Nissan Forum banner

Heavy smoke when starting a car after driving on a highway for about 15-20 minutes.

2K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  Matt93SE 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi, all!

I have a problem with my car (Nissan Maxima GLE, 98). It only occurs when I take it to a highway, drive for about 15-20 minutes, then stop it and start after a couple of hours. I can see a big cloud of light colored smoke coming from a tailpipe for a couple of seconds. Could you help me with understanding of the nature of such problem? Thank you in advance.
 
Discussion starter · #3 ·
JimN4BYO said:
We have addressed this on a few times before. Usually, startup smoke is due to the valve stem rubber seals leaking - due to wear. After a nice drive, oil is all over the inside of the engine. When turned off, the oil settles to back to the oil pan - or where ever a nook or cranny exists that can hold oil.

In you case, oil that has been pumped onto the cam(s) has slid down the valve stems and rested on the valve guide seals. If the seals are dry or warn, some of the oil slips by the seals and into the cylinder. When to first start the engine, the oil mixes with the fuel and causes smoke in the exhaust (until burned away).

If your engine has warn piston rings, the smoking would be continous.

Hope this provides some insight into NORMAL engine ware.
Thank you for the reply. Do you have any idea how much it might cost?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top