[litlun]

Hello Everybody,
So here is my story.9/3/2016 bought my first smart 2008 blue convertible from the original owner,137,000 miles.(first smart registered in S.C. according to PO who ordered the car when MB first announced they were bringing them to America.) I replaced the front struts and right front wheel bearing.I have had no other problems with the car until...3/9/2018,157,000 miles stopped by to visit my mother for awhile went back out to leave tried to back out of her driveway which is up a steep hill and the car choked down,i said well thats different started the car back up backed out and started down the road.noticed the car was skipping and down on power thought it had spit back and blew a vacuum hose only about 5 miles from home so i just kept going another mile or so down the road and she started to smoke and skip worse.took her on home.looked around under the hood and don't see any thing wrong,got out the bore scope and checked don't see any thing wrong with the pistons or the cylinder walls,but there is oil on top of all three pistons(the plug holes are so small that i can't get the mirror and camera in at the same time so i can't see the valves & head.)My compression gauge won't fit the spark plug holes so i haven't ran a compression check yet.
3/22/2018 Was talking to a coworker and he said "my SIL just wrecked a smart 69,000 and messed up the front if you want it she'll take $500.00 for it."I 'bout broke my arm getting the money out,i need an engine.so now i own a 2008 yellow coupe.The air bags did not go off but the car won't turn over to start.I'm going to get the dolly and tow her home today and see what i can see.If anybody has any idea what happened to one or the other i would appreciate the help.

 

[twcom]

Only condolences and well wishes from me but I will be watching this post.

 

[Niteshooter]

Hmm on your first smart, that sound very similar to what happened when my head gasket blew. But in my case I had my serpentine belt (that had just been replaced) come off and not realizing I was over heating the car I drove it until it over heated. But in my case I have coolant in the cylinders which it doesn't sound like you have. Was the smoke white? If white then likely a head gasket but with no coolant that makes it not likely.

smarts are different when it comes to dead batteries, when the battery is dead everything stops working, I discovered this with mine when my alternator died and the car ran out of power and coasted to a stop without being able to shift, lock/unlock the doors and even remove the key. Steering and brakes are also electric.

I'd definitely harvest as many parts from the donor car, including the battery, SAM, maybe the seats if the frames weren't twisted in the collision and any body parts since they come off easily and are plastic. You easily have $500 worth of parts not even including the motor if you strip the car down. I guess check under the drivers seat for a subwoofer, the radio and look at the pods in case they had the upgraded stereo with special bluetooth adaptor which synced with iPhones.

 

[Miss Mercedes]

The non-starting issue with smart #2 may be due to the crash. These cars are designed to cut fuel to the engine in the event of a crash (depending on severity). I forget what is the fix for that, maybe someone can chime in.

 

[litlun]

Well i got the yellow one home.Won't start,battery seems to be charged(lights come on bright,radio works and dash lights come on) won't turn over.Had to leave didn't get to do much else. I did get a couple pics i'll try to post.
twcom... What can i say, thanks man.
Nightshooter...The car wasn't running hot i was running torque app and the temp was around 195 degrees and mobil 1 has a nasty smell when it burns so i know it's burning oil.I'm hoping to swap engines and rebuild the original then keep both cars.the yellow one don't look that bad just a cheaper version that hasn't been taken care of as well(i'll change that if i can save it.)If i can't save it,after looking around for parts and finding out what they cost i'll keep everything i might be able to use.
Miss Mercedes...I was thinking the same thing but when i went to pick up the car the man i got it from said he had started to take the front of the car off and had been driving it around in the yard went to start it one day and saw a puff of smoke and smelled burning wires from the engine compartment.at least i know what to start looking for tomorrow.
thanks to everyone for your help.

 

[litlun]

Well i know why it won't start now.The starter is toast. I took the wires and two bolts off and the starter is stuck to the engine. Must be corroded pretty bad in there,i sprayed it down good with Liquid Wrench going to let it soak awhile. This car must have come from up north or down next to the beach to be corroded this bad, the blue one looks new compared to the yellow one and it has more than twice the miles on it.

 

[DowneasTTer]

Just to be curious, have you run a CarFax on the VIN. Wonder if it was a flood car? I don't see just normal use even in the salt belt do that to a starter in that short time.

 

[litlun]

CarFax shows

04/16/2012
52,783 mi
Smart Center Jacksonville
Services Performed
Accessories installed
Vehicle washed/detailed
Cylinder head replaced

Nothing else but regular service.

 

[MB DNA]

CarFax shows

04/16/2012
52,783 mi
Smart Center Jacksonville
Services Performed
Accessories installed
Vehicle washed/detailed
Cylinder head replaced

Nothing else but regular service.

UGH, the dreaded cylinder head replacement only 17,000 miles ago!

BUT, when/where was the most recent service performed? Anything since 2012?

FL AND Hurricane Irma (9/11/2017) can be the source of some "mystery" cars...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nati...360011663b4_story.html?utm_term=.cdfdb3bfaeb7

 

[litlun]

Last service listed was oil change 3 YEARS 10,000 miles ago. Don't even show the wreck that tore the fender off. I was told that some thing fell off a truck at a rail road crossing and she hit it.(sooner or later tailgater's get whats coming to them) I did get the starter off with a few "love taps" with my ball peen hammer. Burnt the braided wire that goes from the solenoid to the starter motor into. Looks like a permanent magnet motor like a motorcycle or a lawn mower starter. I know the car has been in South Carolina for at least the last 3 years.

 

[MB DNA]

Last service listed was oil change 3 YEARS 10,000 miles ago.

I know the car has been in South Carolina for at least the last 3 years.

And over the last 3 years, South Carolina has seen flooding October 2015, April 2017 & July 2017!

Going to suggest that this smart may have been "rode hard and put away wet . . . "

 

[Miss Mercedes]

I've seen 2008s with nearly 200k miles and none of any of the smarts I've seen had engine bay components that look like they came right out of a 50+ year barn find or ocean.

Not everything will be reported to CarFax. One of the previous owners must have suffered flood damage, had it fixed by a small shop, and was never reported to CarFax. One sure way to know is to drop the SAM (under dash, driver's side) and see if there is water damage on/in it. If there isn't, then arguably you could be okay...just expect random gremlins to pop up here and there because that looks like saltwater immersion damage.

 

[SLIVERS]

But then again up here in the snow belt there's hundreds of thousands of gallons of calcium chloride and every other know salt in the world dumped on the highways.
Not uncommon to see 2-3 year old vehicles that show that kind of rust and corrosion in our neck of the woods.
And Miss M is correct not every repair shop reports to CarFax usually only the larger shops.

 

[litlun]

" random electrical gremlins" sounds like my old Dodge.
anyway i ordered $165 worth of starter from NAPA should be here thursday.

 

[SkippyThorson]

Well i know why it won't start now.The starter is toast. I took the wires and two bolts off and the starter is stuck to the engine. Must be corroded pretty bad in there,i sprayed it down good with Liquid Wrench going to let it soak awhile. This car must have come from up north or down next to the beach to be corroded this bad, the blue one looks new compared to the yellow one and it has more than twice the miles on it.

I'm more a body and cosmetics guy than true mechanic, and can say with 100% certainty that NO WAY could that corrosion would just be daily South Carolina or Florida driving on the yellow car.

That's shocking - I mean my jaw dropped. I've never seen a Smart with that much corrosion. That looks more like a typical 20 year old work truck up here in New York - through our monster Winter storms, overuse of salt and corrosive road melt crap, and then not being washed besides. Holy crap - wow.

I wish you the best of luck. I envy folks that tackle the work you do! It sure will be nice to have that blue Cabrio going again with Spring around the corner - and I'd wager no matter what (I'm a huge fan of part-cars) you will be able to keep at least one of those cars going for a long, long time by feeding the other in to it, if it comes to that.

I laughed when you noted 'almost broke my arm' getting the $500 out. Been there; know that happy 'found it' feeling!

 

[Export Guru]

Litlun, your blue smart acted just like my 2008 smart with 128,000 miles. I had the same symptoms and it was a blown head gasket. Orlando Mercedes dealership replaced the head to the tune of $5000. The car still ran but skipped, jumped and blew out tons of white smoke. I wasn't happy about spending the $5K but I loved the little car. I now have 148K miles on it.

 

[GASHOG]

No matter what the carfax indicates, that starter corrosion is not from running the salt in the snowbelt. That looks like floodcar damage to me and that could explain the engine problems. Pull up the carpet and look at the floorpan and see if it shows rust on the floorpan and fasteners.

The oil on top of the cylinders is indicative of either a blown head gasket, cracked head, or valve failure. I have an '08 yellow smart and I have been working on restoring the clear coat which is coming off in sheets.

 

[Niteshooter]

Well i know why it won't start now.The starter is toast. I took the wires and two bolts off and the starter is stuck to the engine. Must be corroded pretty bad in there,i sprayed it down good with Liquid Wrench going to let it soak awhile. This car must have come from up north or down next to the beach to be corroded this bad, the blue one looks new compared to the yellow one and it has more than twice the miles on it.

This is the shift motor from my 2010 smart, it looks as bad as your starter. In my case this looks like the result of our salt covered roads even though the rest of my car is in pretty good shape overall. After looking at my subframe after pulling my motor I would say that smart didn't give a lot of thought to North American winters and road salt. In your case it could be salt air but might be that the car started off further north,

Oh and btw thanks for the tip about the A/C compressor!

 

[Niteshooter]

Here's the front of my sub frame. It's not that bad I suppose, mainly just dirt. Our 20 year old Saturn that is our winter beater is another story. I have blown front and rear brake lines this year due to corrosion..

 

[Miss Mercedes]

While the tridion cell is galvanized and theoretically should outlive the rest of the car before rusting, the rear subframe has extremely basic rust protection.

My 2012’s rear subframe had some surface rust on it. I took care of it when I did my yearly towing hitch anti-rust maintenance. Those Curt hitches really really like rusting...

Dang, that shift motor looks gnarly. You made me go outside and check my engine bay just in case. Everything looks not-rusty here on my 144k mi outdoor-stored 451, and it hardly ever gets the salt washed off.

Maybe some 451s are more prone to components rusting than others? :shrug: