Thread: Got a cheap 04 GTP, has a couple problems..

if you got the coolant topped off and you can see its dropped after running it for a while then its eating it for sure. so id let it idle away for a while see if the smoke is still coming or if its just good old cold exhaust smoke due to winter temps. it will do that till the whole exhaust is good and hot.

while you let it run and idle. leave the rad cap off, rev the engine up a few times while watching the inside of the radiator. if you see bubbles coming up in the rad the head gasket is leaking for sure, thats exhaust gasses finding its way out the coolant system.

yeah id toss a few more bucks at it before selling it off. these cars tend to run for ever. and you got it cheap enough for sure.

the lim gaskets, you can check to see if you got the metal gaskets already by looking on the side where the lower intak manifold meets the heads. right side by the dog bone mount. might have to clean it up some, but if its a black gasket its old plastic. may as well change if so. if you see silver you got the metal already and should be good to go. 04 was a mixed bag of old and new lim gaskets installed at the factory.

its got to be leaking the oil for it to drop that much so fast. the oil pressure sensor near the oil filter would be my first check. it leaks out the plug on it. can be a slow drip to a steady stream or oil coming out.

that looks to be a head gasket out the tail pipe. its sure running rough. it almost sounds like the plug wires are routed wrong.

double check the new wires. someone may have moved the coils around and the numbers no longer in the right place.

crap. im gonna say its junk and needs a new to you engine. that much oil in the exhaust is death. way more issues then valve seals. its like a piston is missing.

have you changed the oil yet? it might have a pan full of chunks. aka the missing piston.

you could do a compression test, but im willing to bet one cylinder is really dead. likely a middle one too. front or back. heat samich there.

generally needing a engine they go cheap. if the trannys still good you could ask 800, let em beat ya down a hundo or so.

no problem. good luck with the sale.

compression test will tell ya if ya blew a piston.
are ya sure thats oil drainin out the exhaust and not coolant that ran down the inside of the pipe and picked up black exhaust crap along the way?

Yikes, all your muffler fluid leaked out! Was really hoping to see this work out. Ya know these engines are plentiful and relatively cheap if you have the ambition to drop in a new one.

for that back plug you cant really see under the alt. take just the socket and put it on the plug, then use a 3 inch extension and the ratchet. its kinda a blind plug. but once you figure out how to get your arm in the right place its easy.

the middle back one is also semi blocked by the o2 sensor. again, put just the socket on the plug, then what i did was to slide the extension past the o2 and catch just the tip of the extension in the socket. or if using a real plug socket, its got a hex head on it, use a wrench on the socket to break it free.