Help: Woke My Car From Winter Storage...

[skyride32]

hi there. i just finished starting my 1990 Skyline GTS-t Type M, for the first time in about 6 weeks. it's currently winter stored in my garage, temperature and humidity controlled. its cold in there, but the temperature is set for the cars health not mine. anyways the only things i did to it before storing it were top up the fuel tank, change all fluids, and over-inflate tires to prevent flatspotting. today i felt like hearing it, and since im not using a trickle charger i figure it'd be good for the battery to start it up.

when i cranked the ignition, it started up, then hesititated for abit which is normal since it basically landed and went straight into winter storage without a tune-up. but then i noticed the fan was on.....wtf? btw the engine is completely stock. so i get out and open the hood, yeah the fan IS on, and i hear ANOTHER noise...oh man.

from my exhaust, which is 3" from the turbo elbow back (still has a cat in there though) from just inside the tip, theres a flipping sound? you know how when you're a kid and you stick a piece of paper in a fan blade it makes that sound? its that exact sound.

and while im crouched by the exhaust looking at that, light, arid white smoke slowly starts coming out, about as much as a cigarette would make. it smells normal though, like 94 octane, 'feels' normal too, but my car never used to make smoke like this. when i turned the ignition off it was still smoking. my house is 2003, so its new, but now im wishing i had stuck steel wool in the exhaust tip to rule out the possibility that some misguided rodent hid in there and is now medium-rare. even when i turn the ignition off, something that sounds like its near the turbine and downpipe area gives a few lazy thumps before the car completely shuts off and stops making sounds...im feeling kinda down right now , the skyline's coming out of winter storage in about 3 weeks, and it'll go straight to a mechanic to be prepped for the spring. but now it looks like it might have some problems too. if you have any insight or suggestions please post up.

[cowie165]

The 'flipping' sound from the exhaust sounds a lot like a gasket that is past its use-by date. Once they crack/deteriorate, exhaust gas will escape from the tiny hole and makes that sound. It should get louder with RPM as the higher revs mean more air is being exhausted therefore more is escaping from the leaky gasket. That is an easy(ish) job and you may well be able to do it yourself.

If you have a cat on the exhaust then any potential rodent would be stuck on the muffler side of the exhaust system.

With the white smoke, if it truly is smoke then I'm out of idea but it may well be condensation being vented through the exhaust. You know how a lot of cars blow white 'smoke' on cold mornings for the first few kilometres? Did it go away after a few minutes or kept coming out?

I'm sorry but I can't help with the fan, no idea there

Cheers

Mark

PS I'm guessing you're in Canada/US as Sydney had the second hottest day on record a few weeks ago

[RANDY]

The clutch fan? It should always come on when you start up. When the motor warms, the clutch fan will disengage to the point where it still spins, but will be pretty silent. (and not sap any power)

And then it comes back on when the motor gets too hot. I'd bet the radiator and everything was still touchable before you switched it off?

[leech_]

i would be saying the same thing as cowie in regards to the white smoke if you took it for a big drive and it was still doing it then yea it might be a problem but it is probably just vapour disapating from the heat. the fan i got nothing though

[Rolls]

Try running it for 5mins or more and see if the smoke/vapour is still there.