Last week my 1984 nissan truck started smoking. It clears up and started smoking again the next day. That same day I put in brake fluid and power steering fluid before it started smoking. My brother in law put new vacumn hoses on it. It has not smoked since he put the hoses on. What else could have done it. PS; I don't mean a little bit of smoke.....it was a lot. What to do?

not getting spark if it wont start with starting fluid im guessing u got distributor on that old of car may need cap, rotor and pick up coil

also check power steering hoses and fluid

The first point is can you see inside the container or is it coated in a black film from dirty fluid, Put your finger in the container and wipe around the inside. It should be clear or a whitish plastic . Next- fluid is normally green or red or light tan colour depending of the brand you are using. If the fluid is black you will have to flush out the system first as ir is contaminated. Flushind fluid is metholated spirits (Metho) as it absorbes the moisture and releases the muck in the system. Bleed out through each bleeder screw starting with the longest line first. Flush until clear metho comes out. REMEMBER METHO IS HIGHLY INFLAMABLE SO NO SMOKING DURING THIS PROCESS. When all lines are clear, start again with the new brake fluid and bleed until only brake fluid comes out. Finally, fill until the max line is reached

First thing, put the transmission in park, start the engine, with the engine at idle, check the fluid level with the dipstick. If it's low, add fluid and try it again.
If it still doesn't move and your are sure that it is full of fluid, then you most likely have an internal tyranny problem that would require an overhaul. have a good day !!

Well, billowing white smoke from the tailpipe is generally antifreeze burning off in the engine, which would indicate either a blown head gasket into a cylinder or a broken fluid passage. In the old days there was a way an automatic transmission could leak trans fluid into the engine and create white smoke too, but that shouldn't apply to your vehicle. Not certain about the noises, but clearly you have some internal damage. You can check the antifreeze level to see if you have lost fluid. You can pull the spark plugs to see if you notice damage to the plugs or deposits on the plugs indicating antifreeze.

check your vaccum booster diaphram

bridge seals on injector pump

Pretty good chance it's the clutch but check the clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder for leaks (also line between). A drastic change often is caused by failure of either component...generally if clutch fails, it is a gradual process (similar to how a brake pad wears)

if this is an automatic there will be a dip stick if it is a manual you do not use transmission fluid to find out what sencor is bad take car to advance auto parts they have a digatal reader and can tell wou what sencer went bad and where it is located

I thought this was free support. Apparently I was wrong. How did I fix it? Easy, I broke down on the freeway and got towed home on a flatbed! That was easy!!