cold start = white smoke HELP - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

goldi5sfe · 05-21-2007, 03:26 PM

My friend have a 1990 celica gts everytime we starts the car white smoke come out of the exhaust were trying to fix it but we have no idea whats wrong with car

***toyomoho*** · 05-21-2007, 04:04 PM

Smell the smoke to see if it is oil, gas or coolant (water vapor). If oil most likely worn valve stem seals.

goldi5sfe · 05-21-2007, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toyomoho

Smell the smoke to see if it is oil, gas or coolant (water vapor). If oil most likely worn valve stem seals.

ill try cause its not just little smoke that comes out its a cloud of smoke thats why everytime we start it we run outside the garage cause it stinks

***toyomoho*** · 05-22-2007, 01:18 AM

A large cloud of white smoke at cold start could be bad valve stem seals. If so, the smoke will get worse over time.

goldi5sfe · 05-22-2007, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toyomoho

A large cloud of white smoke at cold start could be bad valve stem seals. If so, the smoke will get worse over time.

so is the engine worth fixing like overhaul the engine or should we just buy a a used engine with like 60k miles

***toyomoho*** · 05-22-2007, 11:55 PM

Depends. How much oil does the engine burn? How is the compression? Worn valve stem seals are a very common problem on Toyota’s. As the seals age, they harden. If the car sits for a few months, the seals can also start to leak.

These seals can be replaced, usually by taking the head off. At the same time most owners opt for a valve job done. If you are doing the work yourself the cost is say $300-400 for a valve job, new guides, seals, etc plus gaskets. If a mechanic does the job add 6-7 hours of labor to this cost.

If the seals are the problem, replacing them can completely stop the smoke issues. Also do a TN history search on this issue (worn valve stem seals) as it has come up frequently.

goldi5sfe · 05-23-2007, 12:02 AM

it happened on my 96 camry too but this one everytime im on a incline cloud of smoke come out so i just decide to get the engine change also whats the difference about the celica gts engine and the 3rd gen camry engine they are both 5sfe engines

Xoxol · 06-08-2007, 09:32 PM

there are 4 different colors of smoke could come out off the exhaust:
- light gray - normally at cold weather, that's normal
- blue - oil burns, valve seals
- black - fuel doesn't burn completely
- white - coolant gets into cam, most likely head gasket blown