98' Camry oil spill smoke

[JFB10]

Just purchased a 98 camry 4-cyl, and i'm kicking myself that I didnt check the engine thouroughly enough. Took it to get an oil change and engine flush at Munro but noticed that before this that there was slight steam coming from the hood when the car came to a stop or when i turned it off after driving and it smelt hot.

Anyway guy at the garage said that there was oil spilled over the engine and they had cleaned and sprayed it with engine cleaner. So i drove the 10 mins home and same problem with the smell and smoke/steam. Drove back and told him and he says that I will have to drive it off a couple of days before it goes back to normal.

A bit concerned because I dont want the car to die on the side of the highway whilst im trying to burn all the oil off. Any suggestions?

p.s when i parked up at the garage the second time i noticed white steam coming from the exhaust even when the car is off, but no excessive smoke when driving and engine temp is normal.

[chronoti]

pop the hood and see where exactly were it is smoking from, normal for me it does takes a few days to burn it off.

[JFB10]

okay thanks. Its dark outside but its coming from underneath silver cover circled.

[hill8570]

OK, are we talking smoke or steam? Different stuff, different smells, different solutions. Does it smell like gas, burning oil, or sweet-ish (antifreeze)?

If the engine was oily and had to be degreased at the garage, the wrencher is correct -- it takes a few days to burn that stuff off.

Smoke (or steam) coming out of the tailpipe when the rig is shut off (assuming it's been run for 15 minutes or so, so it's warmed up) ain't normal. That's worth checking out.

As chronoti sez, it's worth popping the hood to see if you can tell where the smoke is coming from, and see if you can see any large (dripping) leaks.

Otherwise, just keep an eye on your fluid (coolant / oil / transmission) levels to make sure nothing is dropping rapidly, and hang loose.

[hill8570]

Originally Posted by JFB10

okay thanks. Its dark outside but its coming from underneath silver cover circled.

Well, that's the exhaust manifold under that shield (one of the hottest parts of the engine). If any stuff was sprayed on the engine, that's the most likely spot for it to burn off. If you're really worried about it, you (or the garage) could pull off the shield and take a look. Personally, unless your oil levels are dropping, I'd give it a couple of days.

[JFB10]

More like light smoke then, white in appearance. I'll give it a couple of days and see what hapens.

J.