3rd & 4th Generation (1992–1996 & 1997–2001)Toyota Camry Discussion for years: 1992-1996 & 1997-2001
Topics of discussion range from fuel economy, safety, modifications, performance all involving America's favorite family car, the Toyota Camry.
First of all, I apologize if this topic has already been discussed. I tried the search feature and although it had some info, it wasn't really what I was looking for.
I have a 1999 Camry XLE V6 that I bought a few months ago.
I notice that whenever the engine isn't hot (been off for more than 15+ minutes) when I turn on the engine, white smoke comes from the exhaust. The smoke isn't oil but it smells kind of like coolant. The smoke doesn't last long and only seems to occur as an initually burst when you start the car. Car sounds normal, drives normal and I had it checked out at a dealership a few months ago and it turned out fine.
What's wrong with the car? A friend of mine told me that the car was basically doomed and I had to replace the engine sooner or later. Having owned the car for just a few months, I almost freaked out. Then another friend said it was the head gasket.
Thanks for the tips, everyone! There are no driplets of water and I'll be sure to check it out as soon as I can.
Having owned the car for just a few months, I have no idea of the history of the car or what has been done to it. I had been looking for a 4gen white V6 Camry as a daily driver for about 8 months and had no success. The used car market for Camry's in my area (NorCal) is intense. I would have thought that it would be easier finding a car that sells in such high volumes, but apparently, everyone wants a Camry and doesn't want to sell theirs these days
So I bought this car, which is an XLE V6 from a small dealership who has no knowledge of the car. 140k miles and a good price. It had a clean carfax but no maintenance or repair history whatsoever.. I did have it checked out by a 2 mechanics and was given the OK.
Hopefully I can post a video online (possibly by Wednesday) of the car starting to give you a better idea.
Last edited by jknowledge; 07-07-2008 at 11:38 AM.
Ditto EvoFire on checking the coolant level. If you are loosing coolant then ^1 on megomac83's suspicion of a head gasket. There are ways to check if it's the head gasket. If you're having it done by a mechanic it is expensive enough that you may want to verify the diagnosis before just having the head gasket replaced.
Kep
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Often, it's the loose screw between the steering wheel and the driver's seat that needs to be fixed first!
I tried to video tape the car starting, but it doesn't work because it is smoky outside due to all of the wildfires here. But the problem is as simple as it sounds. When the car's engine is cool, a white puff of smoke is the first thing that comes out of the exhaust everytime you start the car.
My other camry (93 4cyl) had a blown head gasket and the smoke was everywhere in a matter of seconds. But with my current car, the smoke is just a puff. After that, everything seems normal. Its been that way for the few months that I've noticed it and it may have even been a problem for much longer than that. It's not noticable to you when sitting inside the car unless its on a cold morning AND you specifically look for it through the windows/mirror
Other than that, you'd never be able to notice it if you just hop in the car, start it and go.
Had similar problem, turned out to be the water pump wich went out a week ago. I had noticed coolant disappearing from the tank for a while but the oil was fine there was no signs of coolant in it. Then last month or so I noticed the car smoking a lot for no apparent reason, like I had been driving for a while and when stopping and waiting for someone I would get out and take a look at the pipe and it would be blowing out unreasonable amounts of mildly sweet smelling smoke. You'd think all the moisture is supposed to be out of the system after 20 minutes of driving...Last week I noticed a puddle of coolant under the car and while letting it idle I saw the coolant coming out of the water pump weep hole. I had the WP replaced and the problem seems to be gone. I don't get why the car was smoking because of that but it doesn't seem to be doing it anymore.
Is there coolant in your oil?
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Black '98 Camry LE 4Cyl Auto, 188 000Kms and counting
Black '98 Camry CE 4Cyl Auto, 295 000Kms and counting - SOLD
Had similar problem, turned out to be the water pump wich went out a week ago. I had noticed coolant disappearing from the tank for a while but the oil was fine there was no signs of coolant in it. Then last month or so I noticed the car smoking a lot for no apparent reason, like I had been driving for a while and when stopping and waiting for someone I would get out and take a look at the pipe and it would be blowing out unreasonable amounts of mildly sweet smelling smoke. You'd think all the moisture is supposed to be out of the system after 20 minutes of driving...Last week I noticed a puddle of coolant under the car and while letting it idle I saw the coolant coming out of the water pump weep hole. I had the WP replaced and the problem seems to be gone. I don't get why the car was smoking because of that but it doesn't seem to be doing it anymore.
Is there coolant in your oil?
Nope, no coolant in oil. The oil is clean and there's no leaking.
I can comisserate. I get an occassional puff of white on some morning start ups. However, like you, I have no loss of coolant. It is really bothering me but I am wracking it up as accumulated humidity in the exhaust from sitting overnight. I hope that is all that it is. I plan to do an exhaust leak test in the coolant but have not done so yet. Since my coolant level remains constant I just can't see it leaking into the combustion chamber.
Let me know if you come up with an answer.
Kep
__________________
Often, it's the loose screw between the steering wheel and the driver's seat that needs to be fixed first!
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