Smoke at start up?

Tiny
CBABBITT916
  • MEMBER
  • 2003 TOYOTA 4RUNNER
  • 4.7L
  • V8
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 290,000 MILES
I bought the vehicle listed above RWD for $4,000.00 a month ago, from a used car dealership. He says it came in as a trade in and didn't know much about it. Engine is so quiet you can't even tell it's running unless you stop and really focus on listening to it. Power steering didn't work though. After 250 miles I had its oil changed, and fluids topped off by the place the previous owner had been taking it to. A day or two later I noticed it smokes for 2-3 seconds when I start it after it's sat for 4 or more hours. I think it's blueish but it's definitely white. No smoke while driving and it won't smoke at all unless it's been parked a few hours at least. Sometimes it doesn't smoke at all but 8/10 start-ups, it does. Oil level and consistency looks fine, coolant is full too. The temperature runs perfectly too. What could it be? Is it okay to drive it? Should I buy Lucas oil treatment additive to see if it helps? Is it possible that the previous owner added something like that to the oil that kept it from smoking and when the oil got changed it went back to smoking again? What should I do? And power steering can't make its way into the system and come out the exhaust, can it? Thank you.
Thursday, September 15th, 2022 AT 7:44 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 108,289 POSTS
Hi,

Did this start after the oil was changed? Have you checked to make sure the oil level is correct and not overfilled?

What you described sounds like the valve seals are failing and allowing oil to drain past them and down the valve stem. When you first start the engine, the oil gets into the combustion chamber, and you see smoke for a short time.

I attached a pic below showing the seal I'm referring to.

Let me know.

Joe
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Thursday, September 15th, 2022 AT 9:03 PM

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