SOLVED: Blue Smoke on Start Up - Thoughts? (1 Viewer)

[FinallyGotOne!]

EDIT: BLUE SMOKE ON START UP WAS CAUSED BY FAULTY PCV VALVE. Thanks for all of your responses. The old valve didn't even rattle when I shook it.

Well, I hate to even type the words "Blue Smoke" on this forum. But I saw a significant cloud yesterday drift away from the back of my 2011 LX with ~86K miles when I started it. A couple of days ago I thought it smelled a bit funny when I was hooking up my trailer and the exhaust sounded a bit odd too - maybe more valve noise than normal? Maybe the idle was a touch higher than normal, but I didn't think too much about it. It is performing perfectly fine otherwise. On the ay home last night it didn't smoke on acceleration and no smoke when I revved it at home. No loss of oil according to dipstick.

This morning when the wife started it, a small amount of blue smoke appeared and then nothing more. I wouldn't have even seen it from the driver's seat.

It's been only a couple thousand miles since last oil change in November. Always use synth. It does not get used hard accept when towing a boat a couple of times a year (none last year). Other towing is an infrequent box trailer.

Thoughts? Should I rush to Toyota for a preventative check? Sit back and watch the oil level? Or chill because these engines will cough out a cloud once in a while and I was just unlucky enough to spot it yesterday?

Sorry for "polluting" the forum with such a topic. I did NOT ever expect to raise such an unpleasant issue here!

Many thanks...

 

[Climbingnut]

Not polluting the forum mate. Years ago when I lived in FL, I purchased an 07’ Camry from AZ. A friend of mine arranged it for me and I was thrilled when it arrived. Within 10k miles of driving it, it would kick out a puff of smoke in the morning upon start up. Nothing more the rest of the day. It did more smoke on a colder ”winter” morning than it did a summer one. I lived in Cocoa, FL, which is why the italics. I can imagine in the current climate in Huntsville, it’s pretty chilly. The valve seals on that 4 cylinder engine were renowned for drying out and letting a bit of oil into the cylinder after having sat over night, especially when cold. One could easily pull the head and to the work, but you can top up the oil for a looooong time for the price of those valve seals on top of the guides.

I reckon it’s a similar issue. Just a bit of oil leaking down the valve guides into the chamber. Upon start up, especially on a cold morning, you get a bit of oil in the chamber and it burns up. Valve seals warm up an expand, which keep the oil out the rest of the day. I wouldn’t worry about it unless you have $$$ to burn or you’re going into the top end for other work.

Just my $.02

 

[32cls6speedmt]

Have you changed your pcv

 

[gaijin]

I like @32cls6speedmt 's idea of changing out the PCV valve.

I'd also be interested to know what brand and weight of "synth" oil you have in your engine.

HTH

 

[FinallyGotOne!]

Mobil One 0W-20
Thanks for the ideas.

 

[linuxgod]

Are you the first owner, or do you have records (Carfax, Toyota Owners site) for prior work?

What you experienced is a classic worn valve guide symptom. However that would be exceedingly rare IMO unless the oil wasn't changed regularly (12 mo/10k miles). FWIW I'm in Chicago and it's quite cold here at times, yet at 110k miles I've never had any blue smoke. (White smoke from condensation, yes).

I'm not sure if a bad PCV valve would cause this but that's a solid recommendation from @32cls6speedmt. If you're not sure how to check it you can just pull the oil cap and take a look - others have seen a bad PCV valve start accumulating a yellowish sludge on the inside of the cap, so that would be an easy indicator. The PCV valve itself is maybe $10, plus a few minutes to replace it.

If it is worn valve guides, as @Climbingnut notes keep an eye on your oil level but you're likely only burning maybe a few teaspoons between oil changes so unless it gets bad it's likely nowhere near worth the cost to fix.

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

Leaky fuel injector could cause smoke at startup, along with smelling a very rich fuel smell. I have seen minimal fuel injector problems on this forum, but it may be worth considering running a bottle Techron or BG44K or fuel injector cleaner of your choice through the gas tank.

 

[Fisher23]

Fuel is black. Oil is Blue.

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

Ahhh, yes, quite right.

Although admittedly, for me, it can often be difficult to tell an exact color if it's just a puff of smoke.

 

[FinallyGotOne!]

Thanks all. I am second owner, but purchased vehicle with only 9K miles. All oil changes done 10-12K miles, always Mobil One except once. We drive it easy - the car is for fast starts and fast drives. Checked the cap and found sludge. PCV on order. I'm in the middle of a house move, so I'll get it installed ASAP and report back!

 

[LexCruiser08]

I also suggest replacing PCV valve. Very cheap and takes 5 minutes. When clogged they can cause an increase in crankcase pressure which could potentially encourage the oil seepage.

 

[FinallyGotOne!]

See edited original post.