5S-FE burns oil, help needed to find source of problem - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

nfsuw · 09-23-2007, 01:30 AM

first off, id like to say this is my first post, but iv been reading this forum for quite some time and am impressed at how knowledgable and helpful users are.

my problem is that my 97 14 camry is burning oil. and have no clue why. i have even rebuilt (after the car decided to crack a intake valve...) the engine replacing all gaskets and valves at the cylinder head and up.
the problem is most evident after stopping after travelling above 65 kph. theres a large (by large i mean the size of a bmw mini) blue/white smoke cloud as the car shifts from first to second gear. it continues or subsides depending on how agressive i drive. and it does burn quite alot of oil too, for about 200km of highway driving @130kph, oil goes from full, to low on the dip stick.

anyone have any ideas as to where the oil is getting in? my machanic thinks its the valve cover (containing sludge). if it is, does anyone know how to clean it?

hopefully i get this solved... having a big cloud following me isnt fun.
thanks

*edit added info - already replaced piston rings, valve seals

dc_98_cam · 09-23-2007, 02:24 AM

Perform a compression test.
This will tell you if there is in fact something wrong within the cylinders ... as far as rings, headgasket, valves, or something else. It won't actually tell you what is defective, but you will at least have narrowed down the possible causes and have a better idea as to where to look.

wonger · 09-23-2007, 09:59 AM

blueist white smoke means your burning coolant.. oil burns black..

EEngineer · 09-23-2007, 10:17 AM

purple smoke is burning oil ....black is incompletely combustion problem...i.e bad sparkplug, leaking head...

xtremeskier97 · 09-23-2007, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EEngineer

purple smoke is burning oil ....black is incompletely combustion problem...i.e bad sparkplug, leaking head...

what!?! Ive NEVER seen purple smoke coming from a car. Its either white/bluish (coolant) or black (oil). Theres no purple that Ive ever seen....unless maybe that's how Royal Purple burns...HAHAHAHA!!

nfsuw · 09-23-2007, 10:59 AM

im pretty sure it isnt coolent, been driving around for a month and my coolent levels are still at the same levels. that and the fact that oil is dissappearing without leaking out, im thinking its oil

xtremeskier97 · 09-23-2007, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nfsuw

im pretty sure it isnt coolent, been driving around for a month and my coolent levels are still at the same levels. that and the fact that oil is dissappearing without leaking out, im thinking its oil

Unless of course the oil is going into the coolant and the coolant is burning off creating the white/blue smoke?

Have you noticed any elevated engine temps lately?

nfsuw · 09-23-2007, 02:10 PM

engine temperature hovers just below the middle mark on the temp gauge no matter how hard im driving the engine.

uibalnme · 09-23-2007, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xtremeskier97

what!?! Ive NEVER seen purple smoke coming from a car. Its either white/bluish (coolant) or black (oil). Theres no purple that Ive ever seen....unless maybe that's how Royal Purple burns...HAHAHAHA!!

Oil burns bluish/white, black is incomplete combustion, coolant doesn't burn, it turns to steam if it gets in the cylinders while the engine is running. I know first hand. My mom's 95 windstar blew a head gasket (freakin' new fords) and there was a THICK, white steam cloud the size of a bus shooting out of the tail pipe. A small coolant leak into the cylinders would give your exhaust gas a bit of a "sweet" sent, and look like some steam coming out of the tail pipe. Burning oil smells a bit like burning rubber or plastic.

dc_98_cam · 09-23-2007, 05:17 PM

inspect spark plugs .... see if any oil is present.

wonger · 09-23-2007, 05:39 PM

valve stem seals

nfsuw · 09-23-2007, 08:14 PM

i believe there was oil on the spark plugs, dont quite remember, didnt take them out to look at them after the engine rebuild, i just noticed it still burned oil even after rebuilding it. as for the valve stem seals, anything that was included in the cylinder head seal/gasket kit sold by toyota was replaced. all piston rings were replaced, even a couple of valves were replaced.

camryvibe · 09-24-2007, 12:16 AM

I don't have an answer for you, but am very interested in what you find out. Our '97 I-4 Camry has very similar symptoms. Runs fine around town but take it on the highway and then slow down or stop and there's a big cloud of oil-burning bluish smoke upon accelerating again. The engine also stumbles a bit while it emits the cloud of smoke. The visible smoke and engine stumbling usually disappear in less than a minute.

dc_98_cam · 09-24-2007, 12:39 AM

There are 4 spark plug tubes that should be coated with loctite type adhesive, and tightened to 36 ft-lb, as they are installed into the cylinder head, prior to installation of the valve cover. You might ask your mechanic or rebuilder if he can confirm this procedure.
.... Seems like somebody posted a recommendation that these tubes can be checked for tightness, even after the valve cover is installed .... in order to reduce oil seepage into the cylinder space. ....

ghettosled · 09-24-2007, 12:21 PM

how many miles has it been since the rebuild? did you get a warranty?

and uibalnme is correct about the exhaust colors.