I've run into yet another problem this week, when i start the car smoke appears to be coming from under the distributer behind the engine..., and my "check engine soon" light is on... this started to happen right after my alternator had a bad diode, i replaced the alternator, checked most of the wiring... kinda stumped on this one, im afraid i'll damage more parts but as a last resort i'll start it again and get under it to find where the smokes coming from, but before i do that does anyone have any ideas what it could be or ever ran into a similar problem? let me know!

Hi Brianritchie21787, hello all


Under the distributor would be oil getting hot enough to smoke.

I'm thinking you meant, from inside the dist. Pull the cap and visually check for any sign of heat on the components.
I think if it smoked enough for you to see it, the discoloration or smell would be more than evident.

Regards, Norm

theres an exhaust leak right near the downpipe, wich explains the smoke under the distributer, and i think it trggered my O2 sensor and might be why my service engine light is on..

Whew! when I read that title I got worried. Let me tell you about my "GOTCHA".

I installed an electric fan this summer on the Delta. I wired it with a relay from un-switched battery 12V to a thermostat mounted in the radiator to turn it on when the temperature would rise above 180. No problem with that, that way the fan will run even when the engine is off when it is hot in the summer, cool down the radiator quicker for the next go-round. Here is where I made my mistake though, I also decided to wire a seperate toggle switch so I could turn on the fan earlier than 180 like when I anticipated heavy stop and go traffic to ge a jump on it and hopefully avoid overheating (I should have installed a lower temp thermostat). Anwyay, what I ended up doing was wiring that switch to ignition. the first time I used the switch and forgot about it, the thermostat also closed the circuit and now switched and unswitched 12V were the same!. As soon as I turned the car off the fan kept running, no problem, but now i had voltage on my starter and my coil! About ten minutes later the coil blows it's top and spews dialectric oil all over the engine bay and makes a real nice smoke bomb as it hits the hot exhaust manifold and downtube. My neighbor saw it and told me, frantically banging on my front door, I thought I had destroyed the whole engine for sure. I got lucky, Boy was I stupid though......

this is going to sound funny, but my car repaired itself... i ran it pretty hard this morning, got home, parked in the driveway, let the engine idle, and then it sounded like somthing busted through the muffler, the rpms went up a few hundred revs, and the service engine light went off instantly and simultaniously... exhaust still leaks, but throttle is alot more responsive then before, so i think my mufflers insides were crumbling and restricting exhaust flow.. but would that trigger the service engine light?