DWitis

Just purchased a 99 GS300 with 120k mileage and replaced with a new Durlast Gold battery. Car has a Viper remote installed from previous owner. Car started up yesterday with new battery, but when started a second time a few hours later, steam/smoke started coming out from the engine bay. I am not exactly sure where it was coming from ans what is the cause of it.
The smoke/steam came from around this area, the left side of the engine (from inside driver seat)

Can any experts chime in with any advice? Car will not start
Once i put battery on, i hear a clicking/ticking sound that seems like it wants to auto start.
Any advice/help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

MasterKwan

I'd put a charger on the battery and charge it back up to full. Then try again. If the starter is clicking, it's not likely to be the alarm. I'd check the battery and ground cables too.


Your picture is of the AC components. Might want to check to make sure you actually have oil in it too.

DWitis

It was a new battery, so it has power. I connected the battery today again and lights came on, but car wont start. Also might be new gasket for the engine cover, seems to be leaking oil from around there. Once I have the key in ignition 'ON' position, lights come on and flickers and i have a ticking sound from the engine, may be a relay ticking? I have a feeling the Viper module previous owner installed is messing everything up ..? Could it be?

vijayn

Does the car try to start? Or does it just do nothing when you put it in start position?
The clicking will probably be the ABS/VSC doing its self check when you put the ignition on the "ON" position.

If it doesn't even try to start, then I would first try to by-pass the Viper alarm to eliminate it as the problem. The smoke problem might be a different problem and may not be related to why the engine isn't starting.

Just check all the basics like the oil level, hoses for leaks (vacuum and coolant)

MasterKwan

It takes 10-20 amps to run the car and > 100 amps to start the engine. Your battery could be on death's door and the lights will still come on. If your alternator isn't charging the battery, it'll need to be charged after a couple hours of driving. If you alarm is sucking down power all the time then it could kill the battery too.

I had a car that smoked one of thin ground wires because the main ground wire wasn't making a good connection and 100 amps tried to go through a skinny ground wire (it smoked and glowed red) instead of the fat one it was supposed to go through. I think your symptoms could easily be bad battery cables and/or you new alarm might have killed (as in drained) the new battery.


If I was there, I'll pull the battery cables clean and tighten them back up. Then I'd use my trusty volt meter and measure the battery voltage. Needs to be 11+ .12 would be better. . Then I'd have someone try to crank it while I watched the voltage and I'd listen to the starter and see if it's clicking.

As the post above me stated, if the starter isn't clicking, it's probably the alarm, If the starter is clicking, it's the battery, cabling or the starter itself.

DWitis

Thanks for all the replies/tips/advice. My mechanic friend said the starter was fried. Tried knocking it with a stick and still couldn't crank. Got a new starter and will replace it soon and hope that will get the car started. Need need valve cover gaskets, intake gasket, and maifold gasket and hope that is it for now. Anything else i should look out for?

Got Megan EZ coilovers coming in, and looking into bushings. Daizen bushings and steering rack bushing? Lower ball joints?

Thanks for all the help and advice. CL is a great forum! Thanks again!

DWitis

Update:
- Installed new starter and now the car starts and run! But experts please chime in and advise if valve cover/intake & manifold gaskets are not changed, will it be a big problem driving the car for awhile? Some oil did already escaped around the valve cover gasket but not sure how long it has been coming out for. Will i still be okay to drive? Anything to be aware and lookout for? Thanks in advance again!

burny

those manifold gaskets will be a bear to replace

DWitis

Yeah a lot of parts to move around the engine, but most importantly, will i be ok to drive for awhile without it changed ? Or need to be done ASAP?