So I went to drive my 1990 300ZXTT to a friend's shop in Hampton just now, and I got as far as the gas station across the street from my complex before it started smoking from under the hood. It's thin grey smoke, and not too much of it, but because the engine's so cramped I can't tell where it's coming from. It seems to be coming from somewhere around the oil dipstick. I haven't driven the car in over a month, but I've started it every other day and let it run for a minute or two. I also changed the oil about a week before I stopped driving it. Any idea why it's acting up?

 

C'mon, someone has to have a vague idea. I know people avoid Z32s like the plague, but this is serious stuff. Maybe I should just let her burn??

 

MIGHT BE SPIDER WEBS AND SUCH.

If it did it once you drove for a minute i would say that is what it is. What does the smoke smell like? Does it smell like oil/gas/tranny fluid, or does it smell like fire?

 

do you think it might have a small leak that it's dripping onto something hot and burning off?

any fluids under the car?

 

None that I can see. One of my friends is saying that I might have a leak in my driver's side turbo seal, and that it might be oil burning in the turbo. Lol. I'm assuming that's bad.

 

I think it smells like oil, but then none of my cars have ever burned oil, so I can't say for sure. I can definately rule out gas, because I had my fuel rail BLOW OFF the top of the engine about two months ago, and I unfortunately I know what that pungent smell's like.

And it doesn't smell like fire. Lmfao.

 

have you checked your oil levels? is it significantly lower? Blown turbo seals really aren't too expensive to have rebuilt.

 

if your turbo seals are bad or going bad you will have horrible blow by, like when you get on it, smoke will hurrle out your exhaust..so i would think youd know if that was it..just keep an eye on your coolant level and oil..whichever one gets real low you know to be the culprit...thats the best diagnosis i can give without being there to look at the car..

 

I really appreciate the help, but we figured out what it was. We jacked the car up (because the damned thing sits so low) and I crawled underneath it. The outer turbo housing has what looks to be burned oil on it, which means it is the seal. It sucks because yes, getting the seal redone isn't expensive, but getting to them is a pain in the ass. Luckily I'm already planning on ripping the engine apart to get to the lower intake manifold and the fuel injectors, so I'll just take the turbos out and either replace them or redo the seals. It's not losing a substantial amount of oil, and it's being driven once or twice a month, so she should be fine for now. I guess I haven't noticed it before now because I rarely let her top 2000rpms, because the fuel injectors are fucked. Thanks, again.