Question about valve cover gasket

[lklane1983]

Hi!! Please forgive me in advance; I am not versed in vehicle terminology nor do I know a whole lot about engines, repair, mechanics, etc. I have a 1996 fzj80 named Wilma that has 275k miles. Since I've had her, she's had a valve cover gasket leak. I've never had any problems out of her as long as I keep the oil topped off. Yesterday, I drove her to the mountains, checking the oil level beforehand to ensure she was good to go (as I normally do before we travel any significant distance). This morning, I drove her a short distance and noticed the engine smoking and a thick electrical smell. That's the first time I've ever seen her smoke. I'm concerned about the severity of this issue and would like to know how severe it is before I start making calls to get quotes on repairing it. She isn't my primary vehicle, so I can park her until I can afford the fix if it's gonna be a fortune...but I would also like to know if this is something I could possible learn to do myself or if anyone has any additional info that I might need to know on the front end? Also, please be nice to me...I do love Wilma and recognize the unicorn that she is, but I am not a rusty crusty dude nor do I have the time or tolerance to read through comments that simply point out my ignorance/lack of knowledge. I'm learning as I go and as I can afford to. Thanks in advance for any helpful info.

 

[Brindleboxer]

I think anyone responding would need to know a little more information about the two symptoms you have listed. You say Wilma started smoking (will not put a joke in there), from where? what color? any pictures/video? As for the thick electrical smell, did you pop the hood to try and determine where it is coming from?

 

[lklane1983]

I think anyone responding would need to know a little more information about the two symptoms you have listed. You say Wilma started smoking (will not put a joke in there), from where? what color? any pictures/video? As for the thick electrical smell, did you pop the hood to try and determine where it is coming from?

Smoke was coming from under the hood. It's white smoke. I didn't take pictures or videos, nor did I pop the hood as I drove her to work today and did not have the extra time to do so. And...the only reason I drove her to work today was because I need to drop her off afterwards to have the brakes replaced. I can try to take some videos and pop the hood when I get her to the mechanic this evening. I will update the thread once I have that to add.

 

[Brindleboxer]

Smoke was coming from under the hood. It's white smoke. I didn't take pictures or videos, nor did I pop the hood as I drove her to work today and did not have the extra time to do so. And...the only reason I drove her to work today was because I need to drop her off afterwards to have the brakes replaced. I can try to take some videos and pop the hood when I get her to the mechanic this evening. I will update the thread once I have that to add.

So I am guessing the smoke and smell was happening again when you drove it to work? I would suggest that if it was that you at least pop the hood to check where it is coming from before driving it anymore. If it is white, I would check the most egregious suspects first. Check the level in the radiator and overflow. Pull the oil fill cap and check inside to see if there are any deposits (under the cap) and lastly check your oil level - is it good? any contamination on the dipstick?

 

[mudgudgeon]

your post is titled valve cover gasket, then you go on to talk about electrical smoke?

If it is electrixal smoke, you should identify the source ASAP. Continuing to drive if something electrical is making a lot of smoke, you may be at risk of a devastating fire.

Continuing to drive it with our figuring out the other alternative causes isn't great either.

More info from you will help you get helpful answers

 

[Fj80oregon]

Sounds like you should sell it!
Seriously if you don’t have the ability to work on a truck or are not eager to learn owning an old cruiser is a bad call, unless you like wasting money at a mechanic. In the future like now you need to see what’s going on before you get stuck on the side of the road and damage your engine beyond repair. You can just ignore it I guess and worry about the brakes even though your engine might leave you stranded.

 

[bigredmachine]

if its leaking from the vcg its a very easy fix to do yourself, More Information for BECK/ARNLEY 0361880 - https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=3571962&cc=1276691&pt=10710&jsn=466&_nck=ZExt1ysfqhqWnq%2BEvUNdS3Txyey60IDtnjPWF5UU9J0BWQv7pvqZbh%2BYrdIIoJ2QRIQ0dzB9u%2F%2B%2FmhVsDHsuNVrwTHdL74DXQ9omHwKww9HapUqDqeY1jLgXSG2YAJLxDZLXGSFZq0gwXl9uUta977mMtqxJB2T22x%2BArA8moLIHsgRYSf%2FOLWmWNmi8B5xdD7FykWnB98yyikrVgNnOohbBiCXHISujZOx2436xtjJ6XHRtpzaOfyo48BKVpeyxcFvM2ANKgQlN7xXlVbqTAZwPnMrtL4zexoc4YFFxbA%2FEBD8Fg%2B6jrtIZMAR88Q5T. its maybe 1.5 hr of work taking you time and straight forward to replace it. the vcg leaking can cause smoke if the oil is dripping onto the exhaust. best thing to do is clean off the motor and actually figure out where your leak is coming from.

burning wires is a whole different problem that should be addressed first, and can cause much bigger problems

 

[lklane1983]

Sounds like you should sell it!
Seriously if you don’t have the ability to work on a truck or are not eager to learn owning an old cruiser is a bad call, unless you like wasting money at a mechanic. In the future like now you need to see what’s going on before you get stuck on the side of the road and damage your engine beyond repair. You can just ignore it I guess and worry about the brakes even though your engine might leave you stranded.

Nobody said anything about not having the ability to work on it or not being eager to learn. This reply is unnecessary. The whole reason I posted the thread in the first place was to "see what's going on" and to try and learn more about things I could stand to gain knowledge on. Thanks for not contributing to either of those.

 

[lklane1983]

if its leaking from the vcg its a very easy fix to do yourself, More Information for BECK/ARNLEY 0361880 - https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=3571962&cc=1276691&pt=10710&jsn=466&_nck=ZExt1ysfqhqWnq%2BEvUNdS3Txyey60IDtnjPWF5UU9J0BWQv7pvqZbh%2BYrdIIoJ2QRIQ0dzB9u%2F%2B%2FmhVsDHsuNVrwTHdL74DXQ9omHwKww9HapUqDqeY1jLgXSG2YAJLxDZLXGSFZq0gwXl9uUta977mMtqxJB2T22x%2BArA8moLIHsgRYSf%2FOLWmWNmi8B5xdD7FykWnB98yyikrVgNnOohbBiCXHISujZOx2436xtjJ6XHRtpzaOfyo48BKVpeyxcFvM2ANKgQlN7xXlVbqTAZwPnMrtL4zexoc4YFFxbA%2FEBD8Fg%2B6jrtIZMAR88Q5T. its maybe 1.5 hr of work taking you time and straight forward to replace it. the vcg leaking can cause smoke if the oil is dripping onto the exhaust. best thing to do is clean off the motor and actually figure out where your leak is coming from.

burning wires is a whole different problem that should be addressed first, and can cause much bigger problems

Thank you so much for this information!

 

[lklane1983]

your post is titled valve cover gasket, then you go on to talk about electrical smoke?

If it is electrixal smoke, you should identify the source ASAP. Continuing to drive if something electrical is making a lot of smoke, you may be at risk of a devastating fire.

Continuing to drive it with our figuring out the other alternative causes isn't great either.

More info from you will help you get helpful answers

I'm not sure that it was in fact electrical smoke; it just smelled that way. I could very well be wrong. I can certainly park her until I can diagnose the problem further. The reason I titled the thread what I did was because I know I have a valve cover gasket leak. I just wasn't sure how serious of a problem that is and could stand to learn more from people that do.

 

[mudgudgeon]

White smoke is your first clue.

Driving it without knowing the source spells disaster waiting to happen.

White smoke is never a good thing

 

[lklane1983]

So I am guessing the smoke and smell was happening again when you drove it to work? I would suggest that if it was that you at least pop the hood to check where it is coming from before driving it anymore. If it is white, I would check the most egregious suspects first. Check the level in the radiator and overflow. Pull the oil fill cap and check inside to see if there are any deposits (under the cap) and lastly check your oil level - is it good? any contamination on the dipstick?

The smoke and smell happened for the first time today when I drove her to work. It didn't happen at all yesterday (or at least I didn't notice it yesterday), which is when I drove it to the mountains and for most of the day.

 

[BTLSHP]

In my other cars, he first sign of a bad valve cover gasket is the smell of burning oil in the cabin. Not sure this is the case with the Landcruiser. White smoke in my limited experience is mostly associated with coolant boiling off.

The last three times ours went in for service it was for coolant leaking from a hose. I finally got the message and last week I replaced every coolant/heater, transmission and vacuum hose in the system. I actually have the rear heater to go but that is another story. Our 1994 looks and runs well bu after the Harmonic Balancer failed we realized every bit of rubber is suspect. A/C was done 2+ years ago.

I leaking VCG is easily spotted and addressed, but do not ignore other possible causes.

 

[lklane1983]

In my other cars, he first sign of a bad valve cover gasket is the smell of burning oil in the cabin. Not sure this is the case with the Landcruiser. White smoke in my limited experience is mostly associated with coolant boiling off.

The last three times ours went in for service it was for coolant leaking from a hose. I finally got the message and last week I replaced every coolant/heater, transmission and vacuum hose in the system. I actually have the rear heater to go but that is another story. Our 1994 looks and runs well bu after the Harmonic Balancer failed we realized every bit of rubber is suspect. A/C was done 2+ years ago.

I leaking VCG is easily spotted and addressed, but do not ignore other possible causes.

Thank you for this info. I will definitely check the coolant and associated hoses.

 

[bigredmachine]

I'm not sure that it was in fact electrical smoke; it just smelled that way

burning wires and insulation has a very distinct smell. coolant will smell kinda sweet as it evaporates off and will give off white smoke or steam. oil when it burns will kinda smell like oil and will have a gray to blue gray color smoke.

 

[Brindleboxer]

@Iklane1983 Did you get this sorted?