ok, i have a little over 110,000 miles and i think its about time i get the 120,000 mile tune up or something close to it. Reason being is that ever since i had the y-pipe installed, friends driving behind me have seen large clouds of smoke emitting from my exhaust at times. Not sure if this is supposed to happen but if it isn't, i certainly think it means bad news for the car. Also, and more importantly, i want to fix the problem with my driving. My car idles well now that i converted to 5 speed but when i switch from 1st to second and steadily ride second, depending on what speed i'm going, the car will jerk a little as if i'm going too slow for the gear but other times it won't. My friend said i may be due for a tune up but i don't want to get a whole tune up without solving this problem. So my question is.....

What can be causing this big cloud of smoke coming from my exhaust from time to time?

What can i change in my car to fix the minor jerking in 2nd and sometimes third?

Also, i received a code about fuel sensor or something. I'll grab the code tomorrow but what can i do to fix something like that? i was thinking changing the filter in the gas tank since i've never done it before but who knows. Thanks, all info is appreciated.

 

Pull one of your plugs and check for fouling/discoloration. Also get the code that you pulled nailed down. See what it's telling you and go from there. Hopefully this will get you started....

 

i'll take it you are saying replacing my spark plugs will fix the problems?

 

usually smoke is a sign of heavy engine oil consumption. Older cars seem to behave like this. Dont know if its particularly bad except to say that older cars have more friction causing this heavy oil burning on heavy acccel. If an oil change is due soon, try switching to Mobil 1 synthetic and see if it goes away (higher flash pt of oil etc. = harder to burn). Then youll know for sure.
p.s. I had this smoking prob when i tried pennzoil synthetic for the 1st time, then switched to mobil-1 and never had this smoking again. goes to show how even btw synthetics, there's a big diff btw brands.

 

What color smoke? Blue means burning oil (rings, valves, seals), black means too much fuel (plugs, injectors, ECU), and white means coolant (probably head gasket). There could be many causes.

The jerking could be a knock sensor. 0304 is the code.

 

gotcha. I never seen the smoke cause i'm the one driving but they say its like a gray or black fog coming out...definitely not colorful and not white....

i'll check for that 0304 code and see if it is the knock sensor....

i'll also start getting oil changes with mobile1 if u guys think that's the best synthetic oil out there?