Re: Smoke signals.....
Actually there are three types of "smoke". 1. White smoke with excessive water out the pipes and rough idle or running indicates a blown head gasket (it is usually only on one side unless the engine was really cooked). 2. Darker or grey smoke indicates rich mixture. It can be associated with a rough idle, poor mileage, and fouled plugs. It also may appear to have a bluish tint to it at times but you cannot mistake the smell. Also a real rich mixture will make your eyes water almost as much as when you file taxes. 3. A definate blue smoke that appears on acceleration, or when decelerating indicates oil burning. This can be due to bad rings, blown turbo's, or leaking valve seals.
As far as costs goes. A good valve job with head gaskets can run from $1,200 - $1,500 depending on the area. (this covers blown head gaskets and valve seals).
Rings usually means a rebuild. A complete rebuild goes in the range of $2,500 - $3,500 or more, again depending on what is done.
If your shopping for a Z the best thing to do is to get a compression check, particularly if it is a TT. TTs have a habit of cooking the #6 and #5 cylinders due to a casting problem in the rear water jackets.
Also keep in mind when the Z is started cold there could very well be a small amount of "bluish or grey" smoke out the pipes as the car is running rich on a cold first start. The best bet is to have the car warmed to normal temp and then drive it with a friend following making sure the little darling is not smoking under both acceleration and deceleration.
Hope this answers your question!
MaxDoc
