fumes in wife's garage

3

30 A Ripper

Member
Kind of hate to admit it but my newly acquired 30A generates a lot of smoke/smell. Have pulled it outside onto driveway to work on buut Property Owners Association gets on me.

Since thinking an engine rebuild may be in order.Would appreciate some thoughts an handling smoke/smell. Am thinking window box fan blowing to outside; hose off tail pipe to go outside...
 
Did you not notice the "smoke/smell" when you bought it?

That for sure would of been a RED flag.

But you are correct...sounds like a engine rebuild!

Pluck
 
Not quite sure what you're referring to. Does the car stink while just sitting in the garage or only while running ? What does the smoke look like ? What does it smell like ? The homeowners assoc doesn't want the car parked or worked on in your driveway ?
 
The smell is definetly exhaust. The smoke has a bluish tint and if I remember correctly, means burning some oil. The smell/stink just last longer than outside and tends to get into the house, so wife says.

I thought all over 55 homeowner associations had many rules. At least ours does <G>.

Had expected some thoughts on how others handled a wife with a good nose. After 50 years, I'm lucky she let me get the "A".
 
I would live with the engine if you don't drive it that much and rent a nearby garage.

If you tour regularly, then that is another story........

redoing an engine can cost more then selling the one you have and buying another-
another angle.
 
push it out,, shut garage then start it.
you can also use synthetic oil as it burns clear out the tailpipe but you'll still have the smell.
it may make it less embarrassing driving it than being a mosquito duster
a used car lot trick
i thought the garage was the man's cave
 
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Is the oil black? I just bought a spare motor that had black black oil in it and smoked like a coal stack. I dropped the pan and valve cover and cleaned about an inch or more of sludge out of the pan. Reassembled and clean oil and what a difference. No smoke now and a good running motor. Just a thought. Yours may differ.
 
It depends on the color of the smoke. Blueish colored smoke indicates oil burning. Black smoke means that the engine is running too rich. If the smoke is black, try closing the GAV a bit. With model A style carburetors, I usually run the GAV one quarter turn off the seat after warm up. With the model B carb, I run the GAV closed completely after warm up. Usually if an engine is running way rich, it will lope like its running a full race cam and emit puffs of black smoke when warm. If the engine is worn and burning oil, you might try thicker oil and an additive. I used a product called Restore in Gus, my rust 29 tudor. I use a can of restore with every oil change. I use Walmart brand 20w50 oil and the restore additive, both available at Walmart and after a while I noticed a big improvement with no smoke and improved performance. No guarantee but it worked for me.

2058447-T400300.jpg
 
Perhaps it is running too rich.

I have driven my A out of the garage on the starter with the ignition off.
To park it I will turn the fuel off before backing into the garage so the carb bowl is near empty to reduce fumes and carb gumming from sitting

Does the garage have a window--perhaps a fan blowing out could keep the fumes from inside the house.
 
The answers don't tell me a whole lot other than I think your homeowners assoc is an ***. How hard would it be to try and seal off the garage from the house. I certainly wouldn't recommend running any old car in a small garage[ or any garage] without an exhaust removal system of sorts. A flex pipe from the tailpipe thru a hole in a wall or door is all thats needed.
 
Tell the home owners assoc. that it is a Stanley Steamer, just put the garden hose in the driveway first!
 
Purdy Swoft said:
It depends on the color of the smoke. Blueish colored smoke indicates oil burning. Black smoke means that the engine is running too rich. If the smoke is black, try closing the GAV a bit. With model A style carburetors, I usually run the GAV one quarter turn off the seat after warm up. With the model B carb, I run the GAV closed completely after warm up. Usually if an engine is running way rich, it will lope like its running a full race cam and emit puffs of black smoke when warm. If the engine is worn and burning oil, you might try thicker oil and an additive. I used a product called Restore in Gus, my rust 29 tudor. I use a can of restore with every oil change. I use Walmart brand 20w50 oil and the restore additive, both available at Walmart and after a while I noticed a big improvement with no smoke and improved performance. No guarantee but it worked for me.

2058447-T400300.jpg
Click to expand...


If the car in the pic is Gus, then I like him. I like it whatever its name is. I'd drive the heck out of it, its pretty kewl.
 
Yep, the model A is Gus.The old man with the gray beard is me and the girl at the throttle is my daughter, Jennifer. Gus had sit up for about forty years when I bought him. I paid only three hundred for him. By the time that I bought the wheels and carburetor back from the guys brother, then bought a battery and other odds an ends to get it running, I've probably got a thousand in it. It runs like a top and will stop on a dime. We get a kick out of running it , just the way that it looks. I had one guy that wanted to race me with a fancy multi speed bicycle. I gave him about a mile head start and passed him in a cloud of smoke. That was before I started using the restore oil additive. Now Gus doesn't smoke a bit.
 
one additional things that can give your car a lingering smell is if you have splash pans in the engine compartment. When you choke the engine to start or have a small drip from your carb it will accumulate on the pan and give off a strong gas odor in an enclosed space. I wash my pan every so often to rid the accumulation of gas and dust. My wife has a very keen sense of smell and reminds me to do this.
 
bingo. spilled some and didn't clean up quick enough. my car has shutoff under tank and another on other side of firewall installed by previous owner.
 
Well now that you have bought yourself a 'mistress' it is time to join a national club comprised of fellows just like yourself - either the Ford Model A club of America (MAFCA), or the Model A Restorers Club (MARC). Both of these clubs have a national roster of members, broken down by state and city. Once you join a club, spend a few dollars and get their Roster of Members booklet. From there you can locate a fellow (or fellows) Model Aer who lives near you. Besides finding a new comrade (s), you will find he (they) will be glad to help you get acquainted with your new car - and possible solutions to any problems it may have, both now and in the future.

Happy Model A ing ! It will give you many happy hours of enjoyment to help enhance your retirement.

P.S. - Most likely the Home Owners Association does not like your Model A outside because they are afraid that it will raise real estate values in the neighborhood. Besides, it is not polite to flaunt your good taste and cultural superiority to those who don't own a Model A.
 
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I've had Model As with loose engines, but they didn't burn oil. You might have a broken ring. Whatever the problem is, I'd disassemble it, clean everything up, remove any cylinder ridge. hone the cylinders, install new rings, plastiguage the bearings, and put it back together. I think you'll be good to go.
Way too much money is spent on rebuilding engines that really just need some serious TLC.
 
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