My saturn sl1 has a problem with getting oil into my radiator and also it steams and sometimes smokes out the tailpipe

Sometimes white smoke is actually gray smoke. Does this white smoke disappear in a short amount of time (like steam) or does it linger? White smoke represents the presents of water inside the combustion chamber. A bad head gasket can allow coolant into the cylinder/s. If it is gray smoke. This is usually oil getting into the combustion chamber. Bad valve guide seals or worn or broken piston rings will cause this. You may want to check both the engine oil level and coolant overflow reservoir, Degas tank and/or radiator. Please let me know if there is anything else.

Kinda sounds like you still have air in your cooling system. You will have to air bleed the system.

Smoke oil? For what your thinking that is oil? Smoke coming from the tailpipe is not good news, but does not necessarily mean the engine needs rebuilding. First, you need to determine what color of smoke is coming from the tailpipe
* White smoke is caused by water and or antifreeze entering the cylinder, and the engine trying to burn it with the fuel. The white smoke is steam. There are special gaskets (head gaskets are the primary gaskets) that keep the antifreeze from entering the cylinder area.
* Blue smoke is caused by engine oil entering the cylinder area and being burned along with the fuel air mixture. As with the white smoke, just a small drop of oil leaking into the cylinder can produce blue smoke out the tailpipe.
* Black smoke is caused by excess fuel that has entered the cylinder area and cannot be burned completely. Another term for excess fuel is "running rich." Poor fuel mileage is also a common complaint when black smoke comes out of the tailpipe. Black smoke out the tailpipe is the least cause for alarm.


If you confirm us that is oil smoke, check and keep in mind that the car has many seals, gaskets, and O-rings that are designed to keep the engine oil from entering the cylinder, and one of them has failed. If too much oil leaks into the cylinder and fouls the spark plug, it will cause a misfire (engine miss) in that cylinder, and the spark plug will have to be replaced or cleaned of the oil. Using thicker weight engine oil or an oil additive designed to reduce oil leaks might help reduce the amount of oil leaking into the cylinder.

Keep us updated.

White smoke or steam? Smoke is oil buring and steam is coolant steaming. If this is steam, you have a blown head gasket...if oil, it could be either a oil ring problem or a valve seal problem.

check oil dip stick for water/antifreeze and radiator for oil in antifreeze but usually alot of white smoke-steam from tailpipe usually indicates head gasket blue smoke means oil black smoke carbon

jlwhelen,
I will suggest that perhaps the blue smoke is not purely oil. It sounds like you may have an ignition problem where the engine has a hard time firing until warmed. The blue smoke may be, at least in part, unspent fuel. I realize that a warm engine that uses oil will smoke blue, but excessively rich conditions on startup can result in a similar effect. If the choke circuit is delivering a little extra fuel from a dirty injector, the problem may be worse when starting from cold.
To remedy this, I would suggest a simple replacement of plugs and wires, as well as a fuel injector cleaner through the tank. I would bet money that these simple maintenance points would solve your problem.

Good luck!
Lucky

check your spark plug wells for oil build up. A BIG problem with the early saturn's are related to the rubber valve cover gaskets the go around the spark plug wells. I have changed dozens that just ware out.

Sound like you solver that problem...your the champ.

Question? Does the coolant get low as you drive? If so you may have a head gasket problem, stop driving it. Check the oil to see if it's milky, if not replace the head gasket, if the oil is milky, replace the engine.

you have leaking fuel injectors they are fouling out plugs.