Thread: Engine Smoking and MPG decrease

Alright, so I've only owned this car for a few weeks - so I don't know a lot of its past or anything.

Today I noticed that there was a burning smell coming from the engine bay, so I popped the hood while the car was still running. There was consistent smoke coming from the front of the engine. I have circled the area where it was smoking... and it looks like the previous owner had put tinfoil in the area around the tubes (exhaust manifold? idk what it is). Side Note: Does anyone have a good diagram of all the parts in the L67?



Also - I've noticed a steady decrease in gas mileage since I've owned the vehicle. I started out at 24 mpg, and now am down to 19 mpg. Any ideas of what to replace/check to bring that back up again?

Any help with both issues would be greatly appreciated... my spring break is next week and I'm going to try to tackle some of these issues.

Thanks!

The smoking issue is probably a valve cover gasket leaking. Very common issue on these cars. Fuel mileage could be that it just needs a tune up. One of the first things I do with a used car is replace the plugs, wires, air filter, fuel filter, etc. But it also could have a lot to do with driving style (heavy acceleration, etc) or the type of driving you do (all city vs. all highway).

With regards to the valve cover gasket. It appears that GM has issued a recall now for the front valve cover gasket due to some fire issues with that so you may want to look into that.

yes do watch out gm does have a major problem with these cars blowing up so be care actually i just got my letter from GM yesterday it does state in there that if you smell something burning to turn of the car a.s.a.p., but definatly check your Valve Cover Gasket before starting it back up, Today i saw GM's problem i have a little leak from my Valve Cover Gasket and you can see that it does drip right on the headers.... it kinda freaked me out at first....

Whoa - blowing up? That doesn't sound too good. Yea it does smell like burning and I'm guessing the oil is dripping and thats why its smoking. I still have carfax - so I looked it up and it said there were no recalls?

Can this thing start on fire? What do you guys think I should do?

Yes it is possible for it to start a fire, the recall just came out about a week or 2 ago i just got my letter in the mail on Sat. about the recall as to what to do you may want to take it to a trusted shop, or if you are really worried call GM in the morning and ask them what they think... but until you are sure about the problem if it was myself i wouldn't really drive it around to much

and let me help you a little furture here is all about the recall
GM RECALL

WOW that is shocking news to me. Thank you very much for bringing that to my attention.

I don't really know how a recall works, but I'm very sure that what I read in that article is what is happening to my car. Do I just call up the dealership, give them my VIN, and see if I'm approved for the recall?

Any help would be great.

well according to GM they are working around the clock to find a solition to this problem right now they are just telling people does and don'ts until they know how to fix it so for right now you just have to hang tight on the recall part, you will get a letter in the mail when they have found the solution saying that you need to bring your car in for so and so....but i would report your problem to gm tom. and ask them what you should do that would be my best advice to you. Just Tell them what you have posted here and take if from there if they think is may be something dangerious they will tell you

Thanks for the quick responses!

I'll be sure to call the Pontiac Dealership tomorrow to see what can be done. I'll post up on here what they say to me.

Alright my car is in the dealership right now. After an hour on the phone with a GM representative, I finally got the dealership to look at my car free of charge. We'll see what they have to say about it later today (hopefully).

But I was wondering - does anyone have a good picture/diagram of the engine bay that explains where all the parts are. It would really really help somebody like me who is trying to learn more about these engines and the supporting components.

Thanks.

That is one of the things they are replacing on my car for the 'recall.'

Valve cover gasket
Spark Plug wire something or the other...
and some other things?

We'll see what happens when I get it back from the Dealership! I'll have an update.

Got my car back today... here's what they all did for the recall:

-VC gasket
-VC bolt grommets
-2 & 4 Spark Plug Wire retainers

Car still smells like burning... so I don't know, but they said they've fixed everything. We'll see how it goes in the next few weeks...