White smoke when started and idling sometimes

i have a 1983 cj7 528 inline 6 it sat for around 8 years in are garage then 5 years ago me and my father decided to revive it but ever since we revived it it has smoked a slight white smoke and smelled like exhaust does anyone know how to fix the issue i am taking it to college in 2 weeks and would like to get it running good before then it runs and drive fine besides the slight white smoke

 

White smoke is typically cause by coolant entering the. combustion chamber or water in the fuel. Sounds like this is ongoing and continues after refueling. Have you noticed any gradual coolant loss?
Nice looking CJ by the way

 

i will check tomorrow to see if there is any coolant missing if there is coolant missing do you know any repair methods or should i just take it to a engine shop

 

First nice CJ and should make a great father&son project. Did you drain the gas tank, replace filters and add fresh fuel? Motors that sit for many years could have gasket failures, oil gets contaminated or become a thick mass clogging ports or a combo of fluids slipping into the combustion chambers etc. did the smoking lighten up after running the motor for a period?

 

I agree with aggrex. Always good to have clean fuel, oil and filters. Might want to run a bottle of injector cleaner in the fuel. Should help clean lacquered up fuel in the carb and fuel lines.
IF it turns out to be a head gasket, there are additives that supposedly will seal up minor head gasket leaks, but I personally don't put any faith in them. Only real fix for a bad head gasket is a new multi-layer metal gasket..
I recommend taking it to a mechanic that can do a compression/leak down test on each cylinder (should show bubbling in radiator if you have a bad gasket) before you go through the expense of replacing it. It'll be a lot cheaper to get it diagnosed right instead of pricey repairs that might not fix it. Hope you get lucky and it's something simple and cheap to fix.

 

when we decided to first restore it 5 years ago we put a new fuel tank got new filters and i've been driving it since i got my license 3 years ago i am 18 now and been putting fresh gas in it when it needs it my father thinks it could be rust in the cylinders but i am just trying to see if it could be anything else before i put it in the shop since i am driving it to my college in 2 weeks.

 

Welcome from north central West Virginia

If it’s a bad head gasket don’t waste your money fix it right put a head gasket on it don’t put any additives in the engine thinking it will fix ur problem

 

Don't know how much it's being driven and how long it sits between fill-ups. A partial tank of gas can end up with quite a bit of condensation moisture if it sits for a while. Might just try running a bottle of Heat in fuel and see if it makes any difference.

 

Maybe valve stem seals?