Jim McKenzie
1972 850 Spider
I started up my 850 Spider today (I start her every weekend to keep battery alive) and got the dreaded white smoke. I know that often/usually indicates a blown head gasket.
I did not have a compression tester so looked in radiator to see if any bubbling. There was none at all.
I let the car idle for about five minutes, and the white smoke went away completely. I *did* see a little bit of black smoke, but mostly the exhaust was clear. I saw no coolant drips at all in engine bay after this.
I'm going to start her up again today and let it warm up, then take a spin around the cul-de-sac a couple of times.
Am I correct that if the white smoke not only doesn't get worse but disappears completely that is likely *not* a head gasket issue?
I did not have a compression tester so looked in radiator to see if any bubbling. There was none at all.
I let the car idle for about five minutes, and the white smoke went away completely. I *did* see a little bit of black smoke, but mostly the exhaust was clear. I saw no coolant drips at all in engine bay after this.
I'm going to start her up again today and let it warm up, then take a spin around the cul-de-sac a couple of times.
Am I correct that if the white smoke not only doesn't get worse but disappears completely that is likely *not* a head gasket issue?
Last edited: