

done this often?

[Okibi]

...The car started to idle and sounded like a muscle car. ..

Could be a coil pack.

[WASP]

What City,Suburb do you live in

[miataliker]

I live in California Fresno. And no i dont do it very often.

[bruce]

Easy fix for you then - stick an LS1 into it.

[miataliker]

Hahah i wish shoo. lol

[Uncle Arthur]

Hey there - sorry to hear about the car troubles.....

As you are based in the good ole US of A, and although it doesn't sound as though your car is running boost, jump on www.miataturbo.net - plenty of helpful people (just make sure you post up and say hi - be polite, make sense, and they won't eat you like a breakfast noobie) and there might be some local assistance to help you diagnose the problem.....

Or is you like egos of an even bigger size, www.miata.net (the big site) is worth the challenge..

Good luck

[miataliker]

Thanks bro. But i post threads on there already

[Steampunk]

Thanks bro. But i post threads on there already

Yeah stick with this forum. We are a nice bunch of guys and gals, and some of us actually know what they are talking about and dont feel the need to change their avatars on a daily basis and have strange hieroglyphics in their signature to make ourselves sound important.

[sprx3]

...The car started to idle and sounded like a muscle car. ..

Could be a coil pack.

no chance,

do you run water or coolant in your cooling system?

the reason i ask is
if you run water your looking at a head gasket, if you run coolant you've most likely got head corrosion, unless you overheated the car at some stage & cracked a head... id say 1 of the first two & im putting my money on option 2, check what plugs/ cylinders have water in them & report back to us....

p.s welcome