Lump tickover & smoking out of the exhaust... help?

[James H]

Recently picked up my s12, she had been sitting around for a good year without any driving, anyway drove her back to my place (say bout 8 miles) & she was fine got me home fine, was ticking over really smoothly once i got home so got her up my drive & jacked her up in prep for me working on her. She had been sat up my drive for a week without being driven so thout i should start her up & let her run for a while, but once i did she was running terriable idle was so lumpy & was really dirty coming out of the exhaust.... what do people think my be up with her & what can i try to get to the bottom of the prob?

Help please, thanks James

[30psi]

What colour is the smoke?

[James H]

Darkish grey but no black.

[sideways danny]

sounds like it's only firing on 3, check out the sparkplugs and leads first, then do a compression test

[James H]

Thanks will go check that out soon (if it stops raining) but not able to do a compression test.

[James H]

Sorting out the lumpy idle & smoking, was running on only 3 cyclinders but she is now starting up rough then idling high & will slowy drop to 0 revs & cut out, if I rev her up while she is running it is really rough & engine shakes loads, any ideas?

thanks James

[adzs12]

Head gasket?

[James H]

My well be the head gasket but the car has only done 66,000 miles & has sat around for the last year when I drove it home it was fine started her up a few times to have her ticking over But other than that it hasn't been driven (I have been working on her a fair bit removing & cleaning things but nothing major), any other tell tell signs I should look out for if the head gasket has gone?

[PukkaSilvia]

what have you removed and cleaned out?


sounds a bit like a vaccum leak