1994 fj80 blowing white smoke

[hurley65]

Recently I have noticed alot of white smoke coming from my exhaust especially when I iidle for ten minutes or so.It makes a pretty big white cloud when I give it some rpms.A few minutes later its gone.My cruiser runs great but the smoke has me concerned ....any input would be greatly appreciated.
Mark

 

[john_eckels]

does it have a sweet smell like antifreeze? Is it using coolant? If so, you may be looking at a head gasket.

 

[CID 96]

any loss of power? Use the search function to find out about head gasket replacement.

Sid

 

[hurley65]

no .slight oil smell.If it idles for a few minutes ...step on the gas and a plume of white smoke(not steam comes out for about 5 seconds and then stops.It does have coolant and the level has not changed in 6 months and this is a Florida car so it gets pretty hot .

 

[hurley65]

no loss of power whatsoever ...runs beautifully.

 

[Lka1988]

Are you sure the smoke is white and not blue? Sounds to me like you're burning oil...

 

[hurley65]

i think so too as the coolant level has not changed.

 

[spartan]

Your head gasket is kaput. Been there - done it.

 

[Farr off road]

So....have you noticed any change in your oil level? If you are having to add a quart every 3k or less you have a problem!

 

[Ebag333]

So....have you noticed any change in your oil level? If you are having to add a quart every 3k or less you have a problem!

I believe that up to a quart every 1k is considered normal.

That being said, if mine were using that much I'd be looking for why. Both mine use approx 1 quart every 3k.

 

[archie]

Post your location. Cold air and short trips could cause condensation. Bet you don't get this when smoke after a long trip and the car sitting for a while. The cooling hot engine should suck any coolant into the engine like canning fruit.I would think that the pressurized cooling system forcing coolant into the engine would also cause the smoke in the exhaust even after a long trip.

 

[archie]

Re-read info and found out that you are in Florida. I know it was kinda cold there last week (Relatives told me) so I think it's condensation. Did it stop now that it's warmer?

 

[hurley65]

changed oil today to thicker weight 5w/20 and found it ran better but still getting smoke and it was blue this time (oil level was down 1 1/2 quarts when I drained oil.during idle see faint traces of steam .Again no change in coolant level.No power loss still but my mechanic said it may be valve seals or rings.

 

[Lka1988]

5W-20 is thick?

Dude, I'm running 20W-50 and mine still burns a little.

 

[hurley65]

whats the going rate for a head gasket replacement???

 

[Lka1988]

BTW, don't get paranoid about the HG. It affects very few 80 owners on 'Mud, and the amount of 80 owners on 'Mud is minuscule compared to the huge amount of 80 owners who are NOT on 'Mud.

Basically, it's a non-issue. Don't worry about it unless it actually goes, which probably won't happen.

 

[IdahoDoug]

Hurley,

What oil were you running and how long did you run it? Also, white smoke would generally indicate water, so you need to stay atop this. How did the oil that came out look? What's the underside of your oil filler cap look like?

DougM

 

[hurley65]

hey ,when you get several posts saying head gasket ..it's starting to make me a little nervous.The smokes not going away so gotta address the problem right?

 

[IdahoDoug]

Was that a reply to my 3 questions or did we cross each other?

DougM

 

[hurley65]

Dougm, was running it on 10w 30 and and oil was pretty dark but I change it every 5k ...what am I looking for under filler cap?