[DDUKE]

The MO is new to me,however; it has 30k on it and I have noticed pufss of smoke from the exhaust on start up. Everything seems to be functioning properly.

Just had the 30k service performed and they were going to check it out but thier OBII diagnostic tester was not working.The Service Advisor noticed the smoke...so They can't say "could not duplicate....."

Could this be an emmissions thing? The Service Engine Soon light has come on,but not until after I noticed the smoke.

Maybe I should have kept the Lexus???????????

Any thoughts on the problem would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Dookie]

What color is the smoke? If it's bluish, then look for a head to be bad or possibly the block. (They won't repair heads or blocks at the dealer level.)

If it's black/brown, then you are running too rich. If the SES light is on, I'll put money down on either one of the oxygen sensors being bad, or an MAF sensor bad. If the MAF sensor was bad, it usually idles poor though.

Let us know what happens!

 

[DDUKE]

The smoke is kinda blueish....not running hot or anything and doesn't do on all start ups.The service advisor said the car runs great..........

Would the things you suggested be covered under warranty?

Thanks

 

[pmw0826]

I have about 7,500 miles on my MO and every once in a while when I'm parked on the down slope of my driveway, and I start it, I get a puff of blue smoke. The dealer is going to check it out. I think it has something to do with the position of the engine on the down slope. It doesn't do it any other time or place.

 

[DDUKE]

Sorry to hear you have the same problem....but on the other hand it's nice to know someone else is having the same problem.

Taking it back to the Dealer on Monday.Hopefully they'll be able to diagnose the problem and fix it.

Keep me posted on your situation.

 

[Dookie]

They'll definately repair your problem, provided you haven't messed with the motor or anything like that. Doubt you have. If it's bluish, a head gasket may be the culprit as well. It's hard to say over the internet. As they to do a compression test. This will see if you are getting steady compression accross all 6 cylinders. According to the Nissan service manual, the standard for compression is 185psi w/ no more than a 14 psi difference accross all cylinders. Also, the minimum can be no less than 142 psi. I'm sure they know this, but I guess gee whiz info for you.

Sometimes, a leaking head gasket will indicate two things. Fouled spark plugs or loss of coolant over time. Of course, the compression test may find this out for you without pulling the plugs.

All of these things, the dealer should be doing. Let me know if you have any more ?'s

Take care,
Dustin

 

[DDUKE]

Thanks Dustin,
I hope it's something simple like a sensor,Haven't had the car but a week..................

 

[Eric L.]

Blue smoke = burning oil.

Sounds like the piston rings have not seated properly.

 

[DDUKE]

What actions should the dealer take if thats the case?

 

[Dookie]

Only a compression test will see if there is oil leakage into the cylinder. If one of the cylinders are leaking oil, they usually put a teaspoon of oil in through the spark plug fitting, then check the compression again. If it goes up, then it's definately the piston rings. In this case, they will replace either the entire motor, or the bottom end; depends on how Nissan handles these issues. If the compression doesn't go up, then the problem lies in the head somewhere in which they will replace that entire head.

Sometimes, smoke on start up could mean leaking valve guides as well. You never know....

 

[Eric L.]

What actions should the dealer take if thats the case?

None - they will blame the customer that they did not break in the car properly. Its not true of course, but its also right there in the owners manual.

 

[Dookie]

None - they will blame the customer that they did not break in the car properly. Its not true of course, but its also right there in the owners manual.

They might try it, but they shouldn't be able to prove it. I've had a friend whos Acura was burning oil from the get go. They replaced the motor without question.

 

[hfelknor]

Considering the fact that the VQ engine is bulletproof, if the rings were worn, I would side with Nissan and perhaps suggest changing the oil more often than every 30,000 miles would be called for.
I (if i were Nissan) would definitly want to see proof that oil/filter had been changed regularly.
If it could be proven (receipts, dealer records, etc) that the engine had been serviced correctly, then Nissan would warranty any repairs IMO.

Besides a puff of blue smoke at startup is hardly a worn out engine.
This engine "could" run another 150K miles.


Let's face it folks, this is a used car. Why did the original owner get rid of it?


Homer

 

[Dookie]

The deal with "proof" of oil change has happened before. It doesn't hold up in court because its a piece of paper saying it was done, but nothing positive. I change my own oil, and there is no way to show proof of oil change, other than sales receipts that I bought it. It still doesn't show that I changed it.

Where did you buy the car from?

 

[DDUKE]

Follow up........
Took the car to Auto Zone to have the codes read(dealers tester was broken)heres the read out:

U1000
PI700 manufactuers Cont. Trans. Camshaft Acuator
p0011 bank 1 TIMING OVER ADVANCED

Hopefully one of these will correct the problem.

Thanks
David

 

[Dookie]

Timing over advanced may cause smoke, but nothing bluish though. I would still think it is something mechanical in the motor.

 

[DDUKE]

I took pix of the smoke ,just in case they could not duplicate ."After further review" it has more of a white look to it.Maybe I'm color blind.

Tried to post pix but the're too large.

 

[mfshin]

I had 2000 Max w/ around 70k which I thought bluish/white smoke come out in a cold start. Never raised a question nor intended to fix it since I bought it used and it only happened in a cold start. Then I traded in for MO where I notice similar white smoke come out in a cold start and had a fume smell to it. So I took MO in for a thorough check and the tech told me that it is perfectly normal for a VQ engine where it tend to run rich in a start up and that often cause smoke/fume. I remember after dealer visit, reading similar post either on this forum or in Maxima forum.
So it may not be a problem but rather a safety to run a bit rich at a start up for VQs.
Just a note!

 

[DDUKE]

That puts my mind to ease some....however ; there should be adjustments to correct the rich startups. Sometimes it looks like I just sprayed for Musquitoes on startup .

 

[crively]

Smoke on startup

General speaking, a puff of smoke on startup can be caused by as little as a drop or so of oil leaking past the valve guide down to the cylinder chamber. This can be caused by blocked or restricted returns. Although this may be a sign of poor maintinence by the previous owner, I would not consider it an indication of early wear or failure unless there were other symptoms. An easy way to check for poor maintinence is to remove the oil filler cap (when the engine is cool) and run your finger around under the valve cover, if you feel any grit. That would be a sign of carbonized oil and poor maintinence. Talk to a professional it may be reversable.

Personally I do no like flushing engines, but in a low milage, poor maintinece situation. I would consider it.

Generaly speaking if the rings were worn it would smoke all the time. I seriously doubt this is your problem. Another quick test would be to hold the engine RPMs at about 2K for a few seconds and then let off the gas. If you see a puff of smoke this is most likely a bad (or worn) valve guide.

Hope some of this helps.