New here and need your help

[hala7aji]

I bought a camry 99 4 cyl LE with 80000 and extended warrenty. The car runs great my problem if i do not drive it for a day and switch it on the next day i get 2 issues.
1- car start with 500 RPM just close to turning of i hit the gas and i see white smoke from the rear of the car( the car passed emission last week)
2- when the car is idle and running it smells funny
my gas/mileage is good
The dealer said that they have replaced the O2 sensor and they have cleaned the manifold system and mentioned something about a valve that lets air into engine that had a lot of carbon build up which was cleaned and that should solve the Cold start issue. but still the problem is there and i will take back to the dealer this week.

What could the problem be?? when the car is warm it starts just fine

Please your help is really appreciated

[blackhawk]

the manifold could be leaking into the engen



just a thought of why it could not be starting right away

[bigbird]

this smoke, is it a white/blue smoke?
does it smell like oil?

it could ba a leaking head gasket, or bad pistion rings(unlikely but possible). when the engine heats up the gasket my be expanding and sealing the leak. thats what it sounds like to me.

[hala7aji]

The smoke is white , i get it from time to time when i start my car , the manifold was cleaned 2 weeks ago i would guess it is the head gasket. I will take it to the dealer this friday and i will let you know

[hoiskii]

If the dealer mentioned something about "a valve" it must be the IAC valve (~$200). I have similar problem and I'm going to clean up the throttle body and the IAC valve. If it does not help then, then right, some hose leak can trick the IAC valve. If there is no leak, the IAC valve should be replaced.


BTW, some white smoke at the start should be ok, it is mostly a water vapor and depends on humidity.

[N35QU!K]

Sounds like oil leaking into places its not supposed to be. I remember after I replaced my sparkplugs, I got the same white smoke from burning engine oil, but it didn't last considerably long.

[marc780]

Sure sounds like the idle air control. Maybe they only half-cleaned it. Or never cleaned it at all. Its easy and there are lots of posts here on how to do it, so i'd give it another try at cleaning the IAC. Search "clean throttle body" in the general camry forum search.

As for the white smoke, remember that after an overnight-cold start-up, clear water and some white vapor puffing out the exhaust pipe are completely normal. Water any other time is bad but you can check this by sticking your finger in the tailpipe-there'd be traces of antifreeze, water would not be clear.

[hala7aji]

Thanks for the replies but i was wondering how much does it usually cost to change the valve seal gasket incase they say its not covered by my warrenty

[hoiskii]

Originally Posted by hala7aji

Thanks for the replies but i was wondering how much does it usually cost to change the valve seal gasket incase they say its not covered by my warrenty

Valve seal gasket ??? Who mentioned it?

Do you talk about your cylinder block gasket??? ~$2000 I guess including complete engine overhaul. My guess, you don't really need it yet.

Don't worry about your white smoke at cold starts AT ALL! Even burning some oil is ok for cold engine. If it were gray smoke all the time, I'd be really worried, but that's not your case.

But if your car needs the IAC replaced, as I said you can get it for about $200. My guess, the dealer will charge you about $300 plus $100-150 for labor. If you are ok about spending a few hours working on this, you can do it your self (it should be really easy since everything is reachable and no high torque needed) and save at least have the dealership price. But, I'd first make sure that's what you need.

[hala7aji]

SO here is what they told me today
oil leak either from cylinder head gasket or the cyklider head.
They will make sure on Monday
Do you think it is worth repairing ( for free) or i am going to have much trouble with the car later on ????

[Stillrunning]

Originally Posted by hala7aji

Do you think it is worth repairing ( for free)

DUH!!! Isn't that what an extended warranty is for????

[DJT853]

Does it drive okay? Sluggish? Jumpy? i had a similar problem once, and when i drove the car it would sorta shake/rumble until it go out of first, and would smell like sulfur. Made the seat vibrate though, that was kinda nice. I thoguht it was the tranny cause it felt like it was kinda underneath me, but what it turned out was the one of the cylinders wasnt firing properly/at all. So check yours out. Your problem is a little different, but anything is worth a try

[hala7aji]

So here is what the Dealer finally said to me today They need to change the cylinder head, they are sure there is a crack where antifreeze is getting there , they say the Gasgkets are fine , My question now call the car deal off or get it fixed i need it to last me at least 2 years i am a student and i do not need to be involved in car trouble , yes every thing is paid for ,, but i can not afford to lose time from school because of this issue ,, please advice

[Stillrunning]

Can you back out of a deal you just completed?
You said you purchased extended warranty, does that cover these repairs?
Will you be happy with the car once it is fixed - for free?
How will you know that the replacement USED car will have no issues?
If you cannot be involved with, "car trouble" why did you buy a 1999 used car?

It's your call.

[hala7aji]

Can you back out of a deal you just completed? Thats i need to find out tommorow
You said you purchased extended warranty, does that cover these repairs? it does
Will you be happy with the car once it is fixed - for free? hmm i guess
How will you know that the replacement USED car will have no issues? i hoped so
If you cannot be involved with, "car trouble" why did you buy a 1999 used car? well thats cuz i cant lease or buy a new one
But thanks for the help ,,, really appreciated