white smoke at start up

[gonzo]

everytime my '04 runner sits for more than a couple of days it lets out a big puff of white/grey smoke when i start it up. any ideas what would cause this?

it is almost as if water is making its way into the cylinders or something. what do i do? would a compression test tell me if something was wrong?

 

[sharp4runr]

Does the smoke smell of anything? If not, it just may be water burning in the exhaust.

If there is a burning smell it could be a bigger problem like a coolant leak but since your truck is so new it wouldn't be my first thought.

 

[gonzo]

it has a very strong toxic smell, it does not smell like it is burning, but it is very cough-inducing. for lack of a better discription, it has that typical exhaust smell.

 

[sharp4runr]

Keep an eye on your fluids level to make sure you aren't losing too much. Of course you'll burn some oil, but not a lot.

Burning oil usually is blueish gray so its probably not what you're going through. Chances are its probably just condensation in your exhaust system.

 

[Bobby]

White smoke is usually unburned fuel.

If it's still under warranty, you might want to have it checked by the dealer. If not, check the spark plugs and ignition system.

 

[gonzo]

what problem would unburned fuel indicate? gas seaping into the cylinders? would that foul the spark plugs?

 

[Bobby]

what problem would unburned fuel indicate? gas seaping into the cylinders? would that foul the spark plugs?

Could be nothing, could be a number of things. If its only a little puff at each start up, the plugs may be fouled or the ignition might not be firing or firing late.

That's just going by what you said. Could be that there's moisture building up in the exhaust and be nothing. An '04 should still be under warranty so the check up should be free.

 

[Sempeboost]

I agree, white smoke with a really toxic smell is coolant getting in the combustion chamber VIA headgasket leak. Your headgasket seperates the combustion chamber, oil coolant and the atmosphere from each other. Check your coolant overflow tank for oil residue and keep an eye on it. It probably smokes during warmup because the engine (head/ block) are not warmed up enough to 'seal' the leak. Another sign is overheating. Do a comperssion test and that should tell you where the leak is.

Alvin

 

[gonzo]

i spoke with the head service rep at the dealer (a guy who really knows his stuff). he said that it was most likely the valve guide seals - which apparently is not unheard of for such a new vehicle. i have to leave it with them for a week so that they can diagnose it. he assured me that it was covered under the 60,000 mile warranty. i will let you guys know what they find.

 

[gonzo]

finally got my truck back, after 3 and 1/2 weeks in the shop. i spoke with the mechanic and he told me that the factory had incorrectly intalled the valve stem seals. he said that when he pulled the parts out, he noticed that the part numbers did not match his replacement part numbers.

as you might imagine, i am less than ammused at the thought of a mechanic digging around in my engine for almost a month. i already hear a soft tapping coming from the engine, almost like lifter noise.

what a pain.