OT: car problem?

alt.autos.toyota

Nick

" snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@74g2000cwt.googlegroups.com:

Valve guide seals.

White smoke = water/coolant.... possibly a blown head gasket. Ken.

Two.

First, it sounds like valve guides. No big deal that needs fixing.

Decide whether you want to put up with the white cloud of smoke on startup, or pay 500 to 1,000 to have it fixed.

Steve

Unless it is valve guide seals. Oily smoke would persist if the rings were bad. A compression check will point to rings or valve guide seals.

Steve

A compression check would also verify or disprove a blown head gasket. Also, look under the radiator cap for oil. If oil is there, then it looks towards being a blown head gasket.

STeve

On 21 Aug 2006 01:23:23 -0700, with neither quill nor qualm, " snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com" quickly quoth:

Most likely a cracked cylinder head allowing coolant (water) into the combustion chamber. Toyonka is known for casting steel coolant tubes into their heads, or they were when I stopped wrenching.

In general: white smoke is steam (cracked head, blown head gasket), blue smoke is oil (bad rings or valve guides), black smoke is carbon (carb/EFI problem, unburned fuel.)

Good luck to your friend.

-- Instant Gratification Takes Too Long!

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If the smoke smells like oil, it's valve guide seals.

If it smells vaguely like celery, then it's a coolant leak.

The first can go on indefinitely without harm.

The second should be seen right away.

Jim

One good sniff by an experienced nose would tell the difference. Almost anyone would recognize the smell of burned oil. The antifreeze has a rank, burnt-something smell that is VERY distinct from burnt oil, but I'm not sure how to describe it in words. Anyway, if this problem appeared suddenly, it is most likely to be the head gasket, or possibly a cracked head or intake manifold gasket. If it is coolant leaking into the engine, it is important to get it fixed fast, as antifreeze washes the oil off the cylinders, and so the engine will be wrecked fairly quickly.

Jon

Smell the smoke...... if you get a sweet taste in your mouth its antifreeze... don't smell too much of it.... its poisonous.

John

It could be unburned gas from a dribbling injector.

John