92 Es With White Smoke Comming Out

[juno_reaction]

Its the strangest thing, I was driving down the highway cruising at 80 MPH. I stopped at a toll and and there was some serious trembling. A lot of vibration was going on. After I paid the toll, I gave it some gas, then all this blue smoke started comming out, and I started to freak out. I stopped at a gas station and bought some motor oil; put it in and hoped for the best. Everything works out fine until just now. The same thing happens again, only this time its a combination of white smoke and blue smoke. I have no idea whats going, and if someone could elaborate, that woulb be great.

Thank you!

PS temperature, and RPS are fine. 147K Miles

[Liquid_force]

Its the strangest thing, I was driving down the highway cruising at 80 MPH. I stopped at a toll and and there was some serious trembling. A lot of vibration was going on. After I paid the toll, I gave it some gas, then all this blue smoke started comming out, and I started to freak out. I stopped at a gas station and bought some motor oil; put it in and hoped for the best. Everything works out fine until just now. The same thing happens again, only this time its a combination of white smoke and blue smoke. I have no idea whats going, and if someone could elaborate, that woulb be great.

Thank you!

PS temperature, and RPS are fine. 147K Miles

I'm a long way from an expert, but that sounds like a classic blown head gasket to me.

[juno_reaction]

thats kind of interesting... I was thinking the same thing, but again, I'm still not sure. I'm hoping to get a response from Toysmere, or blckft, or however his name is spelled, lol. Anyway, thanks for the reply!!

[amf1932]

Yup........Most likely it's a partially blown head gasket which is allowing coolant to be drawn into the combustion chamber.

The engine trembling was caused by a fouled spark plug due to the coolant.

[juno_reaction]

Oh yeah, did I mention that there is white smoke at idle with the distinct smell of gasoline? Yeah.

[amf1932]

Oh yeah, did I mention that there is white smoke at idle with the distinct smell of gasoline? Yeah.

The smell of gasoline is caused by the spark plug failing to ignite the fuel in the cylinder that has coolant leaking in.

[smooth1]

You may have lost a piston ring seal also. If the oil ring let go, you would have alot of smoke also. Or you may have developed a hole on the top of a piston. Do you hear any clanking or unusual sounds coming from the motor also? It could also be a valve issue. Do you see alot of steam coming out of the exhaust ? That would be a tell if it was in fact the head gasket. But only if the break was next to a water jacket. When it's cool, remove the radiator cap and see if there is any oil residue in there. And if you are low on coolant. Your looking for a white/grey goop. That's what oil and coolant mix looks like.

[juno_reaction]

Yeah, I was thinking that I could have a messed up ring. I do agree with AMF. It makes sense. Honestly, do you guys think that I could trade it in as soon as possible? Or will a dealer like chew my AbS for even thinking about trading the car in?

[smooth1]

Yeah, I was thinking that I could have a messed up ring. I do agree with AMF. It makes sense. Honestly, do you guys think that I could trade it in as soon as possible? Or will a dealer like chew my AbS for even thinking about trading the car in?

Without fixing it they will spot that a mile away. Then they will just rake you over the coals, and probably not even want the car. Your gonna have to have it fixed. there are a few ways to go about this, but I would need to know how many miles are on the car, the year of the car and how long you had it and how much you paid for it, that way we can go over all the options that make the best sense. And you will have to have an open diagnostic that says what the problem is and a list of the parts that will need to be replaced. I will be able to determine the hours needed and that will give us a labor charge. We have people come to the shop in this situation. it's allways tough. So we try to help when we can.

If it's only a valve problem, you could get off alot cheaper. As then only the heads will need to be removed, and fixed or replaced. If it's a cylinder issue, then it gets much more involved as the motor will more than likely need to be pulled and the whole top end taken out and blah blah blah blah....

So we need to address that issue first.

By the way, you did check all your spark plug wires real good and make sure they are all connected and all that right? Not that I think this is your problem, but I haven't seen your description of the problem, you said it was running really rough and you saw smoke. A dropped plug wire would make the car run rough, and you would get some smoke, and the fuel smell. Just checking the easy stuff too.

[byf43]

It definitely sounds like a blown head gasket to me. (Been there. Done that.)

Check the oil.

When you pull the dipstick, does the oil look like a frothy chocolate shake (or like frothy coffee w/ cream)?

If so... that's the classic sign of coolant in the oil pan and it has 'mixed'. (NOT a good sign!)

If so. . do NOT run the engine! My son ruined an engine, running it with a blown head gasket. Cost him $3700 for a freshly re-built Jasper engine.

The white smoke, rough idle, gas smell are all signs of head gasket leaks/blown.

And yes, you COULD trade in the car. . but, you'd probably not get $500 for it, if even that much.

[juno_reaction]

Without fixing it they will spot that a mile away. Then they will just rake you over the coals, and probably not even want the car. Your gonna have to have it fixed. there are a few ways to go about this, but I would need to know how many miles are on the car, the year of the car and how long you had it and how much you paid for it, that way we can go over all the options that make the best sense. And you will have to have an open diagnostic that says what the problem is and a list of the parts that will need to be replaced. I will be able to determine the hours needed and that will give us a labor charge. We have people come to the shop in this situation. it's allways tough. So we try to help when we can.

If it's only a valve problem, you could get off alot cheaper. As then only the heads will need to be removed, and fixed or replaced. If it's a cylinder issue, then it gets much more involved as the motor will more than likely need to be pulled and the whole top end taken out and blah blah blah blah....

So we need to address that issue first.

By the way, you did check all your spark plug wires real good and make sure they are all connected and all that right? Not that I think this is your problem, but I haven't seen your description of the problem, you said it was running really rough and you saw smoke. A dropped plug wire would make the car run rough, and you would get some smoke, and the fuel smell. Just checking the easy stuff too.

The car has about 148,000, its a 1992 ES, and I paid like 3600 dollars for it. I've only had it for about a year, and I do alot of highway driving. I could try and check the 'easy' stuff and I'll get back on that one. No, I didn't see any white gooey type stuff on the dipstick or otherwise (hopefully, thats a good sign.)

[byf43]

The car has about 148,000, its a 1992 ES, and I paid like 3600 dollars for it. I've only had it for about a year, and I do alot of highway driving. I could try and check the 'easy' stuff and I'll get back on that one. No, I didn't see any white gooey type stuff on the dipstick or otherwise (hopefully, thats a good sign.)

The oil/coolant mixture wouldn't look like "white gooey type stuff".

The oil would look more like coffee with a lot of milk in it (verrrrrrrry light brown) or a weak chocolate milkshake, instead of the dark amber (clean oil) or black (dirty oil).

I'd also recommend changing the oil and filter.

If you get more than the 4.5 quarts (w/filter) and the oil doesn't look 'right', you'll be narrowing the possibilities.

Lastly, I just re-read your original post. You said that you put oil into the engine after noticing some smoke.

I quote:

"Its the strangest thing, I was driving down the highway cruising at 80 MPH. I stopped at a toll and and there was some serious trembling. A lot of vibration was going on. After I paid the toll, I gave it some gas, then all this blue smoke started comming out, and I started to freak out. I stopped at a gas station and bought some motor oil; put it in and hoped for the best. Everything works out fine until just now. The same thing happens again, only this time its a combination of white smoke and blue smoke. I have no idea whats going, and if someone could elaborate, that woulb be great."

Overfilling an engine with oil will cause a lot of blue or blue/black smoke to come out the exhaust, especially if the engine has quite a bit of miles on it.

You MIGHT just have an overly full oil pan and the oil is getting pumped into the cylinders and burning!

[smooth1]

The car has about 148,000, its a 1992 ES, and I paid like 3600 dollars for it. I've only had it for about a year, and I do alot of highway driving. I could try and check the 'easy' stuff and I'll get back on that one. No, I didn't see any white gooey type stuff on the dipstick or otherwise (hopefully, thats a good sign.)

The oil/coolant mixture wouldn't look like "white gooey type stuff".

The oil would look more like coffee with a lot of milk in it (verrrrrrrry light brown) or a weak chocolate milkshake, instead of the dark amber (clean oil) or black (dirty oil).

I'd also recommend changing the oil and filter.

If you get more than the 4.5 quarts (w/filter) and the oil doesn't look 'right', you'll be narrowing the possibilities.

Lastly, I just re-read your original post. You said that you put oil into the engine after noticing some smoke.

I quote:

"Its the strangest thing, I was driving down the highway cruising at 80 MPH. I stopped at a toll and and there was some serious trembling. A lot of vibration was going on. After I paid the toll, I gave it some gas, then all this blue smoke started comming out, and I started to freak out. I stopped at a gas station and bought some motor oil; put it in and hoped for the best. Everything works out fine until just now. The same thing happens again, only this time its a combination of white smoke and blue smoke. I have no idea whats going, and if someone could elaborate, that woulb be great."

Overfilling an engine with oil will cause a lot of blue or blue/black smoke to come out the exhaust, especially if the engine has quite a bit of miles on it.

You MIGHT just have an overly full oil pan and the oil is getting pumped into the cylinders and burning!

The oil/coolant mixture wouldn't look like "white gooey type stuff".

The oil would look more like coffee with a lot of milk in it (verrrrrrrry light brown) or a weak chocolate milkshake, instead of the dark amber (clean oil) or black (dirty oil).

I think if he saw it, it would be very evident. Creamy, light brown, milky , white(ish). If you pull the dipstick, look in the radiator, or drain the oil, when you see it, you know right away.

And in looking at this, it is possible that you could have a timing belt issue also. Without having the car in front of me, I'm just thinking of everything it could be. Not just what I think it is.

Before we can go over the $$$ and options, we have to get to what the actual problem is. If it's the valves or a head gasket, then you could get lucky and this may not be as expensive as it could get if there isn't any resulting damages to the cylinders and oil system. Beyond that, we need to see what the problem is before we go into that. Let's hope for the best at this point.

BTW, I'm really sorry your having to go through this. If your like me, I know how much you depend on a car, and so fourth. Also the feeling of how much is this gonna cost and the unexpected costs that this means can be hard. I hope your doing ok.

[2onthreeputt]

Not to hijack this thread, but I'm going through this very problem myself. Driving to work one day a few weeks ago and engine started "skipping" coming off the exit..thought it might have just been a plugwire or something. After work, it was tough to start...but I got it going. Started driving it home and noticed white smoke coming out of the tailpipe after a few minutes and the temp gauge started climbing pretty quick. Immediately pulled over and had it towed home. I took off the front head and the middle cylinder (#2?) was all nice and steam cleaned! Gasket was torn right through to the coolant chamber. Actually, the seal for #1 wasn't looking so great either...looked like the ring around the piston for the gasket was torn into an oil chamber.

Anyway, took both heads of and sent them off to be milled. Ordered a new gasket set from a lexus dealer and got new head bolts, plugs, plug wires and O2 sensors. I plan to start bolting everything together this weekend. I'm into it for $600 so far. Pistons look good....cylinder walls look nice. The thing was running like a top before this.

I'm going to take some pics and post them during the re-assembly. The timing belt was recently replaced and the water pump looks brand new.

Oh yeah: It's a 1992 ES300 with 141000 miles...

[smooth1]

Not to hijack this thread, but I'm going through this very problem myself. Driving to work one day a few weeks ago and engine started "skipping" coming off the exit..thought it might have just been a plugwire or something. After work, it was tough to start...but I got it going. Started driving it home and noticed white smoke coming out of the tailpipe after a few minutes and the temp gauge started climbing pretty quick. Immediately pulled over and had it towed home. I took off the front head and the middle cylinder (#2?) was all nice and steam cleaned! Gasket was torn right through to the coolant chamber. Actually, the seal for #1 wasn't looking so great either...looked like the ring around the piston for the gasket was torn into an oil chamber.

Anyway, took both heads of and sent them off to be milled. Ordered a new gasket set from a lexus dealer and got new head bolts, plugs, plug wires and O2 sensors. I plan to start bolting everything together this weekend. I'm into it for $600 so far. Pistons look good....cylinder walls look nice. The thing was running like a top before this.

I'm going to take some pics and post them during the re-assembly. The timing belt was recently replaced and the water pump looks brand new.

Oh yeah: It's a 1992 ES300 with 141000 miles...

Again, let's hope this is the issue. It really is just about the least expensive of all the issues it could be. That's why I keep saying he needs to have the problem physically diagnosed. It's one thing to come to forum and say "I have a blown head gasket, what are my options and how do you fix it?" and quite another to say " smoke is coming out of the tail pipe and it's running rough, what's the problem?" As that could be many things. We are all guessing at this point.

[juno_reaction]

Ok, the oil looks fine - nothing out of the ordinary besides the fact that I have a LOT of oil in the car. This is not a good sign. I might have misread the dipstick since it was at night when I checked it. Just out of curiosity, I checked the transmission fluid and its dark brown, almost black. As I know, tranny fluid is supposed to be a ruby red or somewhere along that color spectrum. Now I just hope that its the head gasket and a screwed sparkplug.

[smooth1]

Have you drained the oil and replaced it with the correct amount? As for the tranny, deal with that another time. Then pull each spark plug and look at it. the electrode end should be a very light brown in color. If it's a black Gooey mess, then more than likely it's fouled out and not sparking properly.

[juno_reaction]

I don't exactly have time for that tonight, but what if it is a black and gooey mess? What could that mean?

[smooth1]

Depends at this point. If it's just 1 or 2, you may indeed have blown head gasket, or any one of the other issues mentioned. If they are all black or have "crud" on them, then as byf 43 mentioned, you may have just over filled the motor with oil and need to have it cleaned out.

[juno_reaction]

Ok, so I drained the oil and I still have the same problem. No weird colours in the oil, which indicates a good sign. I think I've narrowed my problems to the blown head gasket, so the question is: how much would that round up to be? Anyone know?

[smooth1]

I don't know that nothing wrong with the oil equates to a blown head gasket. Actually, if you found some weird milky stuff in the oil, that would be the blown head gasket indicator. So you may have a valve issue, or a piston issue.

If it turns out to be just replacing head gaskets, a few hundred bucks at most. Just about anything else will get much more expensive.

[juno_reaction]

Hmm, Oh well. I'm selling my car anyway. I've spent way more money than it is worth.

[smooth1]

I was cruising thru the shop and saw our collection of 'FUS" parts. Thought you might like to see em:

And heres some blown head gaskets: