That-andy-guy

I have a 91 ford thunderbird sport V8 5.0L HO
Recently I have noticed a smell of burning plastic ( or maybe its oil?)and small white whisps of smoke coming out from under the engine at red lights/ after driving. The smell usually occurs after driving 90-110 km/h. It seems to be coming from the back of the engine close to the firewall. Any idea as to what the problem is and how much it might be to repair?

Sterling_Six

Hello and good day:

This is a tuff one to diagnosis...I would strongly suggest you take time after driving to serious look under the Hood with a Flash Light to look for the Source.

See if you can follow the smoke trail....You state it smells like Plastic burning It maybe a Wire, a Plastic sensor or something that has come loose, and now is settling on the Hot engine. It may even be a Vac Hose, or a Gasket going bad.

I sorry I can't be more helpful...but until you find the Source we aren't able to give specific advise.

__________________
Good Luck and good repairing Sterling_6
"You know, just like in that Book, When Jesus beats up Moses to get Religion!!"

Yzzerdd

Keep a very close eye on your transmission fluid. I had the same thing happen to me. The first time, my trans dipstick was loose, and when I went up a steep hill, it kicked trans fluid all over my exhaust, and the smoke came up primarily from the firewall in the engine bay, but also noticeable under the vehicle. I added fluid, and kept an eye on it. No leaks.Then a month later, going down the interstate, smoke was rolling out the back. Blew a front trans seal. It'd only smoke once the exhaust got hot enough, but there was a noticeable drip of fluid under the car, and white smoke coming up from the firewall. The smell is unique. It's a thick smell, that sort of burns your nose like burning plastic would. It'll make you naseous. For me, turned out to be a blown front seal on the transmission. Not an expensive fix if you do it yourself, but it'll be time-consuming. I "fixed" mine by putting in a tablespoon or so of brake fluid into my transmission fluid. Swelled up the seal enough to make it stop leaking. I was going to replace the transmission, but it's been a month or so now, and I've had this thing all over the interstate, mountains, etc, with no issues. While more than likely a temporary fix, it seems like it'll last awhile. Of course, I wouldn't do that to yours just yet, especially if yours is in good shape. First, track down what is causing the smoke. When the car is cold, check for fluid on the exhaust, or residue. Or while smoking, check for fluid drips. It should be easy to track down.--JackATTN: For some reason, the WYSIWYG function is not working. The forum is not recognizing my spacing and thusly makes it seem as if I am terrible at placing indentations and seperating my paragraphs. While this is a blatant lie, my computer does not recogize this. It would appear as if I need to upgrade to Explorer 7. I will upgrade this evening. Until then, please excuse my lack of spacing. Thankyou.

That-andy-guy

Upon further inspection this afternoon I have also discovered a black residue in the coolant overflow. Could this be a related symptom? I am not sure if it's engine oil or not, as I just had the head gaskets done less than 5000kms ago. I topped up my tranny fluid, Which was very dark, and added a bottle of stop leak just to be safe. I know the tranny is overdue for a flush but I just haven't had the time.

70mstang

it's possible that your head gasket job didn't take, it happens, it's possible that the puffs of smoke are related to the cooling system because oil doesn't cool nearly as good as coolant (and coolant doesn't lubricate nearly as well as oil) take a good look at your oil and coolant (don't necessarilly trust your dipstick because oil floats on water and not all dipsticks reach all the way into the oil pan)

70mstang

Also dark transmission fluid is a bad sign, you likely need a fluid CHANGE and a new filter, tranny fluid should smell sweet, not burnt. And if it was my car, I wouldn't let the transmission place flush the fluid, they like to do that for extra money and they make it sound like a good idea, but it can easily damage the transmission so make sure there's a good guarantee on their work if you go for it.