The Z hasn't really been started for about a week and not really driven for about 2, I fitted the new painted viscous fan today and after a minute or so of running, some white steam/smoke appears at the back of the engine, around the brake cylinder area. It isn't very thick, but progressively gets more and more as the car continues to run.

 

The logical thing to me of course would be steam, as I did put it away hot last time and it's been bloody freezing since, so I'm thinking condensation in some depression on top of the manifolds or something, but the questions I have are:

 

1. why does it smell smokey

2. why would it only be on one side of the engine and not both

3. has anyone else experienced this

 

I'm kinda freaking out atm, because steam doesn't usually smell smokey, although I suppose it could be mixed with some oil of course, which would explain it actually burning rather than just evaporating. It definitely doesn't smell like electrical burning or specifically like oil burning etc. etc.

 

Help, lol. I'm off to check the garage isn't burning down now.:gun_bandana:

If it's been sat could be a small leak from somewhere that has pooled in the 2 weeks it's been sat and will just burn off fine. Lacquer burning off your new fan and smoke being pushed to back area of engine bay due to same fan?

 

Reckon best thing to do is have a good look round area with engine off, if nothing looks to obviously be causing it. grab a litlle hand held extinguisher and run the engine watching carefully until it dissappears or gets worse!

Could be sound advice there on the extinguisher, I'm one of those annoying people who sees them everytime I'm at Halfrauds and never buys one :( I think I'll go over there tonight in my rattly Alfa (lol) and pick one up, along with oil and filter etc. for the Alfa. I have a feeling it could be a small leak from somewhere too, as I went back out and smelt the engine with the engine off and it smells sweet like anti-freeze, if it is, then it's off the turbo I'd say, as I haven't bypassed them and I can't see anything leaking under the car or from the top :confused1:

 

EDIT: It's not lacquer burning off the fan, the front of the engine is still freezing cold, this happens in the first minute or so that the engine is running.

I had this last year when I took it out of storage, and again this year when I moved it after letting it stand for 2 months. It went by itself after driving it often again

Just a thought, but the early cars were prone to brake master cylinder leakage....

 

.....so could it be brake fluid that has leaked out whilst the car was standing, which dripped onto something hot and is consequently evapourating?

 

Richard:helpsmilie:

have you done an oil change recently? I 'missed' with the oil lol and had smoke in the same place, that had dripped on the exhaust.

Just a thought, but the early cars were prone to brake master cylinder leakage....

 

.....so could it be brake fluid that has leaked out whilst the car was standing, which dripped onto something hot and is consequently evapourating?

 

Richard:helpsmilie:

 

My car does this, if i use it every day it wont use a drop of brake fluid, but if i park it up for a while the fluid in my pot drops, and it leaks on to manifold,

 

And it as really pi@~ed me off cause i stripped my shell to nothing painted everything including engine bay and master leaked and took paint off, so i have got to buy a new one and somehow re paint engine bay.

Just a thought, but the early cars were prone to brake master cylinder leakage....

 

.....so could it be brake fluid that has leaked out whilst the car was standing, which dripped onto something hot and is consequently evapourating?

 

Richard:helpsmilie:

 

Funnily enough my brake fluid pot is looking low and I seem to remember that Mikey and I topped it up not so long ago. The pot itself leaks out of the lid, which seems pretty common, as the yellow one did it and so does Mikeys. Speaking of which the yellow one we discovered, was HEAVILY leaking out of the brake cylinder when we took the car apart.

 

have you done an oil change recently? I 'missed' with the oil lol and had smoke in the same place, that had dripped on the exhaust.

 

Oil change not so long ago, but it'd be blue smoke bud, not white steamy smokey stuff. Also, I use a funnel so I don't 'miss' :lol:

 

My car does this, if i use it every day it wont use a drop of brake fluid, but if i park it up for a while the fluid in my pot drops, and it leaks on to manifold,

 

And it as really pi@~ed me off cause i stripped my shell to nothing painted everything including engine bay and master leaked and took paint off, so i have got to buy a new one and somehow re paint engine bay.

 

As above mine is looking very low and I'm sure I topped it up not so long ago, thanks for the tip, I reckon this might well be the problem. Guess I need to get a torch out and look for proof of leaking down the bulkhead :( If I find I have it, guess I also should replace the cylinder for safety? Mine's a 90/91 so definitely an 'early' model.

Could possibly be the turbos oil feed or water feed ??

Could possibly be the turbos oil feed or water feed ??

 

That's what concerns me, it won't be oil, as I said above it's white not blue, I'm inclined to think it's water or brake fluid as Richard and Terry suggested. The brake fluid pot does look very low, and there is a sweet smell to that part of the engine bay when the engine is off, which could really be either brake fluid or anti-freeze. I'll get a torch out there in a bit and see I think.

That's what concerns me, it won't be oil, as I said above it's white not blue, I'm inclined to think it's water or brake fluid as Richard and Terry suggested. The brake fluid pot does look very low, and there is a sweet smell to that part of the engine bay when the engine is off, which could really be either brake fluid or anti-freeze. I'll get a torch out there in a bit and see I think.

 

If its been leaking should be easy to tell wet line normally running down servo,

And paint bubbling up, around the area below master cylinder.

 

Mine is leaking from a little hole in the side of cylinder between brake pipes as what looks like a ball bearing in the hole. replaced seals, which i bought from big red and made no differance. New one from nissan around £250 ouch.

Mine has corrosion there but dosent leak, guess someone replaced it at some point.

If its been leaking should be easy to tell wet line normally running down servo,

And paint bubbling up, around the area below master cylinder.

 

Mine is leaking from a little hole in the side of cylinder between brake pipes as what looks like a ball bearing in the hole. replaced seals, which i bought from big red and made no differance. New one from nissan around £250 ouch.

 

Yes - but Nissan had solved the problem when they introduced the series 2 cars....

 

.....and the BMC is interchangable - so why not buy a 2nd hand series 2 part from JeffTT!! I did that on my old red ZX and it worked just fine.

 

My blue car is a series 2 and does sometimes get left in the garage for a couple of weeks or more at a time - but does not suffer brake fluid leakage....:sailor:

 

Richard:cool3:

Yes - but Nissan had solved the problem when they introduced the series 2 cars....

 

.....and the BMC is interchangable - so why not buy a 2nd hand series 2 part from JeffTT!! I did that on my old red ZX and it worked just fine.

 

My blue car is a series 2 and does sometimes get left in the garage for a couple of weeks or more at a time - but does not suffer brake fluid leakage....:sailor:

 

Richard:cool3:

 

That's exactly what I was planning to do Richard ;)