White smoke coming out of tailpipe after highway driving

Hi All

I see white smoke, quite a lot, coming out of the pipe but mostly after a highway drive, after a good engine heating/usage. Next morning, startup with a lot of white smoke.

The coolant not dropping, not that I can see. No overheating.

I just did a couple of weeks a go a coolant drop and replace, about a gallon. Also PCV valve replaced. Checked the valve and hose again, looks good.

Bought the car about 4 month ago, and wasn't especially a low price or anything. I though I just paid the price, 50K canadian, for a good car 70K km, fair deal or so I thought. The dealer did not mention anything, of course, they knew nothing.

However, seeing this 3 month later, I am thinking it this may be the reason it was sold.

I ordered a liquid testing kit, will do the test, then pull the plugs, etc. to find out for sure if the head gasket is leaking.

But with so much smoke on startup, for about 30 seconds, then none visibly later, it does not look good.

Thanks for reading

 

Doesn't sound good. Did you buy it under any kind of warranty, i.e. a certified pre-owned vehicle? Did it come with any service records? I'd go after the dealer that sold you the vehicle and/or Toyota if necessary. It's not reasonable for you to have to pay anything close to the full cost of a major engine repair for a 4Runner of that age and mileage.

 

Sounds like normal condensation.

 

A video would be helpful if you can.

 

Between the test you ordered, A cylinder leak down and a cooling system pressure test, You should be able to narrow down to where the problem is at.

Blackstone labs can also perform an oil diagnosis to further pinpoint a possible problem area.

Welcome to the forum and keep us updated on your results.

 

take a look at spark plugs. use camera to inspect inside cylinders.

 

Thank you guys for your replies.
No extra warranty or service records, bought it from a non toyota dealer.
Yes, I'll do the test when it will come in a couple of days, then will try to look down the cyls with a camera and do cooling system pressure test

I know basic warranty is 60k km in Canada, but I see 100k power train warranty on toyota website, and a head gasket is a power train component. If it ends up being a head gasket, I will go to the dealer, I'll try to find a bigger dealer in GTA, hoping they would not play around. We'll see.

I'll also upload a video shortly. Thanks again.

 

This is a powertrain component problem. If it has remaining toyota warranty, dont touch anything. Take it to a dealer.

 

This sounds like a gasket issue (and hopefully not a head fracture) because it seems to be the result of a coolant leak that happens when the engine gets to operating temperature. It appears to be a very slow leak and, while the engine is running, does not reveal visible smoke (but an odor might be noticed). When the engine shuts down, it's cooling from its running temp and the cooling system is still pressurized. The leak continues and slows as it cools but accumulates in the cylinder. So, when the engine starts, it's burned off in a visible burst. This just a guess from a guy that had his 22RE head crack because the dealer did not replace the thermostat as I specifically directed. Note with those engines, the thermostat fails CLOSED so it's a reliable way to fry an engine.

 

Yes, easy to test. Drive for a while, park overnight, pull a few spark plugs and use borescope to look into cylinders for coolant. If it's coolant, you should see a few drops in each cylinder.

 

Yes, I have a dealer appt tomorrow for them to diagnose, for 90 bucks, then to take it from there. Hope it is a warranty issue if it comes to be serious. We'll see.

IF the dealer says it's not headgasket then I'll try the suggestions above to make sure, thank you all.

Also I got the blue liquid test and it did not become green or yellow, so far so good.

 

Ah, I remember smelling vaguely coolant, when pushed on the highway or high rev, infrequently but I smelled it once or twice.

Also since I did a recent coolant drop and replace, I hope there wasn't some kind of leak stop added before I bought the car. I'll post more after the dealer appointment.

 

Funny thing these dealers.. the particular one I went to didn't even look at my videos, charged me the 160 diagnose fee and said they didn't find anything. Of course they didn't, since the car has to be driven for a while then left for a few hours to cool down.

 

Expensive car wash.

 

Warranty is 100km / 5 years for engine issues. White smoke is engine issue, I am not out

 

I saw you were in Canada.....

 

That's right, canadian warranty is 100km / 5 years for power train

 

Have you smelled the exhaust? Are you noticing any coolant loss?

 

Video would help.

 

I remember smelling vaguely coolant, when pushed on the highway or high rev, infrequently but I smelled it once or twice.

Coolant loss minimal / not visible

 

thanks

 

i can’t tell through my phone screen but is that white or blue smoke?

 

If the Toyota dealership claims there is no problem, are they willing to give you a fair offer to trade it in for another 4Runner?

 

Looks like there might be a blue tint to the smoke on the first video. Does the smoke stink? Might be oil.

 

All White. No smell.

 

Is it possible that there was too much oil added? Not sure if I've seen anyone mention that. Your oil might be "good" but is there too much? Too much oil can lead to oil overflowing into the piston rings and valve seals. The fix would be to drain some oil. I think our 4runner's take 6.4 quarts or something like that.

 

6.6 qts or 6.2 L

Oil is adequate quantity, thank you for your reply

 

Email, call Toyota corporate. File a complaint. It's under warranty. They are usually good about lighting a fire under the dealers ass. Keep rattling the cage.

 

If the dealer couldn't find anything why are you worried?

 

Maybe because that’s not normal.