94 camry lots of smoke out of the tail pipe what could be the problem.

[tondoboy]

There is a lot of white smoke coming out of my 94 camry's tailpipe when I first start the engine and the engine is on park. The smoke dimish as soon as I drive it but as I stop the smoke starts billowing out again. After 10-15 minutes of driving the smoke disappear and only minimal at a stop. What could be the problem? My friend said it could be a piston ring. I am dredging what this problem will cost me to repair if it is the piston ring. Any insigh on the fix will be greatly appreciated.

[reluctantmechanic]

if it's a piston ring, I would drive the car as long as you could. I think the only way to fix it would be to replace (or rebuild) your engine. I seen engines last thousands of miles with worn rings...no exact science to it...you might want to consider looking for a used engine to replace it...if you can diy it, you'll obviously save a lot of money.

Please keep us posted, and good luck

[JohnGD]

Is the engine using oil or coolant?

If the smoke is white with a tint of blue then it's burning oil. This could be the valve stem seals or piston rings. You can try a compression test to check the condition of the compression rings. (This test doesn't tell you anything about the oil control rings however).

You can also try a "High Mileage" motor oil and see if this solves the oil related problem. This type of oil is thicker and has seal conditioners.

What weight of oil are you using? Maybe start with a high mileage 10W-30 like Valvoline MaxLife at Walmart. Or maybe a SuperTech HM 10W-30.

If it's coolant leak then it may be a blown head gasket or a cracked block. But first try to see if you see a blue tint in the white smoke.

Originally Posted by tondoboy

There is a lot of white smoke coming out of my 94 camry's tailpipe when I first start the engine and the engine is on park. The smoke dimish as soon as I drive it but as I stop the smoke starts billowing out again. After 10-15 minutes of driving the smoke disappear and only minimal at a stop. What could be the problem? My friend said it could be a piston ring. I am dredging what this problem will cost me to repair if it is the piston ring. Any insigh on the fix will be greatly appreciated.

[carsrus]

If its burning oil that bad change your pcv valve and start running 10w40.