Sr started, nasty smell and white gunk?

[Nismo240SX]

well, i couldn't get my car to start by turning the key, so i hooked up a starter switch to the battery to the starter. turn of a key, then the push of the starter switch and bingo starts right up. i know its probably my neutral or reverse switch wiring thats f'd up... but the car starts as of now. after letting it run to check for leaks, i don't have any. i do have a knocking though, its pretty loud... but its not like a rod/piston knock. i think its in the head maybe a lifter, but i don't know how loud they are... and then when i give it gas i have like some white smoke rolling outa my breather filter on my valve cover, and underneath my oil cap is a whitish gunk. i'm like WTF! with this gunk is moisture buildup and an awful smell... smells like tree sap and a burning diaper. WTF? and another problem... the car is on jack stands. wheels are off the ground... i put it in gear and slowly let outa the clutch. for some reason its like the driveshafts in a bind and won't spin. the rear wheels both kinda lift up and doesn't look to heathly for my diff. what can this be? i need some answers ASAP! Thanks.

[Nismo240SX]

would there be any ill effects if i just removed the reverse and nuetral switches and used a push button start from now on? i mean, hell its cheap... then i wouldn't have to troubleshoot wiring issures on the clutch interlock/reverse switch/and nuetral switch. because without the snap-on starter button, the car won't start by just turnin the key. could the reason the driveshaft won't spin and is in a bind due to the nuetral switch and reverse switch? i need answers. someone please help me.

[luckyrb13]

The white gunk probably means you have a blown head gasket. Check and see if there is any white smoke coming out of the tail pipe. For the starter thing i have no clew. lol. Try and find someone in your area that knows his shit when it comes to cars and have em take a close look at the car. dont drive it till u make sure the headgasket not bad or you run the chances of blowing the motor.

[Nismo240SX]

there any way to tell about the headgasket through the spark plugs? i don't recall any smoke at all coming out of the exhaust. smelt good, and clean to be honest... but then again i didn't see the exhaust while being revved. i believe the knocking is coming from my lifters due to a dented oil pan... i'm going to drain the oil and look in the oil for the white junk. and i'm take off the lower oil pan an bang the dents out. the gunk is like its burning off somewhere and is causing the smell. but the more it runs the gunk is starting to vanish. what would be some smyptoms of a blown headgasket? thanks.

[kuramaya]

there any way to tell about the headgasket through the spark plugs? i don't recall any smoke at all coming out of the exhaust. smelt good, and clean to be honest... but then again i didn't see the exhaust while being revved. i believe the knocking is coming from my lifters due to a dented oil pan... i'm going to drain the oil and look in the oil for the white junk. and i'm take off the lower oil pan an bang the dents out. the gunk is like its burning off somewhere and is causing the smell. but the more it runs the gunk is starting to vanish. what would be some smyptoms of a blown headgasket? thanks.

1. Rusted Plugs
2. Look in your coolant..can you see oil? Does it smell like Oil
3. Look at your oil..is it sweet smelling, is there coolant in your oil? Is it runny, like watery?

Its not that big of a deal if it is just your Head Gasket...just get a metal one now...I just switched to a Tomei Metal Headgasket..1.0 MM
Good Luck

[Nismo240SX]

oops... double post.

[Nismo240SX]

what kinda head studs do you? anyone know if the 91-94 Se-r oem stud is the same? i don't believe so but i'm not sure. trying not to whoop out a bunch of $ for some studs. although i don't think the head gasket is blown... i'll have to re-check everything tomorrow.

[reactor]

The white gunk is what happens when WATER, not coolant, mixes with oil usually in the PCV system but then spreads within the engine. This could be caused by the motor sitting for a while exposed to the elements or just condensation build up from being in a cold environment. You should pull your whole PCV system and clean out every hose and replace the PCV valve if you have the money (they're $39 from Phase2). If your PCV stays clogged with this white gunk and builds up more it can cause oil seals to blow out and major oil leaks, also will cause problems like surging, wierd idle, and stalling.

[icantdrift]

pull your oil dipstick and see if the oil on it is milky white and/or bubbly. that's a good indicator of water in the oil, whether it be from a blown HG or just sitting as mentioned above. a swap i did for a guy who bought his own motorset was doing a similar thing, ended up finding out the jackass left the motor outside with the valve cover off of it. now this is an extreme scenario, but i had to change the oil 4 times before the oil would remain clean. the first 2 changes looked like something you'd buy at your local starbucks, and smelled like hell (somewhat like you described).

[Nismo240SX]

yeah, oil was milky white... but like i said, the more it ran the more it dissolved... just gotta find where the knocking is coming from, pretty sure its in the head, and my oil pan has very tiny dents in it so i thought it was fine. i just hope is something like no oil to the lifters yet...