The Smoking BMW

Puzzler time.

Some years ago, we had a fan write in with this puzzler. Here it is.

Years ago, this guy tells us that he had a 1971 BMW 2002 and that he put it through its paces, as they say. He was basically driving it like a total idiot. He pulled a very hard left turn and to his utter dismay, saw a huge billowing cloud of white smoke behind the car.

After some time in the pre cell phone era in a very rural location, he realized he had to get back to civilization somehow, so he gingerly started the car and listened for ruinous noises. He heard none. He began driving home, and much to his amazement, the smoke cleared up. The guy drove home.

Over time, he was emboldened as the incident faded into oblivion. He was feeling like everything was okay with the car. That is, until it happened again.

The incident would repeat itself every so often, until the guy finally discovered its cause. Other than a few routine maintenance items such as tune ups, adjusting the valves and the carburetor, and tightening of the ever loosening fan belt and topping off the brake fluid at each oil change, he did nothing special to the car.

The puzzler question is, what was causing the smoke?

And I must add that back then, there were many cars to which this could happen. This just happens to be the one in question, but the vast majority of cars back then could have the same condition applied.

Good luck.

Answer the Puzzler »

Remember last week's puzzler?

The Tricky King

This one is not automotive.

Here we go.

Once upon a time, there was a princess in a far away land.

The beautiful, young princess had a dilemma. She was in love with Igor, the blacksmith's son. She wanted to marry him.

However, she knew that her father, the king, would not approve. Furthermore, if the king knew of their love, he would surely have the young man executed.

So the young lovers devise a plan. They will elope. Sadly, their plan is foiled, and they are stopped at the castle gates by the guards.

They are brought before the king. Now the king was indeed furious, but decided to offer Igor a sporting chance. He said he would write the word Princess on one piece of paper and Death on another, and the young lad could decide his own fate by selecting one of the slips of paper from a jar. The two slips were crumbled up, throw into a jar.

And young Igor's fate in his own hands. If he picks out Princess, he gets the princess, if he picks out Death, he gets death.

However, the king was sneaky and he writes the word Death on both pieces of paper.

Despite the king's trickery, Igor manages to win the princess's hand.

And the puzzler question is, how did he thwart the king?