MX-3.com

First of all hello, this is my first time here, im a newb to driving and even worst at mechanics so im in serious need for help.

Heres the story, i bought my car not too long ago, like 3 months more or less, an MX3 GS manual trans that i bought for 2,000 US$ with119,000+ miles. The car needed a lot more than a simple paint job, it was leaking/burning engine oil and the interiors where a bit messed up but hey im a poor collage student and i loved the car.

Since i got it ive been pushing it a bit hard (With my learning and all), after a while i got used to it and it was fine, except the oil it was constantly burning, apparently a leak that falls in the engine block burns when the engines heats up and creates a small cloud of smoke and burn oil smell when the car stops.

Ok but sorry for writting much ill get to the point, this morning when i started the car something really weird happened. The car had a weak start like recently plus smoke started coming out of the engine bay *as soon as the car started!. Ok so first i thought it was just burned oil but the engine has been on for less than a minute! Then all hell broke loose, a seriously weird stench started coming out of the engine bay. Also i had noticed recently that the car was making some weird sounds i was ignoring thinking it was the brake pads or some minor thing. Then as i was driving it hit me, the car recently was feeling slugish, it felt like as if it had lost its "edge" at accelerating I Quickly contacted 2 of my friends.

1st one told me: Dude your screwed you blew up a head Gasket! You will need to replace the whole engine, check out for blue or white smoke tommorow

2nd one said: Ok so its either what your friend said or the piece that holds the block cover and needs to be replaced (Dont rmemeber the name)

Ok so here are the other Symptoms to sumarize:

*white Smoke from the engine bay on startup and when the car stops

*Revolting smell from the smoke in the engine bay, not oil like or gas

*Loss of acceleration, not by much but feels a bit slugish

*Really weak startup from a cold start

*Strange sounds:

- small "spok" sound in the tail pipe when i accelerate and releace the pedal
- small scratching sound "sch sch sch sch" that happens randomly i thot it was the pads but i wasnt braking
- small sqweeking sound "week week" that happens rarely when the car is moving iddle
- Seriously loud exhaust, i dont know if its normal for the MX3 V6

Sorry for the long post but i wanted to be as specific as possible so maybe someone recognices the problem(s) also please contact me by AIM or Email or if you have any questions let me know

Thanks for the help

Is the bad smell a rotten egg smell?

sorry to hear but your engines FUBARED
need to replace it or rebuild it all, that white smoke means coolant is burning in there and has its own sweet stinky smell when it burns.

Your brakes and brake lines need work they are probably seized

your weak starts can be caused by a weak starter, battery or distributor.

probably sluggish cause your engine no doubt has lousy compression and is leaking everythig like a siv.

small pock noise is backfire/backpressure when cold started. if its loud you probably got an exhaust thats 2 big for your engine or a hole somewhere.

Thanks for the replies, and dont get me wrong just because im new to this doesnt mean i dont check my car. Just remember >poor college student But ive worked hard in what i could, i replaced the oil/filter, got 4 tires, always use high octane gas, check the oil everytime i put on gas, changed the bushings/rod that alone costs me 200$, i was saving for the brakes next but it seems every time i fix something, 3 more break elsewhere, so what can i do?

Sorry but im feeling like s--- now that i learned the car my dad helped me bought with his retirement is mostlikely in ruins and i dont have a dime to my name

Does getting a student loan and trying to trow in the KLZE help in anything? I just cant replace this car....

You definately need to get the car to a shop and have it checked out. The list of potential problems that match your description is too large to really help you out via this bulletin board. I wouldnt panic though.. your smoke issues could be as simple as a blown radiator coolant hose and a leaky valve cover gasket. But since you are admittedly mechanically challenged.. this isnt something that you should cut your teeth on for a beginning mechanic. Especially if you have no prior automotive experience.. you could make matters worse. Take it too a shop.. have them diagnose the problems, then decide from there what to do. Oh and get it towed to a shop.. dont drive it. Even the simple things that could be causing your issues will RAPIDLY become catastrophic if you attempt to drive the car in its current condition. Best of luck.

Tunes67

And what does FUBARED means?

Tunes is spot on. Your prob(s) may have fairly simple causes. If the car has not seriously overheated during your owning it, I'd discount a blown head gasket - for now at least. Like Tunes said, could be a leak in the cooling system (worn out hose, water pump, radiator leak), combined with a valve cover that needs a new gasket to stop oil leaking onto the hot engine or hot exhaust pipe. Get it safely to a hopefully trustworthy shop and have it diagnosed. Post back with what the mech tells ya.

FUBARED is the plural of FUBAR which is a acronym for F***ed Up Beyond All Recognition. If I remember correctly.. the word originated from a movie starring sylvester stalone and kurt russell called "Tango and Cash". Similar to the word SNAFU which has military origins and stands for Situation Normally All F**ked Up. Cheers

Tunes67

Uriel_Soulflare wrote:And what does FUBARED means?

Effed Up Beyond All Repair = FUBAR. Old military jargon that dates back to WWI that also fits a multitude of civilian situations - like possibly, just possibly, your car. Way to soon to decide that now though. Until you have a shop diagnose your car, it's no better than a SWAG figuring out what's wrong. SWAG is another bit of military jargon = Scientific Wild a-- Guess. BTW, if one is available, start by having a car-knowledgeable friend eyeball your engine to see if anything obvious is wrong like what Tunes described. Then go to the mechanic if needed. No need to freak out just yet. Save that reaction for later, IF ya need to then.

Thanks a lot Neutral, i feel better now, ill try to take the car to the mechanic tommorow if i can borrow the money, if not then this weekend.

Hey and if the engine can survive what do you think i could invest on? braking system, clutch-trans, suspencions? or maybe just trow in the KLZE anyways and build up from there? Sadly my budget is 2K i dont think i could afford the engine/shipping/installation costs/additional parts etc. with just 2K

Hey i got an idea if my Fubared MX3 has no hope maybe i should spend the money on another car and get a chasis swap!

I hope you were kidding about the chasis swap... That would be impossible to swap from any other car and another MX chasis is just going to have all it own new problems. Stick with the one you have and try to get it running again then chip away at the other problems as money permits. You will need to save every penny as it seems you were sold a pretty crappy car.
Have it towed and diagnosed then let us know what the diagnosis is. As for a swap, you could do a cheap swap for 2000, but that doesn't guarantee and good working motor. You might be getting a ok, or even a poor motor and have spent all your money and then need more to fix the swapped motor. So stick with the K8 for now and let s see what is wrong with it first.

be sure to check the oil cooler, where the oil filter goes, for your oil leak. There's a little donut with two gaskets. The gaskets seem too thin on the edges to me, but mine was leaking and got me thinking about them sucking. Maybe they don't actually, but they leaked on mine.