Motor: D16A6
Car: 88 Honda civic wagon RT4wd
Miles: More than I can count.

Radiator water was dirty as all get out. Changed it (didnt add rad fluid yet) and it got brown again. Checked oil, no water in it at all. Car was overheating and boiling the water in the rad out.

Installed new Radiator, added coolent. Now car smokes white, but on start up only. Let it run for a few moments, and its clean. Still over heats a little. About to change thermostat as well.

I suspect head gasket, but would expect to see white smoke all the time, and rad fluid in the oil. Neither of these is happening.

Searched couldnt find the same situation, any thoughts? Am I correct in thinking head gasket?

 

sure its not just condensation in your exhaust pipes that collects overnight?

 

the valve seals could be leaking letting in a small amount of oil into the cylinder. its not enought to see it all the time but is builds when the car isnt running and as a result it smokes when u start it up

 

as 4 ur coolant. the cooling system gets to a point where u may need to do many coolent flushes with a machine. if its already brown the ur not going to get it clean by draining an refilling. the real problem is most shops including the one i work at will not do a coolant flush on a car like the because they know it ill not come clean the first time an u will be back in a week bitching at them cuz u think they didnt do there job right.

 

Positive its not condensation, this is ALOT of white smoke.

I would think it would smell more of oil if it was oil, but it smells sweet, I am positive this is coolant.

Thanks for the thoughts guys, any other suggestions keep em coming. I think it may be almost time to just pull it apart though.

 

Eww... the sweet smell of burning coolant

Yeah, definately the head gasket. I hate that smell.

 

I had this exact same problem after i put on my S2 IM. It would only smoke at idle...but when it warmed up it wouldnt smoke at all. I checked everything and couldnt find the cause of it. I took off the head and the HG was fine. It turns out that the IM wasnt tight enough and coolant would slowly seep into the #4 runner while it was cold. When it warmed up and the metal/gaskets expanded it would go away. I tightened it up and it didnt smoke anymore

It doesnt really sound like the HG unless its just starting to go. If its a HG then it will usually get worse when you drive it. Especially when youre at hgher rpm(higher coolant pressure). Have you checked the rad cap? I know it sounds too simple but ive seen them fail andnot open at the rated psi. This causes alot of pressure(and steam) to build up in the system. It wont take long for this pressure to find a weak point and relieve itsself. Start with the small stuff before you go replacing the HG

 

check your head gasket