Thinking about buying a 1996 olds aurora but it have engine problrms. the person drove it low in oil, the car will start but it smokes. what damage has taken place?

Sorry absolutely no idea with my head under the bonnet -hood- Now has the opil been changed regular like every 5/6000 miles if its gungy and old then chances are you have knocked a big end out or two ,best advice is to trade it in quick whilst it still runs

Take it back to person who last change oil, demand to fix it.

Your car shouldn't have just suddenly started burning oil. Its possible it's leaking in the engine compartment and the leak is dripping onto the hot exhaust manifold and the. The smoke is blowing out the back as you drive. I would think it's unlikely that the engine has been damaged since the check-engine light should have come on if the oil level was low enough to cause damage.

If hii find that bluish smoke is coming from the exhaust pipes, then the next thing to check is whether it smokes on acceleration or deceleration. If the latter, it may be just a valve issue. If it smokes a lot on startup, then it may be rings.

is the coolant level staying full or do you have to add ? the moisture in oil cap is normal for an engine that sets, condensation forms as the engine cools down.the smoke you noticed may have been moisture burning off the exhaust as the engine warms to normal operating temp. you need to drive the truck to see if it starts to overheat or run poorly. letting it set or just starting it up for a while will most likely not help find a problem.

is the oil low? If its not leaking, its going out the tail pipe.

well, driving it 30 minutes after it over heated might have cause serious engine damage, warped head, and other bad engine wear, let the engine cool down park it in a level place and check the fluids, if the water has a milky substance in it then you have a bad problem, if the oil is low then check for leaks, check the transmission fluid for proper fluid level and that could stop the hard shifting.

the smoking could be coming from the fluids that leaked out and when they get hot will start smoking, antifreeze residue will smoke for a short time, it might just need to burn off

How low was the oil? It could be something as simple as some oil is leaking out of the valve covers and once it hits the exhaust manifold then it starts smoking. Usually smoke coming from the engine compartment is a result of that. Look and see if it leaks any oil while you have it parked in pavement for a while in case it has something to do with the oil change.

Good Luck

White smoke usually not a good thing. Does the engine turn over with the starter? If so try adding oil and see what happen's.

Sound most likely like a head gasket - Check your coolant level and if low it is possible that coolant is entering into the engine. I would not driving the vehicle as driving the engine would cause more damage.

It may seem obvious but do not operate the engine with it overheating as this can lead to more trouble including a cracked engine block.

Low engine oil pressure is a problem because if it exists, the critical engine parts may not get lubricated properly and may fail. Since you have ruled out external leaks, here are some possibilities:

Clogged oil filter or obstruction in the system

Loose wire or faulty oil pressure or oil level sending switch/sensor.

Possible blown head gasket. This is a serious problem that might be accompanied by white or blue exhaust smoke and a burnt coolant or oil odor. Check for oil contamination with coolant. The dipstick may show a brown milky film/sludge or smell like burnt coolant indicating contamination.

Engine oil pump is possibly bad. This is a serious problem. It's usually time to swap out or rebuild the engine, particularly if it has many miles.

Possible but unlikely in this case is a problem with PCU (Power Control Unit) that runs the Information Center. PCU problems are often indicated by getting other unrelated errors on the info display or "DATE NOT AVAILABLE" for extended periods when you start the car.

You did not mention the Check Engine/Service Engine Soon light being on, but if so I would get the trouble codes read at the OBD II connector. The codes might indicate a sensor problem. Some auto stores do this for free. Either way, I would assume the worse case scenario (bad oil pump) and address it immediately. Unfortunately, due to the complex nature of the car, most things are not easy to diagnose and repair by the do-it-yourselfer. Hopefully though it is just a sensor but with a temperature rise, I would be careful.

Best of Luck!

SC442299

1996 Oldsmobile Aurora
4.0L DOHC 32V V8
Autobahn Option