Hello Folks,

I have a 1990 XJ12. If I run my car, I have white smoke that emanates from under the hood (Please see attached video).

The dashboard told me that the car was low on coolant, so I filled up coolant as per instructions in the owner's manual. I used a Prestone 50/50 mix. The car needed almost the full jug. My car recently also had some major ticking and so I put injector cleaner in the gas tank and that has since seemed to have resolved the issue, HOWEVER, when the car is set to park and idling it idles at around 1000 rpm, but if you put it in drive and idle, it idles at around 500 rpm or less. One or two times the car even idled so low that it stalled. Just before the stall the "battery light" will come on or flicker on the dashboard. Just after the video was taken I turned off my car for twenty minutes, and when I tried to start it again it wouldn't start. I had to turn the key and pump the gas once or twice to get it to start. After that one time it seems to start again every time with just one turn of the key. Please help!

 

That looks like you have oil leaking onto a hot exhaust, what doe's it smell like?

If it is steam you could have a coolant leak. That would explain the jug of coolant.

 

Thank you for answering. It has a neutral, slightly sweet type of smell.

 

Sweet smell usually points to coolant......sounds like you may have coolant leaking

 

Sounds like coolant also.

The heater tap, and 3 heater hoses are down the rear of the engine, and highly suspect.

Fun to change, NO.

The idle needs adjusting. The 2 throttle discs need cleaning, etc. I have attached MY write on it, that may be clear, or as clear as mud, but thats how the V12 is. Some of this write up you will NOT use at this time, so read it a few times, and do what you need.

HE Tune up.doc

 

I now have white smoke coming out of the tail pipe when I rev the engine. Doesn't always happen, but it happens. Does that change anything?

 

You are burning coolant inside the combustion chamber.
Could be a head gasket is leaking.
You can tell a lot about an engine's history by looking inside the radiator and assessing the condition.
The engine may have had a heat stroke, at some time....

 

I answered in detail, your PM earlier today.