larkar

Hi all...
I JUST bought this '04 Rx330 with 22K miles on it ...I'm LOVING this car BUT I started it up yesterday afternoon and while I trying to set the automatic seat/mirror adjustments when I noticed a fair amount of smoke coming from the exhaust. I was concerned about driving the car as I don't know what this means, if anything. I started it up today to monitor this and for about 8 min. there was a fair amount of white or grey smoke plus liquid in the exhaust pipe. After about 4-5 min. the liquid started dripping.

Any thoughts or comments would be greatly appreciated!
Karen

/Aerostar\

iTrader: (2)

How cold is it outside?

larkar

It was about 50 degrees or so.

/Aerostar\

iTrader: (2)

The liquid is probably just lots of condensation, but Im not sure about that smoke, you sure it wasnt just water vapor or anything?

larkar

Is there a way to tell if it's water vapor? I've never noticed it to this degree in any other car, so I don't get it. Thanks for your input...it's appreciated.

RA40

iTrader: (6)

It is most likely water vapor that you are seeing. As well, you'll get a fair amount of water dripping form the tail pipe until it warms up. One easy way to tell...the water vapor has little if any detectible odor to it, it smells "humid". If you are burning oil or what not, it has a chemical like odor.

TLW

yep

this is why exhausts rust out (well at least one reason )

if you drive alot..... the water never really gets a chance to sit

my friend had 88 olds with over 200,00 miles and the original exhaust

rheiy

The car is still under warranty. If your not sure, just bring in in for service and have them look at it and tell you if that's normal

HarrierAWD

Some white smoke and dripping liquid are normal for humid cold morning. Eight minutes seems suspiciously long. There might be a coolant leak. Check the coolant reservior level.

larkar

It's under warranty BUT there's no lexus dealer here. Hence lexus' are rather uncommon here. I bought it on ebay (sort of) out of Dallas, then used some frequent flyer miles to get it & drove the 500 miles back. A Lexus dealership is in the works, they're getting ready to break ground on it. There is a Toyota dealership so I'm guessing they'll be the best source for service til then?

TLW

its normal .....i know you're worried

its cool ...

read this

EXHAUST SMOKE COLOR

One of the easiest methods to use when troubleshooting an engine for a performance complaint is to monitor the color of the smoke coming from the exhaust stack visually. There are four basic colors that may exit from the exhaust system at any time during engine operation—white, black, gray, or blue. The color of the smoke tips you off to just what and where the problem might lie.

White smoke is generally most noticeable at engine start-up, particularly during cold conditions. As the combustion and cylinder temperatures increase during the first few minutes of engine operation the white smoke should start to disappear which indicates the engine is sound. However, if the white smoke takes longer than 3 to 5 minutes to disappear a problem exist. The problems white smoke may indicate are as follows:

* Low cylinder compression from worn rings
* Scored piston or liner
* Valve seating problems
* Water leaking into the combustion chamber
* Faulty injectors
* Use of a low cetane diesel fuel.

Black or gray smoke generally is caused by the same conditions—the difference between the colors being one of opacity or denseness of smoke. Black or gray smoke should be checked with the engine at operating temperature of 160°F. Abnormal amounts of exhaust smoke emission is an indication that the engine is not operating correctly, resulting in a lack of power, as well as decreased fuel economy. Excessive black or gray exhaust smoke is caused by the following:

* Improper grade of diesel fuel
* Air starvation
* High exhaust back pressure
* Incorrect fuel injection timing
* Faulty nozzles or injectors
* Faulty automatic timing advance unit
* Faulty injection pump Incorrect valve adjustment clearances

Blue smoke is attributed to oil entering the combustion chamber and being burned or blown through the cylinder and burned in the exhaust manifold or turbocharger. Remember always check the simplest things first, such as too much oil in the crankcase or a plugged crankcase ventilation breather. The more serious problems that can cause blue smoke are as follows:

* Worn valve guides
* Worn piston rings
* Worn cylinder walls
* Scored pistons or cylinder walls
* Broken rings
* Turbocharger seal leakage
* Glazed cylinder liner walls due to use of the wrong type of oil

larkar

I checked the coolant and it seems fine BUT I just realized the oil level is not! It's been overfilled and it states in the manual, "NOTICE: Avoid overfilling, or the engine could be damaged." What does this mean?! Have any thoughts on this? Anyone?

TLW

how much of an overfill are we talking

larkar

I would say a quart over the high mark.

VVT-i

The best way is get an oil change and fill it up to proper level with approx. 5 qts of oil. Overfilled engine oil can cause some over consumtion when the crankshaft has to overcomes the extra among of oil to rotate and some of the excess oil can get inside the combustion chamber that will cause the smoke.