2008 LC History of oil usage and instance of rough start and smoke at start up

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H

hawglaw

10 Year
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Nov 23, 2011
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My wife's 2008 Landcruiser has run fine for the last 5 years we have owned it but about a year ago I noticed that the engine oil would be about half a quart to a quart low every 3k-5k miles. I didn't think too much about it because there were no visible leaks or burning smells. After reading a thread here I decided the PCV valve may be the culprit so I changed it out a few months ago. It did seem clogged (no rattle) so I thought good on me.

Since then I noticed that it still seemed to use some oil but it appeared to be less than previous.

Fast forward to 2 weeks ago and we had been out of town for a week and when we came home I started her car which had been parked while we are gone and it was a rough start and a plume of thick smoke came from the hood. However it quickly went dissipated and ran normal.

We haven't had any other smoke or start issues since then but I want to get ahead of any potential problems.
I initially thought head gasket but that seems rare for the 200 series, additionally it hasn't been low on coolant, nor does the coolant appear milky (I will check again to confirm).
I also thought maybe the valve gaskets started leaking from pressure prior to the PCV valve replacement. However I don't know if the symptoms match, plus I haven't identified any oil leaks or seepage.

Any ideas of what the problem could be? And of course what the solution is?

Many thanks
 
Good tip on the plugs.

Also have a look at the Ts in the cooling lines on the passenger side of the engine bay near the firewall. They don’t often fail on 200s but some have been in bad shape and they are in the perfect spot to drip on the passenger exhaust manifold. Look for white or pink crusty buildup on the lines.

I can’t see any reason something would smoke quickly under the hood other than being directly on the exhaust.
 
When the cam tower leaks, what does the oil get on? Something that would smoke at startup?

Was an OEM PCV valve installed correctly?
 
Sandroad said:
When the cam tower leaks, what does the oil get on? Something that would smoke at startup?

Was an OEM PCV valve installed correctly?
Click to expand...

Yes, the exhaust manifold on whichever (or both if you are that unlucky) side is leaking.
 
Thanks for the help.
Would a cam tower leak explain the rough start? Like that portion of the engine had drained of all oil?
Thanks
 
It shouldn’t. All that usually leaks is residual oil resting in the valvetrain area on that side. I’m not sure whether these engines have hydraulic lifters but even if yours did, the oil should be trapped in the lifter by the check valve inside it, not by any external system that the cam tower would seal up.

Did the smoke seem straight white or have a light blue tint? Smell like burning oil or did it have a sweet smell?
 
It appeared to be straight white and a very thick plume. I don't recall the smell being like oil.
 
Hmmm......sounds like antifreeze. I wonder if you had a rodent problem while it was parked for 2 weeks and they got through a coolant hose. Pop the cover off the engine and look around for damage?
 
That might be the ticket, I am going to check it out tonight.
We have had some stray cats hanging around the house so one of them may have found a nice spot to hide out under the hood and loosened something.
 
afgman786 said:
Bringing back an old thread just had this same issue happen to me. Smells like oil.. saw smoke coming from here. Is is a picture from US passenger wheel well

View attachment 2295124
Click to expand...
Looks like a textbook cam tower leak. Lots of info on the tundra boards.. unfortunately a big job to fix it.
 
bloc said:
Looks like a textbook cam tower leak. Lots of info on the tundra boards.. unfortunately a big job to fix it.
Click to expand...
Thanks.. I actually just removed my post from here since I found the thread linked in here would've been more appropriate
 
bloc said:
Looks like a textbook cam tower leak. Lots of info on the tundra boards.. unfortunately a big job to fix it.
Click to expand...

Thanks man. Reading thru that thread and matching up perfectly.
Now the curiosity of what that sound could've been..
 
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