hello all. i was driving down the highway earlier and i popped it into OVERDRIVE OFF, and at that instant i noticed a bunch of exhaust come out of the tail pipe. i have never noticed this before. then as i was entering the neighborhood i hit the gas hard and i saw the same thing. is this a warning for a bad problem or what? the only other time i have had this problem was when i jacked up my MAF, but this time it isnt constant flow. thanks for anything, kyle

 

What did this exhaust look like? Was it white and foggy like you see in the winter, blue/grey or even black? I wouldn't be surprised if you had some water in the exhaust system, especially as wet as it's been in OK the last week.

 

YES it sure has been wet here lately. i couldnt what color the exhaust was...this all happened at night, i could see the exhaust in the headlights of the vehicles behind me. i am just hoping it isnt white, as in head gasket problems. i just am hoping it is just old car? i will see if i can notice the color though..but i dont know what the other colors mean. such as grey, black-what you stated. any info will help. thanks, kyle

 

If it's a head gasket problem, you should be able to smell the coolant. You'll also notice oil in your coolant or coolant in your oil, or both. Blue-grey smoke usually comes from buring oil. Black smoke usually comes from burning lots of different gunk - usually big trouble.
I visited my folks in Tulsa last weekend. Friday night we had at least 6" of rain at their house (rain gauge overflows at 6") and another 6" over the next 2 days.

 

what part of tulsa? and yes it poured. our pool was straight across from one side to another which is a lot of rain.

 

South. Near 101st, between Sheridan & Yale. High ground fortunately.

 

well, i have white smoke coming out of the tail pipe...guess i will check my oil tomorrow for other problems. anything else i can look for, for head gasket problems? or is other things that go along with white exhaust. thanks, kyle

 

Man, that sucks your having problems with your runner. I hope you get it all fixed properly.

We sure did get a hella rain here last week. Over in Tahlequah I had to ford a few small rivers to get to class, then when I came back into Broken Arrow it was raining so hard I couldnt see. The rain did wash my truck though

 

yea it sucked. i was at the lake, all that rain, and no 4runner. but yea, at the moment, i am worried bout the vehicle. anyways, to anyone that knows, is 60 degree weather cold enough to see the exhaust moisture? and it doesnt smell bad, just like normal exhaust? what do i do? thanks, kyle

 

If you see a bluish smoke when you down shift that is most likely oil that is being drawn past worn valve stem seals. You will see this mostly when the engine is run in high vacuum conditions like decellerating with the throttle closed and will be worse when the engine is down shifted to bring the RPMs up. It can load up with oil and then give a good puff when you get back on the trottle.

If this is what is happening, don't worry to much. When you engine starts burning a quart of oil or more in a 1000 miles it is starting to get to a point that will require attension.

Engines with some age on them will do this and it is not unexpected and not anything you should get really worried about.

Now, if it is something else you don't know if you should worry or not until you get it diagnosed and then decide if corrective action is needed.

Gadget

www.GadgetOnline.com

 

thanks for the reply everyone, and gadget. i have only noticed this blue, white, whatever color you want to call it smoke, only when high rpms are in place. normal driving is great. again, the first time i noticed this was when i pulled my car out of overdrive on a big hill, and puff, i noticed some smoke. and btw, what are 'valve stem seals' thanks much again, Kyle

 

Valve stem seals are located in the cylinder head and they prevent engine oil, or supposed to, from traveling down the stem of the valve past the valve guide and into the combustion chamber. When they wear out oil goes past them and makes smoke when it is burned.

Have you ever seen a Mitsubishi, Crown Vic police or taxi cab, or one o fhe Chrysler mini vans take off from a red light and leave a cloud of blue smoke behind? That is from worn out valve stem seals.

Gadget

www.GadgetOnline.com

 

oh ok, thanks for explaining. so is there a way of changing those out, or is it a big deal? thanks once again, your a lot of help. Kyle