I have a 2002 RX300 and it has started smoking from the exhaust. It started doing it shortly after I rear ended someone. The damage was fairly minor, replaced fender and cracked radiator. Shortly after that it started doing this! I took it in for a diagnostic and the the dealership told me it would be $6500.00 to tear the engine apart because the problem is sludge and that was the only way to fix it is to open it up and clean it out. They said it was not accident related, but that was exactly when it started. The mechanic said it was a coincidence but I only have 40K miles on it! Anyone have any thoughts? I feel like I am being bamboozled. I have linked a you tube video of it doing it particularly badly.



http://youtu.be/XYPfdOyUpt0

 

By the way, it stops smoking after the engine warms up.

 

that certainly looks like burning oil, but its hard to tell... does it smell sweet like coolant or like oil?

either way, it is unlikely that they are related to the accident directly... I suppose if the radiator cracked and the car overheated, it could lead to a blown head gasket, but thats about the only accident related scenario I can think of...

if it is oil and it goes away after the car is warmed up, could just be valve stem seals... anything more than valve stems though, and you are better off replacing the engine with a good used one...

Also, sludge may have started this problem, but just cleaning it wont fix it...

 

It smells like oil. The mechanic said that the impact may have "unstuck" the sludge. If so, I may be able to submit it as accident related. Not sure about that. Have you heard of something called "Auto-RX"? It was recommended as something to try as it dissolves sludge. If my alternative is to replace the engine do you think there is any downside?

 

BTW, How much (rough estimate) should I be paying for a "good used" engine? Any idea how to get one in Santa Monica? I certainly cannot afford $6500.00 for the repair the dealership is talking about.

 

I agree that the impact might have unstuck the sludge, but at the same time, an insurance company is probably going to see that as a pre-existing condition... Had the accident not happened, this same issue could have come about by going over rough roads, or just randomly anyways...

At this point, even if you make it worse, its not like you aren't aware you need an engine anyways... There are a few different tricks you can try and for the most part they are safe, even on a healthy engine, and worst we're out is a few bucks either way...

Auto-RX's site has a deal about sludge and deposits here: http://www.auto-rx.com/fasttrack-sludge.html

Sounds like something I would try.

Seafoam is another alternative to Auto-RX, worth a shot as well...

Another suggestion that I have heard that works, though not from personal experience is a mixture of oil designed for diesel engines (Shell Rotella-T) and replace the last 1/2 quart of engine oil with automatic transmission fluid. ATF has much higher detergents in it and is good for cleaning out engines.

Either way you go, you have quite a few oil changes in your near future if you decide to try this route. Buy a few cheap oil filters, and a few gallons of the diesel oil. Follow the basic instructions on Auto-RX's site - I was going to write something similar, but they have the essentials there.


If you decide to go used engine route, there are tons of options. A quick search on ebay turns up a completely remanufactured RX300 engine for $1600 shipped. Add $500 in miscellaneous parts that you should replace anyways, such as water pump, belts, hoses, etc, and $500-$1000 in labor and you can do the whole thing for $3000-$3500...

Either way you go, start using a full synthetic oil... I would guess you are changing the oil based on 3k intervals, perhaps 5k. With as few of miles as you have, that would mean very long times between oil changes. I would adopt a 5k or 6 month interval at maximum, 3k or 3 months in your situation... Still run synthetic either way. A 5 quart jug can be purchased at Wal-Mart for $25...

 

I might add, I'd love to see the results if you try one of the cleaning agents over the next couple of months.

 

Ok, I will post the results here for sure. This will be a great test case!

I am really curious if that stuff works and have my fingers (and toes) crossed. I have a classic Porsche and the thing burns oil like its gasoline and the Auto-RX looks like it may help that problem too.

 

Best of luck to ya man... I'll be very interested to see what happens...

on a similar note, had a Suburban in the shop the other night, took over an hour to drain the oil - it was that thick and sludgy... only about a quart came out good and after that it was terrible... I added 1 quart of oil two different times to try and get it thinned out a little, the video that follows was after I added the second quart of new oil...

http://youtu.be/X5Vt9c6nRIc