Help, leaking oil, smoke, and no pickup, engine shaking a lot Options

[Akimbo]

Need someone mechanically inclined...I rarely ask for help because I'm not exactly 6GC's poster boy.

My car recently started freaking out...it has no pickup, which initially led me to think that I was down a cylinder. After talking to a friend, he said I was having a dead miss. I wasn't sure what that was, but I think it means a spark plug isn't firing. Anyone care to elaborate on this?

Also, my engine is leaking oil pretty bad. It's visible on the lower part of the engine, and it drips under the chasis. When the motor gets hot enough, it burns it off and creates embarassing blue smoke coming from under the hood.

Are the two related? I know I need a new air filter, but that's kind of unrelated.

Only things I can think of is spark plugs, wires, distributor cap, and maybe the gaskets. Any advice would be great, I moved to Florida and I don't know any mechanics yet...

[terbear4god4life]

that sucks man..sorry to hear that.. bump!

[DEATH]

Check spark at each plug first and then go from there. The oil thing I would think is unrelated but hard to diagnose from here. Wash the oily spots down to the metal and do a little driving and check it often for fresh oil leaks.

[hurley97]

Are you sure the blue smoke is burning from the engine compartment where its leaking or is the blue smoke coming out of the tail pipe?

Normally blue smoke while you are driving is oil burning off the cylinder walls internally. If it's just burning off the exhaust or something external like that it's usually more of a white color and you would smell it a lot more since its closer to the cab.

If it's burning oil internally then oil could be leaking past your rings and fouling the plugs which would be related to what your friend thinks is a misfire. But I know 96+ you'd get a CEL is there was a misfire, I would assume 94-95 would as well.

[Akimbo]

maybe it aint so blue. but its not the exhaust, its the engine compartment. sometimes it comes into the cabinet. comes up through the gaps between the hood and fender area, No CEl

[Random_Stranger]

check the oil filter. I recently changed mine with this problem and surprisingly, the dodos at the shop didn't tighten it. I just replaced it when I did my oil change. Because smoke was coming out from under my hood and I traced it down to the filter. After I changed it, the rest burnt off and it is good now.

For the lack of pickup, mine was doing that when the clutch was slipping. If no rubbing feeling/sound from the clutch, then maybe your friend is right about the spark plug. I dunno know a whole lot, but your spark plugs ignite air and fuel within the chamber. Maybe there is a leak there somewhere? I dunno. Check/Change those spark plugs though.