My '01 s430 has been sitting for 8 months. Went to start it today, battery was dead. Got a new battery, and it started right up. Drove it 1 mile to out gas in it. Smelled simmering funny. Drove home, and saw feint smoke config from the grill.



Question: is it just burning off something from sitting so long? Or has something sprung a leak and is evaporating of the engine?

Will it survive a drive to the shop it should I have it flat bedded?

 

Was the car sitting inside or outside for the 8 months? It could make a difference depending on how harsh the weather is where you live.

Did you change the oil and check all the fluids before you tried to start it? Did you take offer the engine cover to do a visual check? The smoke could be coming from the valve covers. Also, you really need to clean that reed valve. Leaves and other debris can clog it up causing thousands of dollars in damage.

 

It was outside. We live in Atlanta. February is cold to a southerner, but to a car, not so much. 30-40F. Spring is 65-75. Summer is hot. 90-100. Intermittent showers and thunderstorms. Not what I would consider harsh.

I did not change the oil or check fluids. I knew there would be a small risk driving the 1 mile round trip, but also knew if there were any issues, I'd be made aware of them close to home and close to where I could cut the car off.

I should have checked the fluid levels, though. A small amount of effort. That was an oversight on my part.

I know about the reed valve. Years ago, it clogged, flooded teh car and cost $5,000 in damage. All the computers in the floorboard were destroyed and had to be replaced. I have kept an eye on it ever since. It's got leaves in the picture, but the well beneath it is empty, free and clear.

I'll YouTube how to take the cover off, check the fluids, and reply back with what I find. I am hoping this is just a small maintenance issue and not something that requires a trip to the shop.

 

You really need to let it run to burn off whatever may be accumulated and smoking
It's not unusual for a car that sat to smoke like that , you or your mechanics need to run it more to confirm if it's just burning off something that accumulated or if a gasket /seal dried out and is now leaking and smoking

 

I changed the oil, the oil filter, the air filters, and checked the fluid levels. Everything looked fine while I was in there. I did not see anything unusual anywhere. I'll drive it a little tomorrow to see if the smoking continues, and if it does, I'll park and remove the engine cover / air filters to see exactly where it's config from. I'll post back once I compete that. Thanks for your help so far.

 

Probably some oil that got on the exhaust manifolds for whatever reason (possibly a valve cover gasket leak). I wouldn't worry about it.

 

I have not driven it yet (been working ont he vaccum pump, which also broke, but that's another story).
I did, however, fire it up and let it idle in the driveway for 10 minutes. No smoke. I also checked the ECU with my handy bluetooth ODC reader. No error codes. (It does say that I have exceeded my "A" service, though. Considering it has been sitting so long, I would imagine that's correct.).

What's in the "A" service anyway?

 

The "A" service is basically a $200 plus oil change and a lot of inspections at the dealer.