Does big puff of smoke from exhaust cause Check Engine?

[camry2001Speakers]

1999 i4 Camry CE 68k miles with some sun damage.

So this morning when i started the car, my brother notice a big puff of smoke that came out(I never check), but it did not come back for the rest of the day. However, at night i noticed the "Check Engine" light came on.

1. Are worn valve seals really the cause for this big puff of smoke?
2. Would this be the cause of my "Check Engine" light to come on?
3. I have a bottle of seafoam that i was going to use on the car, but i guess it will be unwise to use it now correct?

Thanks in advance!

[LynchburgCSI]

Go to autozone and have them pull the code for you. The OBDII port is behind the coin tray to the left of steering wheel, IIRC.

[BMR]

Originally Posted by camry2001Speakers

1. Are worn valve seals really the cause for this big puff of smoke?

Yes, most likely.

2. Would this be the cause of my "Check Engine" light to come on?

Nope.

3. I have a bottle of seafoam that i was going to use on the car, but i guess it will be unwise to use it now correct?

It won't hurt anything. It's remotely possible it'll fix whatever's throwing the CE code. Not likely, but there's a small chance.

Like LynchburgCSI said, get the code read and come back and post it up.

[camry2001Speakers]

AutoZone told me they no longer do obd2 scans for free and i would have to bring it to a mechanic.(California).

So i decided to buy this from amazon: Autel-MaxiScan-MS300-OBD-II-Scan

Amazon

Amazon

Originally Posted by BMR

It won't hurt anything. It's remotely possible it'll fix whatever's throwing the CE code. Not likely, but there's a small chance.

So if my worn valves happen to be leaking/worn but covered in gunk, and i used my seafoam on it, then wont it cause my car to leak??

[fenixus]

I must say California rules suck big times ... they still do free scanning here in NJ/NY no problems.

there is a few more options on obd2 scanners, depending if you have a PC laptop or a smartphone handy, you could buy a USB-OBD2 interface (for a PC laptop) or BlueTooth-OBD2 interface for a smartphone (iPhone, Android, Blackberry), they are like $15-20 each on ebay in Hong Kong (look for free shipping worldwide).

there is plenty of free software for simple code scanning and erasing, checking emissions status (for inspection) or paid version more sophisticated in live readings of everything there is.

[BMR]

Originally Posted by camry2001Speakers

So if my worn valves happen to be leaking/worn but covered in gunk, and i used my seafoam on it, then wont it cause my car to leak??

The valves are not worn, it's the valve stem seals. When the engine is off, oil leaks down the valve stem and drips into the cylinder. Then when the engine is started, it lets out a burst of blue smoke when the oil burns off.

So no, using the seafoam won't cause a leak. It might get the check engine light to turn off if there is a dirty injector or something like that. But the odds are low.

[camry2001Speakers]

Ok so i finally was able to scan my car and it says: "P0446 EVAP Emission Control System Vent Circuit Malf"

Things that may contribute to this:
1. i added 89gas for the first time instead of 87 and this light came on
2. The morning before this came on, a big puff of pollution came out only in the morning.

So what are my options here.. should i try to fill up the gas tank w/ 87, put 1/3 can of seafoam in there and close the cap completely to see if it fixes the problem? I checked my gas cap and it seemed like it was fairly tight. Also is my car safe to drive for an extended period of time??

[JohnGD]

If you only get a puff of blue smoke (white smoke with bluish tint, more clearly reflected in sunlight), then it's most likely the valve stem seals as described. Typically it's the cheaper intake seals that leak because the material is not as good. I'd recommend using Fel-Pro's premium valve stem seal set and change them all out.

Since the Fel-Pro set is interchangeable between intake/exhaust, my guess is Toyota's exhaust seals can also be used on the intakes. (Not all engines have interchangeable seals like this however).

The old stem seals harden just like any rubber part on the engine after many years. Even the spring takes some good effort to pry off the old seals compared to new ones that easily slips off.

(By using cheaper material manufacturers can save maybe 50-80 cents per seal, at least that's the retail price difference).

Fel-Pro stem seal set:
http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=260983

[JohnGD]

I don't think gas or Seafoam is going to help EVAP here. It may be the VSV by the canister sticking.

Originally Posted by camry2001Speakers

Ok so i finally was able to scan my car and it says: "P0446 EVAP Emission Control System Vent Circuit Malf"

Things that may contribute to this:
1. i added 89gas for the first time instead of 87 and this light came on
2. The morning before this came on, a big puff of pollution came out only in the morning.

So what are my options here.. should i try to fill up the gas tank w/ 87, put 1/3 can of seafoam in there and close the cap completely to see if it fixes the problem? I checked my gas cap and it seemed like it was fairly tight. Also is my car safe to drive for an extended period of time??

[camry2001Speakers]

Originally Posted by JohnGD

I don't think gas or Seafoam is going to help EVAP here. It may be the VSV by the canister sticking.

Hmm ok, but is it still safe to drive the car for a while? Also what would happen if i do NOT replace VSV/canister?

Thanks in advance!

[fenixus]

well ... hmmm ... I'm gonna add my own 2 cents.
my wife's 2000 solara (4cyl) had some time ago this "white/bluish" puff of smoke problem in mornings. now the mystery, car was running for many years on dino oil (engine was dirty which is another story, related maybe) ... but now the funny part - after I switched the car to full synthetic oils and run the engine on them for a few months ... now no more bluish puff of smoke on startup, coincidence? doubt it, know at least 1 more TN member who claims the same thing.

it couldn't be the valve stem seals (not entirely) responsible for it, since issue got resolved after changing oil type (also more cleaning additives in synthetics vs dino).

it's not gonna solve the OP's problem (EVAP), but it's an interesting and controversial story anyways I think

[fenixus]

unless you need to pass emissions soon, there is no rush in fixing it immediately. drive it normally, but get it narrowed down (via troubleshooting) sometime soon.

VSV is cheap to replace, but if that's the canister then it's expensive (and may include other stuff needing replacement too depending on what happened).

[71Corolla]

Originally Posted by fenixus

- after I switched the car to full synthetic oils and run the engine on them for a few months ... now no more bluish puff of smoke on startup, coincidence? doubt it, know at least 1 more TN member who claims the same thing.

I'm at least that one other person. Same thing happened to me, a few months of driving with a full synthetic cleared the problem right up. The seals seem to get dirty more than actually wearing out, at least in some cases.

[BMR]

Originally Posted by fenixus

well ... hmmm ... I'm gonna add my own 2 cents.
my wife's 2000 solara (4cyl) had some time ago this "white/bluish" puff of smoke problem in mornings. now the mystery, car was running for many years on dino oil (engine was dirty which is another story, related maybe) ... but now the funny part - after I switched the car to full synthetic oils and run the engine on them for a few months ... now no more bluish puff of smoke on startup, coincidence? doubt it, know at least 1 more TN member who claims the same thing.

it couldn't be the valve stem seals (not entirely) responsible for it, since issue got resolved after changing oil type (also more cleaning additives in synthetics vs dino).

I've read that when synthetic oils are burnt they don't emit nearly as much smoke. That could be what you're experiencing. Can't say I've witnessed it myself.

[fenixus]

yup, I meant you

probably you're right, there was some varnish on valve stem seals causing a leak (uneven surface), once the oil type was changed to thinner full synthetic, it was able to penetrate past the valve seals and clean it off with its strong detergent package. that's how I picture it happening too.

Originally Posted by 71Corolla

I'm at least that one other person. Same thing happened to me, a few months of driving with a full synthetic cleared the problem right up. The seals seem to get dirty more than actually wearing out, at least in some cases.