Cold/Warm start issues -- bad head gasket?

[bluscreen]

Greetings Oh-Knowledgeable-Ones!

I've had my D for almost 10 years. For the last couple it's had minor cold/warm start issues which have grown worse over time. Through troubleshooting I've checked out the thermotime switch / cold start valve, replaced the accumulator, replaced the ignition oil and checked electrical grounds / connections-- I'm sure that's not all but that's all I can think of at the moment. Still, after a few attempts it would always eventually start... until yesterday.

After trying to start it a few times yesterday, I got the car to idle at low RPMs as long as I held the accelerator just a tad. Then I noticed white smoke was pouring out of the exhaust.

Do you guys think this is a clear case of a bad head gasket? If that's the cause, then I guess it was making it hard to start in the past as it was a slow leak.

Thank you for the help here, I really appreciate it.

[Ratrace427]

Bad head gasket..idk. Is the oil milky? How about light brown fluffy oil around filler cap? I don't think a bad head gasket would create hard starting like you are describing. I guess depending on how bad. Have you overheated the engine? That's the main cause for head gasket failure

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[bluscreen]

Bad head gasket..idk. Is the oil milky? How about light brown fluffy oil around filler cap? I don't think a bad head gasket would create hard starting like you are describing. I guess depending on how bad. Have you overheated the engine? That's the main cause for head gasket failure

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The oil looked ok-- maybe a little bit thin. I didn't see any milkshake.

I have had to add coolant to the bottle from time to time.

The engine has not been overheated. I even added a second temp gauge to the car because I've been paranoid this might happen.

[David T]

Having to add coolant could be a sign of a blown head gasket, or it could just mean that you have some leaks. Signs of blown head gaskets include:
Overheating
Blowing coolant out the overflow
Coolant in the oil
Signs of moisture in the oil fill

Your symptom doesn't sound like a blown head gasket, at least not yet. It is more indicative of the need for a tune-up. Worn spark plugs, bad ignition wires, worn dist cap/rotor, that kind of thing. The white smoke is troubling. That could be a problem. One test to confirm a blown head gasket is to test the coolant for combustion gasses. Or if it clears up quickly it might just mean you need a tune-up badly.

[bluscreen]

Having to add coolant could be a sign of a blown head gasket, or it could just mean that you have some leaks. Signs of blown head gaskets include:
Overheating
Blowing coolant out the overflow
Coolant in the oil
Signs of moisture in the oil fill

Your symptom doesn't sound like a blown head gasket, at least not yet. It is more indicative of the need for a tune-up. Worn spark plugs, bad ignition wires, worn dist cap/rotor, that kind of thing. The white smoke is troubling. That could be a problem. One test to confirm a blown head gasket is to test the coolant for combustion gasses. Or if it clears up quickly it might just mean you need a tune-up badly.

Thank you for your help here.

In the last couple of years (and in the last 2,000 miles) I've replaced the spark plugs, distributor cap and rotor, spark plug wires, and had the injectors cleaned and personally tested their spray pattern. I've never checked / testing the timing...

So, two responses so far seem to me to say that the plume of white smoke coming from my tailpipe may NOT be a blown head gasket. Is that possible? I would assume there's not (within reasonable amounts) water in the tank as the car is garaged and only driven on nice days. What else could be going on?

I'm afraid to continue trying to start the car... I don't know what happening and I don't want to hydrolock the engine so at the moment I'm just information gathering. Do you know how I could "test the coolant for combustion gasses"?

[Bitsyncmaster]

Have you ever checked the mixture via a dwell reading?

[Ratrace427]

How old is the gas?

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[Ratrace427]

Running rich or lean will not produce white smoke. Crazy old varnish for gas might..

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[bluscreen]

I have not checked the mixture with a dwell meter. At this point I'm guessing I can't since it won't start up and run, right?

The car hasn't been driven enough, and the gas is a bit old. I don't think it's varnish yet though-- at least I hope not! I had about 4 gallons of.... 3 or 4 month old gas in it last time I drove it, and since I knew that was too old I had just filled it up a couple weeks ago with 4 more gallons of plus grade fuel. I know there might be more than one issue going on here at a time, but for what its worth the car still had trouble starting with fresher fuel.

[DMCMW Dave]

It sounds a it counterintuitive but I've seen clouds of white smoke from the exhaust when the cat or muffler is full of raw gasoline. Which would be symptomatic of other fuel system problems. Shorted thermotime switch for example.